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| My sweet boy has some seriously chapped lips. |
My 10-year old finally got to sleep at almost 11 last night. It had been a long day, full of hyper boys and a mom trying to get the house back in order after a busy week. Talker, as I like to call my oldest son, has been suffering some seriously chapped lips the past two days. I keep reminding him to drink some water and put Vaseline on his lips, and he generally rolls his eyes. He might dab on a little Vaseline every once in a while, but he doesn’t like to do anything I tell him to, so he would skip the water part unless I stood over him and made sure he did it.
So, last night his lips were hurting so badly that he couldn’t sleep. He was almost in tears, and said he wanted to just rip his lips off his face. I pulled out the first aid kit and applied a little Neosporin + Pain Relief, topped it off with some Vaseline, and made him guzzle a few glasses of water.
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| My sweet boy has some very chapped lips. |
The cold weather is upon us! And if you’re like Talker, you might think that hydration isn’t as important during the cold months of winter as it is during the sweaty-hot summer months. Wrong! You have to stay hydrated, especially if you’re working fitness into your routines.
Why? Your home is most likely heated. That warm air can carry a lot of moisture, and it sucks water out of the environment. Imagine setting a glass of water on your kitchen counter. If you marked the level of water, you’d notice the water level drop as the water evaporates into the air. The warmer the air, the more quickly the water gets sucked up. Your skin contains water, and that warm air is sucking moisture out of your body from the place where moisture is most readily available– your mouth. Thus, the chapped lips.
Add fitness routines to the mix, and you have the double the risk of dehydration. For folks with medical conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, dehydration can be especially dangerous. I have low blood pressure, and I know that if I’m not hydrated, I’ll get dizzy when I run.
If you find that your lips are getting chapped, grab some lip balm. Something petroleum-based is going to be most effective. Then drink 8 ounces of water every 20 minutes for 2 hours, and then make sure you’re drinking at least 8 ounces every hour. It’s okay to replace a couple of those 8 ounce servings with a sports drink or juice, but water is best. That’ll help kick-start the re-hydration process. Your urine should be pretty clear– that’s your best indication that your body is getting enough fluids. The chapping should start clearing up pretty quickly if you didn’t let it get too bad. I generally notice some real relief within a few hours of beginning this regimen.
Once you get re-hydrated– STAY hydrated! It’s not just good for lips, but your body can’t function properly if it’s not properly hydrated, which means it can’t lose weight properly if it’s not properly hydrated.
Do you have any hydration and chapped-lips remedies to share?
The only thing I'd mark as a concern is using petroleum based products. While they are effective, your lips absorb chemicals more than other parts of your skin (thus the chapping issue). There are several really good hydrating balms about there that don't use petroleum.
When my lips get chapped I end up getting Blistex Ointment. It hurts the first few times you use it, but it clears it up quickly.
The only thing I'd mark as a concern is using petroleum based products. While they are effective, your lips absorb chemicals more than other parts of your skin (thus the chapping issue). There are several really good hydrating balms about there that don't use petroleum.
When my lips get chapped I end up getting Blistex Ointment. It hurts the first few times you use it, but it clears it up quickly.
Especially in those cold, northern regions!
I forgot to mention that a humidifier is another way to help prevent dry skin and chapped lips. It's a lot easier to prevent it than cure it!
oh gosh, that looks so painful!
I struggle with dry/chapped lips during winter too!