Dehydration is a condition of your body where it loses more water than it takes in. This imbalance the minerals in your body & disturbs their overall functioning.
More than 90% of our blood is pure water, when we are dehydrated blood starts to become more concentrated as a result, the heart pumps faster & works harder to pump the thicker blood around. Most heart attacks occur between 4 AM- 10 AM, yes! the most dehydrated time interval.
The brain slows down the blood flow to the arms & legs & manages to give the limited blood supply to the critical organs only. Kidneys sense dehydration & recycle more water into the bloodstream leaving the urine bright yellow or perhaps dark.
I didn’t want to scare you but can’t help the facts! You got the idea that how deeply dehydration can damage your body parts right, including skin, mouth & lips.
How Dehydration affects lips?
Lips don’t have oil glands so they can’t fight back against dehydration with their own moisture. Hence even the mildest start for dehydration in your body can be easily caught through first, dry & chapped lips & second dark yellow urine.
These are pretty early signs to buckle up on 2-3 Liters of water at least! Healthy lips honestly don’t demand much, they only need an adequate amount of water to be feeling fine.
What are the signs of Dehydrated lips?
Physical symptoms of dry cracked lips are,
- Peeling skin on lips with mild bleeding
- Painful to touch
- Uncomfortable itchiness on the lips
- Dry evident lines on the lips
- Sores on your lips & mouth
- Chapped or cracked lips
Internal symptoms of Dehydration are,
- Lightheadedness
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Constipation
- Unexplained Dizziness
- Decreased urine production
- Fatigue
What can be the other potential causes for Chapped lips apart from dehydration?
- Cold weather
- Sun exposure
- Menopause- decreasing estrogen levels
- Certain Acne products like Benzoyl peroxide, Retinoids, or Salicylic acid
- Lipsticks containing propyl gallate develop sensitivity on the delicate skin of the lips
- Lip balm with few irritants like menthol, fragrances, flavors & parabens can leave the sensitive skin of the lips itchy, dry & irritated.
- Medications prescribed for thyroid conditions & high blood pressure can also be responsible for the dryness of the mouth & lips
- Certain nutritional deficiencies like Iron, Zinc, Vitamin C, and B vitamins & Overdose of Vitamin A.
How to prevent & treat Chapped lips?
For treating internally,
Treating the body from the inside will automatically make your condition 80% better. So, keep a strict habit of drinking loads of hydrating fluids every day like water, coconut water, watermelon juice, lemon water, and vegetable juices. If you are severely dehydrated to the extent of dizziness, cut back on coffee & tea for a while. Cut the caffeine completely until you start getting better.
For treating external,
There are a few natural ingredients that can instantly give you relief from the drying discomfort on your cracked skin of the lips like,
- Raw honey
- Beeswax
- Raw shea butter
- Ghee- clarified butter
- Coconut oil
- Avocado butter
- Mango butter
- For SPF in lip balm (Titanium dioxide & zinc oxide)
Now, I can understand applying raw honey can be a bit messy. So, the most convenient way to use honey or these other ingredients on the lips is conveniently in the form of lip balm or lip mask.
You just need to find a good brand of lip balm that uses no-nonsense ingredients. Always check for the ingredients & apply lip balm with NO fragrances, menthol, eucalyptus, alcohol, flavors, artificial food colors, chemical sunscreen, paraben, camphor, mineral oil & to your shocker, petroleum jelly in it.
Petrolatum is a refined byproduct of petroleum that is made from crude oil. My personal experience – It always burns my chapped lips even more & there’s no relation to moisturizing at all.
Keep your lips hydrated with a few of my all-time favorite lip balms which definitely gave me relief are- Honey trap pot from lush, bursts bees mango butter & Laneige- lip sleeping mask, berry.
Lastly, dry air will make the condition worse, invest in a humidifier for the hydrated air to breathe in daily.
Are dehydrated chapped lips a serious condition?
Most likely not, it’s a pretty common condition people go through every now & then. With an adequate amount of fluids & persistent usage of lip balms or lip masks the whole day, your lips will just be fine in no time.
Although, in very rare cases if you are not getting better & starting to develop ulcers, a lumpy texture, or white plaques on your lips, those are the signs for some severely chapped lips & you should see your health provider certainly. You might also be deficient in any of the vital nutrients I mentioned above & perhaps get a blood test done to find out the internal cause & fix it by supplement intake.
What are the medical conditions that dehydrate your body more?
- Alcohol- especially before sleeping at night
- Diabetes- Extra blood sugar gets mixed with the urine & drags water with it. Excessive urination Is one of the most common signs of diabetes.
- Medications for thyroid & high blood pressure
- A drug called lithium for treating bipolar disorder
- Loop-acting diuretics for heart failure
- An over-the-counter migraine medicine called Excedrin migraine
- A tablet- Apremilast for treating psoriasis
If you are struggling with any of these conditions or taking any of the medicines. Pls make extra efforts to keep your body hydrated all the time.
Love~ Beauty stroll
