DRY, ROUGH LIPS – Plano and Frisco TX

Recommended treatment

  • Skincare
  • Facial Fillers

Skin Care

They don’t call them Lizard Lips for nothing! There’s nothing sexy about having dry, cracked lips underneath that lovely lipstick. With winter weather or dry arid climates, many people have to deal with lips that are dry, cracked, and in some cases, even painful. For our lips -certain times of the year can be worse than others – and it is not fun to have dry lips! Lips are one of the most exposed areas of skin and are more vulnerable to the environment than any other part of our face. If your lips are peeling and bleeding- we have some suggestions below for you.

Dr. Wright’s Lip Tips

  • Minimize the dryness of your lips by avoiding alcohol and caffeine and trying to drink plenty of water. Use a humidifier at home to keep the air moist.
  • Avoid licking your lips as saliva evaporates quickly and leaves lips drier than before you licked them.
  • An effective lip hydrator to seal in water is essential. This even helps your lip color glide on smoother and look plumper. Our Fiona WRxIGHT MD skincare EYE QUENCH, is great to hydrate your lips. Yes – our luxurious hydrating eye gel has many benefits, and is a perfect treatment for the lips as well. This rich and protective barrier moisturizer protects from dehydration, while providing the anti-aging benefits of Vitamins A, C, E, CoQ10, and Green Tea, therefore a perfect and easy solution to dry, thin-looking lips. Our patients love this multi-use products, which saves them time and money!
  • Once the lips are hydrated, it is important to seal the moisture in and prevent chapped lips by applying a lip balm with SPF. For an ultra-moisturizing experience look for a lip balm containing petrolatum (Aquaphor) or beeswax (Burt’s Bees). Moisture balms should be applied throughout the day, after eating and before going to bed to achieve the best results.
  • Check that your lipstick contains condition-enhancing ingredients. Some of these ingredients would be shea butter, wheatgerm oil and natural waxes.
  • Applying your lip balm to a smooth surface is also important- so exfoliate your lips with your toothbrush when brushing your teeth. You can also apply lip exfoliating creams that contain salicylic acid.
  • Several causes of dry lips are: obstructed breathing, contact dermatitis and certain medications (like those that treat acne) which can dry out the lips. Consult your physician if the problem persists because it can become a major problem and no one wants lips that are dry looking!

Facial Fillers

For many, Facial Fillers are used to lift and rejuvenate their appearance and bring the “sexy back” to their lips! But, for some, it can alleviate a common inflammatory condition affecting the corners of the mouth (oral commissures) called Angular Cheilitis. Depending on underlying causes, it may last a few days or persist indefinitely. It is also called angular stomatitis and cheilosis. The condition presents with a red rash-like area with tenderness, irritation and cracking in the skin at the corners of the lips. It can be a very annoying condition since every time you eat, smile, talk or laugh; the skin tends to crack, interrupting healing. If small fragments of food get into the wound or fissure, it can further impair healing and increase the risk of secondary infection.

It is important to see your doctor before embarking on using Facial Fillers to correct this problem, as there are many medical causes of the condition that need to be evaluated and treated if present. The most common causes of Angular Cheilitis are;

  • Nutritional Deficiencies (Iron, B group vitamin deficiency ; B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid) or B12 (cyanocobalamin). In fact, any condition or situation in which there is poor diet, malnutrition or malabsorption (for example celiac disease) can potentially result in angular stomatitis.
  • Another possible cause is a fungal skin infection such as yeast (Candida albicans) or a bacterium such as Staphylococcus aureus which are able to thrive because of excessive moisture at the corners of the mouth or a microbial imbalance. Some people may be at more risk which include; diabetes, people undergoing head and neck radiation treatment, and the immunocompromised people.
  • Sometimes the skin may have broken down due to another cause such as eczema, contact dermatitis or allergy, or even a cold sore (herpes simplex) and a secondary bacterial infection may subsequently ensue, prolonging and exacerbating the original condition.
  • People who wear dentures, especially ill-fitting ones, tend to be prone to this condition too, since saliva tends to collect in skin creases and this moist environment tends to welcome infection. It tends to be worse in winter too, when the skin has a tendency to become dry, chapped and cracked and can peel easily, especially if idle fingers cannot resist playing with the dry cracked skin!

The final causes that can create Angular Cheilitis are the ones that can be corrected with Facial Fillers. The drooping of the corners of the mouth can be caused by tooth loss (which allows the cheeks to sink in) and by the aging process where volume loss and skin laxity around the mouth doesn’t maintain a “full” facial form. The overhanging folds of skin will create deeper creases which promote a moist environment for inflammation and irritation to set in. Facial Fillers, such as Restylane, can be placed in the corners to build up the oral commissures and remove the overhang.

 

mouth and lip

 

Cosmetic Skin Care Specialist Plano, TX