Through
the years, the lip care specialists at Blistex have answered
thousands of queries from silly to serious about the care and
protection of lips. You may have wondered about a few yourself,
so here are answers to some of the most frequently asked lip
care questions.
Can a person
become addicted to a lip care product?
Considering
the number of urban legends and humorous web sites devoted to
the subject of lip balm, it is not surprising that this is one
of the most common questions that we are asked. Rest assured
that the definitive answer is NO! -- a person cannot
become addicted to a lip care product.
According
to Dr. Charles Zugerman,
associate professor of clinical dermatology at Northwestern
University Medical School, people do not become addicted to
lip care products or the ingredients in them. Rather, people
may become habituated to the soothing feeling of having a lip
care product on their lips. Should this happen, the person can
stop using the product and experience no withdrawal symptoms.
There is no such thing as physical addiction to lip balm.
We
at Blistex share Dr. Zugerman's belief that the notion of lip
balm 'addiction' stems from the fact that people who use lip
balm regularly become accustomed to the feeling of having moist
comfortable lips. When they subsequently stop using lip
balm, their exposed lips--subjected once more to drying environmental
conditions--do not feel as comfortable. Lip balm users,
in this sense, are about as addicted to lip balm as coat wearers
are to coats when it is cold outside.
Moreover,
it is important to note that lips do not have adequate natural
protection from the sun's rays. Fun is fun, but if people
neglect to protect their sensitive lip skin because of the mistaken
notion that lip balm is addictive, they could be in for long-term
health problems. Lip balms with an SPF level of at least
15 could provide lips with the protection they need.
But
don't just take our word for it, click here for some quotes
from other recent articles
on lip balm "addiction".
What makes
lip care different from skin care?
Lip
tissue is mucous membrane, unlike ordinary skin. Also, the outer
layer of the lip (or stratum corneum) is extremely thin and
even completely absent in most people. As a result, moisture
evaporates from the lips much faster than from skin causing
lips to dry out easily. This dryness frequently results in chapping
and cracking, and increases the risk of inflammation, infection
and burning sensations.
See
our "What are Lips?" section for more information on lips.
How do
I protect my lips from the sun?
Lips
have little or no melanin, the natural skin pigment that screens
out the suns harmful ultraviolet rays. Sun damage can alter
collagen (which gives lips body and resilience) can even lead
to melanoma. Lips should be protected from the sun with a product
that contains a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or more. When
spending extensive amounts of time outdoors, a lip care product
with a higher SPF such as Blistex Ultra
Protection with SPF 30should be used. It also is important
to remember that the suns harmful rays are always present whether
its July or January, sunny or cloudy.
Click
here to find out more about Sun
Damage & Your Lips.
Do lips
need to be protected indoors?
Its
a good idea to work lip protection into your daily skin care
regimen whether you spend time outdoors or not. Outdoor factors
such as sun, wind and cold can speed up the rate of lip moisture
loss. What you may not realize is that lips frequently
suffer indoors from a lack of moisture in centrally heated or
air-conditioned rooms in which the relative humidity is low.
Dryness is also the enemy when a winter cold or flu strikes. Lip irritation can even be caused by certain types of food,
cosmetics and cigarette smoke.
While protection
is great, how do I heal already chapped lips?
If
your lips get chapped, time is of the essence. The sooner you
attend to them the faster they will heal. For both seriously
dry lips and even treatment of cold sores, Blistex recommends
using a medicated product, like Blistex
Lip Ointment, that contains penetrating analgesics
to bring cooling relief to lips and moisturizing ingredients
to rehydrate lips.
What causes
cold sores?
Cold
sores and fever blisters tend to develop when an individual
has a cold or fever, but they also can be triggered by sun exposure,
emotional distress, intestinal illness and menstruation.
Eliminating all of the sources that can contribute to the onset
of cold sores and fever blisters is impossible, but sufferers
can condition their lips with products such as Blistex DCT (Daily Conditioning Treatment for Lips) with
vitamins A and E and SPF 20 to reduce the sun's impact and limit
cracking that can lead to vulnerable lips.
Click
here for more information on cold sores.
Is it possible
to reduce the effects of overexposure and aging on the lips?
Using
a lip care product with a sunscreen and effective moisturizers
can help reduce the effects of two of the main contributors
to an aged appearance, sun damage and moisture loss. All
Blistex sticks and DCT combine proven moisturizers with sun
protection ranging from SPF 10-30.
A
recent innovation from Blistex Lip
Revitalizer was created to help rejuvenate lips that are
already appearing worn or overexposed. A combination of an alpha
hydroxy exfoliant and high levels of moisturizers helps restore
lips to a smooth, soft state. The alpha exfoliant gently removes
damaged, rough cells on the surface of lips. Dimethicone, a
proven Blistex protectant, and extra moisturizers help dry lip
cells replenish. In clinical tests, Lip Revitalizer significantly
reduced the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the surface
of lips within about one month of use.
Click
here for more information on Your
Lips & Aging.
Should
lip balm be worn under or over lipstick?
Lip
balm or ointment works best when worn under lipstick, which
allows protective ingredients to be in direct contact with the
lips. Using a moisturizing lip care product before lipstick
application will help color go on more evenly.
