SymptomMouth & teeth
Dry Lips: Causes, Red Flags and Treatment
Dry lips (chapped lips, or cheilitis) are rough, cracked or peeling lips. Lips have no oil glands and a very thin outer layer, so they dry out quickly in cold, windy or dry air and from lip licking. Most cases clear within 1 to 2 weeks with a plain balm. Dry lips that persist can be a symptom of dehydration, medicines such as isotretinoin, an allergy to a lip product, a yeast infection or a vitamin deficiency.
Also called: Chapped lips, cracked lips, peeling lips, cheilitis
At a glance
- What it is
- Dry, cracked, flaky or peeling skin on the lips.
- Most common causes
- Cold or dry weather, wind, sun, lip licking and mouth breathing.
- Can be a symptom of
- Dehydration, medicines, allergic contact dermatitis, angular cheilitis, vitamin deficiency, Sjögren's syndrome or eczema.
- Typical duration
- Days to 2 weeks with good care.
- Treatment
- Bland balm such as petroleum jelly, SPF lip balm outdoors, and stopping lip licking.
When to get help
Call 911 or go to the ER
- Rapid swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing or swallowing
- Painful blisters or peeling of the lips with a widespread rash, blistering skin or sore eyes, especially after a new medicine
See a doctor within a day or two
- Very dry mouth and lips with little or no urine, dizziness, confusion or extreme thirst
- A child with fever for 5 days or more plus red, cracked lips, red eyes, a rash or swollen hands and feet
- Lip cracks that are spreading, oozing or crusting yellow, with fever
Book a routine appointment
- Dry lips that do not improve after 2 to 3 weeks of balm
- A rough, scaly patch or sore on the lower lip that does not heal, especially with a lot of sun exposure
- Persistent cracks at the corners of the mouth
- Dry lips with constant thirst, passing a lot of urine, or weight loss
Usually safe to manage at home
- Chapped lips in winter or after time outdoors, with no other symptoms
What dry lips look and feel like
Dry lips feel tight, rough or sore. You may see:
- flaking or peeling skin
- small cracks or deeper splits, sometimes bleeding
- redness and stinging, especially with salty or acidic food
- scaling at the edge of the lips (the vermilion border)
- crusting or soreness at the corners of the mouth
Common causes of dry lips
Weather and habits
Most dry lips have a simple cause:
- Cold, dry or windy air, and indoor heating in winter
- Sun exposure: lips burn easily
- Lip licking: saliva evaporates and its enzymes irritate the skin. Children who lick their lips often get a red ring around the mouth (lip-licker's dermatitis)
- Mouth breathing, from a blocked nose or during sleep
- Picking or biting dry flakes
Lip products and allergies
Ironically, some lip balms make dryness worse. Allergic or irritant contact dermatitis can come from fragrance, flavorings (such as cinnamon and peppermint), lanolin, propolis, sunscreen chemicals, and toothpaste ingredients. Clues: lips that stay dry or itchy despite constant balm, or a reaction that started with a new product.
What dry lips can be a symptom of
| Possible cause | Clues |
|---|---|
| Dehydration | Thirst, dark urine, dry mouth, dizziness |
| Medicines | Isotretinoin (almost everyone taking it gets dry lips), retinoids, chemotherapy, diuretics, antihistamines |
| Angular cheilitis | Painful cracks at the mouth corners, often from yeast or bacteria, dentures or drooling |
| Actinic cheilitis | Rough, scaly, pale lower lip in people with years of sun exposure. A precancerous condition |
| Eczema | Dry, itchy lips with eczema elsewhere |
| Vitamin and mineral deficiency | B vitamins (riboflavin, B12), iron or zinc. Often with a sore tongue and mouth corner cracks |
| Sjögren's syndrome | Persistent dry mouth and gritty dry eyes |
| Diabetes | Dry mouth with excessive thirst, frequent urination and weight loss |
| Hypothyroidism | Dry skin everywhere, tiredness, feeling cold |
| Kawasaki disease | A young child with fever, red cracked lips, red eyes and rash |
| Too much vitamin A | From supplements, with peeling skin and headache |
Dry lips red flags
See a doctor rather than treating at home if:
- dryness lasts more than 2 to 3 weeks despite good care
- a sore, crust, lump or scaly patch on the lip does not heal within a few weeks (lip cancer usually affects the lower lip)
- the lips swell
- you have signs of dehydration, diabetes or a child with persistent fever
- cracks at the corners keep coming back
How doctors find the cause
A doctor will look at the lips and mouth and ask about weather, habits, lip products, medicines, diet and other symptoms. Depending on the clues, they may do a swab for yeast or bacteria, patch testing for allergies, blood tests for blood sugar, iron, vitamins, thyroid and Sjögren's antibodies, or a biopsy of a patch that will not heal.
How to treat dry lips
Home care
- Apply a bland ointment such as white petroleum jelly or a fragrance-free balm several times a day and at bedtime. Thick ointments seal moisture in better than waxy sticks.
- Use a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher outdoors, and reapply every 2 hours.
- Stop licking, biting and picking. Keep balm with you to replace the habit.
- Avoid irritants: flavored, scented or tingling balms (menthol, camphor, eucalyptus, cinnamon), and salty or spicy foods while lips are cracked.
- Run a humidifier in your bedroom in winter.
- Drink enough fluids so your urine is pale yellow.
- Treat a blocked nose so you do not breathe through your mouth at night.
Medical treatment
- Antifungal or antibacterial creams for angular cheilitis
- A short course of mild steroid ointment for eczema or allergic lip dermatitis, once the trigger is identified
- Supplements if a deficiency is confirmed
- Cryotherapy, creams or laser treatment for actinic cheilitis
- Adjusting medicines where possible
Frequently asked questions
Are dry lips a symptom of anything?
Usually dry lips are just from weather, sun or lip licking. If they persist, they can be a symptom of dehydration, a medicine side effect, an allergy to a lip product, angular cheilitis, eczema, a vitamin deficiency, diabetes, thyroid disease or Sjögren's syndrome.
What are the signs of dry lips?
Signs of dry lips include tightness, roughness, flaking, peeling, cracks or splits that may bleed, redness and stinging. Cracking at the corners of the mouth suggests angular cheilitis rather than simple chapping.
Can dehydration cause dry lips?
Yes. Dry lips and a dry mouth are early signs of dehydration, along with thirst, dark urine and tiredness. Drinking more fluids helps, but lips that stay dry despite good hydration usually have another cause, such as weather or an irritating lip product.
Why are my lips still dry even though I use lip balm?
Some balms contain fragrance, flavor, menthol or camphor that irritate the lips or cause an allergy, and frequent licking of flavored balm makes dryness worse. Switch to plain petroleum jelly for 2 weeks. If that does not help, see a doctor about allergy or another cause.
Which vitamin deficiency causes dry lips?
Deficiency of B vitamins, especially riboflavin (B2), B6 and B12, as well as iron and zinc, can cause dry lips and cracks at the corners of the mouth, often with a sore, smooth tongue. These are uncommon in people with a varied diet and should be confirmed with blood tests.
Sources
This guide was written from current patient and clinical guidance, including:
- American Academy of Dermatology: 7 dermatologists' tips for healing dry, chapped lips
- MedlinePlus: Lip problems
- Cleveland Clinic: Chapped Lips
- NHS: Sore or dry lips
- DermNet: Cheilitis