Tips To Keep Your Lips Healthy All Summer Long

During the summer, most people understand that taking care of their skin is important. However, the lips somehow get overlooked. Just like the other parts of your body, UV ray exposure can be troublesome for your lips, causing them to become chapped and dry. This doesn't just make your lips look bad, but this can also be painful. If you are struggling with ideas on how to protect your lips during the summer, here are some tips to get you started. 

Exfoliation

The first component of summertime lip care should be exfoliation. Just like the rest of your body, lips can also develop a layer of dead skin cells. Dead skin cells can actually make it harder for any moisturizer you apply to your lips to penetrate.

Exfoliating your lips removes this dead skin layer and allows your moisturizer to penetrate throughout your lips. This won't just make your lips healthier, but it will also make them look better. Applying a sugar scrub is a great way to exfoliate. Ideally, you should be exfoliating at least once a week.

Moisturize

One of the most important parts of lip care is moisturizing. In addition to exposure to the sun's rays, regular practices like talking, eating and drinking can also dry out your lips. When your lips are dry, you will produce dead skin cells at a more rapid rate. Step one of moisturizing your lips involves applying a light moisturizer, such as a lip balm, throughout the day.

As a general rule of thumb, whenever your lips feel dry you should be applying a light moisturizer. Before bed, apply a heavier moisturizer like a shea or cocoa butter for a more intense treatment.

Healthy Diet

What you eat also helps keep your lips healthy during the summer. Make sure your diet is made up primarily of healthy foods. Foods that are rich in vitamin A, including tomatoes, whole grains and leafy green vegetables, are known to promote healthy skin and protect against damage.

You should try to avoid spicy foods as they can dry out your lips. If eating a lot of these foods is difficult for you, at the very least, take a multivitamin that contains vitamin A. You should also avoid licking your lips. When you lick your lips, the acids from the food you eat get transferred to your lips, which can also cause drying.

Keeping your lips healthy and beautiful begins with you. Make certain you aren't engaging in practices that can harm your lips. For more information on how to better care for your skin and lips, contact a professional dermatologist like those at the Billings Clinic.

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