When you think the feeling of dry skin is bad, there is another that even worse, the feeling of dry, chapped lips. It hurts and embrassing , it also can drive you crazy and hard to get rid. You absolutely want to avoid having chapped lips if you can.
But, what are exactly causes chapped lips? There are many elements that you need to worry about like weather or wind, but there is another that can become vital. Since chapped lips occurred around mouth, the most pressing question is food, since you always use your lips to eat on daily basis. Does food directly affect chapped lips in your mouth?
What are chapped lips?
Chapped lips are condition when your skin on the lips cracked, fissured and peeled. It can affect both lips, but it mostly occur on the lower lip. Sometimes you will feel burning and painful cracks when your lips stretched. In chronic condition, it can also develop into crusting and bleeding.
The causes of chapped lips include frequent biting, rubbing habits or lip licking. By constantly lick your lips, you will cause your skin to dry and irritate and eventually led to splitted or cracked mucosa. The lips can’t be avoided will always exposed to the air outside, especially when exposed to dry or cold weather, it will only make your lips dry out easily. Saliva which contain digestive enzymes also poses a risk to irritate your lips.
Read Also : How Long Do Allergic Reactions Last On Skin?
Does food cause chapped lips?
Some foods certainly contribute to making your lips skin dry out or irritate. Spicy foods will make your lips burn, thus it can lead to temporary irritations. Salty foods like popcorn or potato chips can dry out your lips if too much consumed. Another foods that sticks on your lips will tend to make you lick them repeatedly will cause them to dry out, it is due to saliva can dry out skin’s natural moisture. Those are some of examples of temporary irritation caused by food consumption.
Now, how about food allergy? Does it also cause chapped lips?
Food allergy
Food allergy is a response of body’s immune system. It works like this, in time you eat some foods that you’re allergic to, your immune system will develop antibodies and histamines. Histamine in the sinus cavity will cause inflammation, congestion and swelling. This sinus problems will most likely led to your chapped lips.
Sinus Problems and Chapped Lips
Sinus is cavity in your head, located directly behind your nose and eyes. Sinus helps to filter unwanted particles from the air you breathe in. When you are having food allergy, sinus will become inflamed due to increased levels of histamine in your body. There are various symptoms of sinus problems such as sneezing nasal congestion, sinus pressure, postnasal drip, headaches and a runny nose. When your sinus cavity become swollen, it will hinder your normal ability to breathe. You will feel hard to breathe through your nose and instead you are forced to use your mouth to breathe. It will leads to lip licking and eventually chapped lips.
So, here goes the answer to the question. Yes, food allergies can cause chapped lips.
Avoid Foods that will cause allergy
If you want to prevent chapped lips, you need to avoid eating foods that you’re allergic to. The best way is to get tested to determine what kind of foods that causing your allergic reaction. Blood tests or skin-prick tests may be sufficient to determine the foods you’re allergic to. Actually, the problem of food allergy does not lie on the food itself but rather on the ingredient. The tests will determine what ingredients that will likely cause your allergy and you need to avoid any food that contain those ingredients. This may be difficult at first, because many food allergens can be found in different products. But you will eventually get there once you are used to avoid those foods.
What if you accidentally eat some foods that you’re allergic to?
You can treat your sinus symptoms by taking an antihestamine and decongestant when you accidentally eat some foods that you’re allergic to. The antihestamine will lower the amount of hestamine in your body while the decongestant eases the inflammation and the swelling in your sinus cavity. If the symptoms do not go away, immediately go see your doctor to get the appropriate medical treatment.
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