Dry skin around the mouth can unfortunately be painful, uncomfortable and fairly common. It also doesn’t do much for self esteem… not great when you’re working on your badass original self.
From red, angry bumps to broken, flaky bits, dry skin can show up in a couple different ways. It can also be caused by a couple different things—like we chatted about here when we covered dry skin in general.
Dry skin in the mouth area specifically is most often caused by changes in the environment, exposure to something or an infection, but strengthening your skin’s natural ability to do its job is chief among the ways to get rid of it.
Below we cover the top 3 causes of dry skin around the mouth and ways you can get rid of it before heading to see a dermatologist.
The top 3 causes
#1. Environmental factors that cause dry skin around the mouth:
As we’ve covered elsewhere, when the temps drop, typically so does the amount of moisture in the air around you. Couple that with forced air and it makes things even worse.
Your skin is naturally made up of water, fatty acids and lipids amongst other things and when this top layer is stripped, it opens the door to all sorts of skin issues, including dryness, accelerated water loss and infection.
By being gentle with it and supporting it’s natural ability to do what it needs to do, you can definitely get rid of dry skin around the mouth caused by changes in your environment. Bonus: this means the skin is better able to deal with whatever else comes its way.
Follow the steps in this blog post and you should be on your way to getting rid of the flakes and itchiness. Most importantly, pay attention to your routine and take it easy on the mists.
Letting a toner or mist evaporate without following up with something will make things worse by pulling what little water you have in your skin with it out.
This is why licking your lips when they’re dry makes the issue worse. Don’t do it.
#2: Exposure to something that’s causing dry skin around the mouth:
There’s an ongoing debate about in skincare about the terms natural/green/clean/non toxic vs. the rest.
We’re not fans of labels (unless it’s “original”) and we’re not fans of scare-mongering. But, there’s no argument about the fact that some things, whether specific chemicals or entire skin care formulas, don’t agree with everyone.
Each of us is different, which makes our skin uniquely us, which means some of us will react differently to certain things. And exposure to specific chemicals or compounds in skin care can cause a reaction in every one of us. That reaction is often dry, flaky skin around the mouth.
Some of the common culprits that cause the type of inflammation that results in dry skin around the mouth include menthol or fluoride so check your toothpaste!
If the dry skin is around the mouth, check other products you regularly use in that area only. For example, something in lipsticks, balms or glosses could be the culprit but it could also be anything in the rest of your beauty routine too, like foundation or concealer.
If you suspect it’s something you’re using, take a step back and simplify your routine, stop using the suspect products and see if the reaction calms. Then, slowly reintroduce each product to see if you have another reaction.
In the meantime, stick to the basics and keep giving the skin what it needs to work properly, then get out of its way. For us, this means stripping it back to an oil cleanser, a faithful toner and the serum your skin needs to function at its best.
#3. It could be something worse, like an infection:
When dryness caused by things like environmental factors goes untreated, the skin has a hard time doing its job protecting against things like infection.
This means that the skin is much more susceptible to bacteria and germs. For example, licking the skin around your lips when they’re dry not only makes the issue worse, but also adds bacteria to the area, leading to infection, which make dryness worse.
It’s a vicious circle and one of the reasons why having a strong skin barrier that works properly is so important to healthy, glowing skin.
If you suspect you have an infection, take the steps mentioned above to support the skin in its ability to fight it, then think about heading to see a dermatologist or doctor to diagnose what’s causing it.
One of the best ways to treat dry skin is to give your skin what it needs and then get out of its way. By being gentle with your skin and supporting it’s natural ability to do what it needs to do, you can get rid of dry skin around the mouth caused by changes in your environment or a reaction to something.