When your lips end up rough and parched or your pucker starts to wrinkle around the edges and look less than lush, don't assume you have to kiss a perfect pout goodbye. With a little care and attention, you can rehabilitate your lips.

Unlike most of your skin, your lips are actually a mucous membrane (like the inside of your nose) with a thinner top layer (the stratum corneum) that is thinner than what you'd find on the back of your hand. The upper layer of your skin helps trap moisture in, so in the case of your lips, this system is compromised. Lips also lack sebaceous, or oil, glands to help keep them lubricated, so this little swath of skin is at a disadvantage in the softness department.

This lack of natural lubrication is partly why we all lick our lips, particularly when the air is dry or artificially heated, whipping at us (say, on a boat or shushing down a snow covered slope) or when the temperature takes a dive. We want our lips to feel moist, and when they dehydrate, we go for the quickest fix: a swipe at them with our tongue. Unfortunately, this can set up a drying cycle your lips feel dry so you lick them. As the saliva dries any moisture your lips were hanging on to evaporates, so you lick them again to get that moist feeling and, well, you get the idea. What's more, saliva contains digestive enzymes that can further torment your lips. The result: rough, cracked, chapped lips.

So, what should you do when your pucker starts to feel like sandpaper? First, do a little rehabilitation once a week before bed. With a very soft (less is really more here), wet toothbrush or damp washcloth gently (don't scrub! You can further irritate the skin) massage your lips to slough off any roughness, and then generously slick on a heavy-duty lip balm. EI Solutions Lip Refine is a gentle, easy way to smooth away rough, chapped while EI Solutions Lip Primer helps heal and hydrate lips.

For everyday care, avoid environments that can dehydrate your lips (overly dry rooms from forced air heat, bitter cold, etc.), and remember to stay hydrated yourself by drinking plenty of water. If your house or office is dry, invest in an inexpensive humidifier (a basic one goes for less than $15) or place a shallow pan of water out to increase the humidity.

Next, focus on daily preventive care with a great lip product. If you want one that will do it all (moisturize, offer SPF protection and give you some color), consider EI Solutions Hint of Color Therapeutic Lip Balm SPF 18.

A good rule of thumb when picking lipsticks in general is to skip matte versions and go for glossy, hydrating blends that will keep lips soft and pliable.

Always use an SPF on your lips when going outside. According to the Cancer Research Foundation, lips are a particularly susceptible place for skin cancer because of their constant sun exposure, so always use a lip product with a SPF of at least 15 and apply it about 15 minutes before you go out. Reapply throughout the day to keep lips protected. An added bonus: it will cut down on the sun damage that can cause wrinkles and thin lips with age.

If all this talk of lip balms has you rummaging through your bag for the 20th time today in a panic for a waxy tube of relief, the faux medical diagnosis "lip balm addiction" may come to mind. Not to worry, this is more urban legend than urban beauty dilemma. Despite heart-wrenching testimonials on websites dedicated to helping the afflicted break their lip balm habit, you can't really become addicted to lip balm in the true sense. You can, however, become hooked on the feeling of having well lubricated lips, so when they are bare, you reapply. Using balms won't render your lips helpless to help themselves, but constant use might indicate you need to dial up the moisture in the air and increase your water intake.

The chapped lips/licking cycle, at its worst, can lead to angular cheilitis, a bacterial, fungal or viral infection that presents itself as cracks and fissures at the corners of the mouth. Should you suffer from angular cheilitis, head to your dermatologist to set you up with an antifungal or antibiotic to help clear up the problem.

Age is another battle your lips must fight. As we get older our lips thin from waning collagen (the substance you can thank for a bee-stung pout) and thinning skin. If you were a smoker or have sun damage (You've quit smoking and sunning, right? Both are horrible for your skin.), lines may radiate out from around your mouth, which fill with lipstick creating a strange, feathered look. There are surgical fixes for deflated lips such as collagen and other injections, or threads woven into your lips can plump them up. However, if you want to do something less invasive, slather on moisturizer to plump up fine lines and use a practiced hand with makeup. The base of EI Solutions Hint of Color Therapeutic Lip Balm SPF 18 hypermoisturizes the lips and normalizes the natural lip architecture to maximize what Nature truly gave you.

To make lips appear fuller and keep lipstick from migrating into fine lines use this makeup artist trick: after letting your moisturizer absorb into your skin, apply your usual foundation and layer it just over your lip line. Then, using a lip pencil close to the shade of your lipstick or a nude tone and trace your lips just outside of your lip line (don't draw on completely new lips, use your own shape as a template). Fill in with the same pencil for staying power and apply your lipstick as usual. EI Solutions Lip Enhance works with any lip tone to even out lips shape and color, while EI Solutions Lip Last keeps your lip color in place (for up to 8 hours!).

Karmen B. Saran
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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