Eczema, a skin inflammatory process, is observed to occur on the lips apart from other body parts. Read this HealthHearty article to learn about the symptoms, causes, and natural as well as medical treatments for eczema on the lips.
Eczema is one of the most common skin disorders. It can start at any stage of life, even during infancy. According to general observation, once eczema gets underway, it does not get treated easily. In medical terms, it is described as a kind of inflammatory reaction of the skin that involves formation of very small blisters that are a bit raised from the level of the skin surrounding them. It takes place in stages. These are successively reddening of the skin, swelling, formation of papules, crusting of the affected skin, and thickening and scaling of the skin. There are numerous types of eczema. Some examples are atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic eczema, stasis dermatitis, etc. It can literally occur on any part of the body.
What Causes Eczema on Lips?
The foremost cause of eczema on lips is dry skin. Many people naturally have dry skin which gets dryer as they grow old. Environmental conditions play a great role in drying up the skin. This particularly happens in the winter season when the humidity is low. Frequent use of heaters, blowers, and taking hot baths for a long time period leads to loss of moisture from the lips. This further worsens the condition of dry skin. Other things that can make your lips lose moisture include the habit of biting of lips, allergies to cosmetics or skin care products, dehydration, exposure to sun, smoking, certain medicines such as the ones that are used to cure acne, etc.
How to Treat It
Avoid all those substances that tend to irritate your lips. Some examples of such substances are food or drink which is acidic in nature, a particular brand of cosmetics, hand wash, and items containing sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. In addition to this, there are several home remedies for eczema.
- Apply petroleum jelly or lip moisturizing agent to your lips 3-4 times a day. This will moisturize your lips as well as protect them from infection and further damage.
- Essential oils like lavender and chamomile are known to accelerate the process of treatment. Consult an aromatherapist to learn about the correct dosage.
- Shea butter is an excellent moisturizing agent. It assists a lot in treating eczema. Use it in the balm form whenever you feel dryness on your lips.
- Use a non-prescription cream containing hydrocortisone for treating eczema. It will reduce redness, itching, and inflammation to a great extent.
- Take an oatmeal bath 3 times a week to treat eczema. To make an oatmeal bath, mix 2-3 cups of grounded oats with a tub of water. Soak yourself in it for 10 minutes.
- Eczema with open blisters is vulnerable to bacterial infection. To prevent worsening of the condition, take over-the-counter antibiotics.
- Take an over-the-counter antihistamine medication to subside the symptoms of eczema such as inflammation, itching, and scratching.
The aforementioned ways to cure eczema on the lips are highly efficacious. Try them for 7-10 days. If you find satisfactory improvement, continue with the same till you achieve complete cure. In case, there is no improvement, pay a visit to a dermatologist. Effective medical treatment is available. Take help of it to restore the healthy state of your lips.
Disclaimer: This HealthHearty article is for informative purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for professional medical advice.