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He thought about it all the time. He had to have it. If he went too long without it, his need for a fix consumed him. Kevin Crossman was a lip-balm addict.
Crossman is just one of millions who are, let’s just say, quite attached to their lip balms. According to ACNielsen Co, sales of lip balms grew last year to more than $378 million (Dh1,389 million).
Facebook following
Dr Marcia Driscoll, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland, says she recently asked some residents on her staff about it and three of them pulled lip products out of their pockets.
On Facebook, there are 192 groups dedicated to lip balm, many of them addiction-oriented. They include “I Think I Might Die Without Lip Gloss, ChapStick or Some Form of Lip Balm”, “I Forgot My Lip Balm, My Life Is Over!” and “I Think I’m Addicted to Lip Balm”.
Balm companies, aware of people’s predilections, have started packaging the tubes in packs of two and three.
Crossman, who’s a website manager in San Francisco, says his addiction started with cherry-flavoured ChapStick.
It tasted good and felt nice on the lips. “It wasn’t very cool to have pinkish lips but I couldn’t help it,” he says, adding that before he quit, he was using it dozens of times a day and that his lips felt naked without it.
Driscoll doesn’t think there needs to be so much drama associated with chapped lips, which is an issue she deals with a lot as a dermatologist. She estimates about 80 per cent of her cases are women.
But causes for the chapping of lips come from all corners.
Wind, sun, cold and dry air can wreak havoc on the lips.
It’s a problem that can strike any time of the year but happens particularly during the colder months, when the air is dry.
Driscoll also points a finger at lip-licking. “You get a little dryness and you start licking your lips.
You could end up with dermatitis of the lip, which can spread all around the mouth,” she says.
According to the Mayo Clinic, breathing with an open mouth is a trigger, as is dehydration.
Cosmetic culprit
But Driscoll thinks the reason so many women suffer from chapped lips is poor cosmetic choices.
In moisturisers, lipsticks, glosses and even medicinal balm, there are ingredients which can irritate.
It’s also possible that chapped lips are a symptom of a more pervasive skin ailment. Those with sensitive skin, with tendencies towards dermatitis or eczema, also tend to get chapped lips, Driscoll says.
If chapping is severe and doesn’t respond to treatment, Driscoll advises seeing a dermatologist.
POINTERS
To help treat chapped lips
What does a normal case of chapped lips look like?
Usually the lips are red and they’re flaking or scaly. Sometimes there’s cracking. Patients describe pain, especially when consuming food with a lot of acid, such as tomatoes or orange juice.
Recommended treatments are:
- Aquaphor and Vaseline: Dr Marcia Driscoll, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland, recommends Aquaphor, an over-the-counter treatment. The gooey ointment, without fragrance or irritating additives, comes in a tube. She also endorses Vaseline or any simple petroleum jelly.
- Dr Dan’s Cortibalm: Dr Dan’s is a lip balm in a tube designed by a dermatologist. It contains 1 per cent hydrocortisone, an active ingredient to help healing, which is not found in Aquaphor or Vaseline. The brand isn’t easily available but it can be ordered at Drdanslipbalm.com.
- Sunscreen: Doctors and the Mayo Clinic recommend the application of lip balm with sunscreen before going outdoors, both in summer and winter. The Sun’s rays are as damaging in winter as they are in summer.
- Hydrate: Drink plenty of fluids and consider using a humidifier.
- Avoid: Driscoll advises people to steer clear of balms with phenol, lanolin, parabin and anything with a fragrance or a “botanical”.
“People can have allergies to plant ingredients,” she says. Phenol, which is found in some balms, gives a soothing effect at first but is also an irritant that promotes peeling of the skin, she says.
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