Itchy lips: Causes and prevention

Sometimes you have sudden itchy lips and feel very uncomfortable, but do not know why your lips are itchy. So how to prevent itchy lips?

Itchy lips can have many causes, including: Exposure to allergens (allergens), certain medications, trauma, weather, infections, and a number of other causes.

Itchy lips due to allergen exposure is a condition in which the lips are itchy, swollen, scaly, and even inflamed due to contact with allergens in cosmetics for lips (lipstick), sunscreen. , water or mouthwash, toothpaste, perfume.
In addition, foods containing preservatives or using artificial flavors can also cause itchy lips. Usually, itchiness of the lips caused by contact with an allergen is temporary and will go away in about 24 hours.

If you are taking medication to treat a medical condition such as a retinoid or penicillin antibiotic, it may cause side effects such as itchy lips with cracked lips, bleeding on the lips.

Itchy lips due to trauma is a condition in which the skin on the lips is irritated and overly sensitive. Frequent biting or licking of the lips can also cause the lips to become swollen and itchy. If the lips are not irritated, the itching will stop and may recur as the lips continue to be irritated.

Itchy lips due to weather is a condition of lips that are itchy, dry, swollen, cracked or even bleeding due to prolonged exposure to dry, cold, windy weather, especially in areas with harsh climates harsh. Itchy lips due to weather are common in people who often work in outdoor environments.

Itchy lips caused by infections of some fungi (candidiasis), viruses (HSV), bacteria (stretococcus, staph group A) excessively causing discomfort. In addition to itchy lips, an infection can cause other symptoms, and when these symptoms go away, the itchy lips will also go away. Or your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to control and treat the infection.

Itchy lips due to other causes, including: lupus, urticaria, rash lasting (6 weeks), body nutritional deficiencies, facial paralysis due to Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome.

In addition to the above causes, sometimes itchy lips are caused by lips being dry and causing an itchy feeling. Dry lips are mainly caused by environmental factors, which weaken the skin barrier on the lips, leading to irritated, red, and itchy lips.
Usually dry lips are mainly caused by an environment with too high a temperature, dry, hot and not a manifestation of a disease. Meanwhile, itchy lips can be a sign of a number of diseases. Itchy lips are often accompanied by dry lips, so failing to distinguish these two symptoms can lead to misdiagnosing the disease for treatment.

When itchy lips are accompanied by the following abnormal symptoms, you should go to a medical facility immediately or contact a doctor for advice and diagnosis to determine the cause:
Rash on the face Bleeding lips Do not stop Shortness of breath Swelling of lips In addition, if you have itchy lips that persist for many weeks, accompanied by cracked lips, bleeding, also see a doctor immediately and do not forget to inform the doctor about cosmetics, medicines. used recently.
The doctor can order a blood test to check if the itchy lips are caused by an allergen, or a culture to look for fungus, bacteria growth that causes an infection.

Depending on the cause of itchy lips, the treatment method will be different, specifically:
Infection: Oral antibiotics, anti-fungal cream for infection. Allergic reactions: Oral or topical antihistamines. Dry lips: Use a chemical- and fragrance-free moisturizer to strengthen the skin's barrier against harsh, hot, dry weather conditions. When prescribed medication to treat itchy lips, always remember to discuss with your doctor the possible side effects of the medication.

You can prevent recurrence of itchy lips in the following ways:
Protect your lips : Your lips need to be protected at any time of the year with a moisturizing lip balm (in the dry, cold season) and a towel , cloth cover, sunscreen lipstick (in the hot season, high temperature). Note that when using lip care cosmetics, you need to choose products that are fragrance-free and do not contain chemicals that cause allergies. Limit harmful lip habits: Lip licking, lip biting are harmful habits that need to be eliminated so as not to cause lips to itch. Licking your lips might seem like it will make your lips moist and less dry, but the truth is that licking your lips will make them drier. If you are using makeup and daily skin care products that contain chemicals that affect the lips, you should also consider changing the product and usage so that it does not cause itchy lips due to chemical exposure. Products. Drink enough water: Finally, keep your lips from getting dry, chapped, and itchy by drinking enough water every day, especially in winter. Itchy lips can be caused by many things such as exposure to allergens, extreme weather, side effects of medications, infections. To prevent itchy lips, it is necessary to use lip care products, protect lips, limit harmful habits and drink enough water every day.

Reference source: healthline.com