Anti Aging Tips For the Lips

When it comes to our faces, we try and invest on all sorts of anti aging creams, eye creams, serums, pills and treatments just because we want to look young as long as we can. But it's very rare to hear and read anything about age proofing the lips. Sadly, the lips are the most neglected part of most anti aging regimens. They do need a lot of care, but they are often overlooked and even totally neglected. Unknown to many, the lips can be a dead giveaway of how old or young a person is so it deserves the same amount of attention as the other parts of the face. With this, let me share to you some anti aging tips for the lips. Here are some of them.

1. Avoid constantly licking your lips. Contrary to popular belief, licking your lips has no moisturising or hydrating effect at all. As a matter of fact, licking your lips can actually dry them out. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that evaporates quickly as you lick, leaving your lips drier than before you licked them. Dry, cracked and chapped lips can make your face look ugly so enough with the licking.

2. Avoid unprotected sun exposure. Just like our facial skin, our lips can also get damaged when exposed to the sun. The sun's UV rays can darken, wrinkle and dry out the lips, making you look old and lifeless. To prevent this, try to avoid the sun between 11 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon because that is when the sun is at its strongest. If you really need to go outside, make sure to use a lip balm with SPF and reapply it after a couple of hours to protect your lips from damage.

3. Wear lip balm with sun protection factor (SPF). Sunscreen is an essential product of every skin care regimen, but let us not forget our lips. Our lips also gets damaged by the sun's harmful UV rays if left unprotected. This is why it is important to wear a lip balm with SPF every single day. Apart from protecting the lips from sound damage, it also prevents discoloration, wrinkling, dryness and chapping.

4. Exfoliate lips regularly. It's a good practice to exfoliate your lips at least once a week. Exfoliation can help get rid of the dry and dead skin on the lip's surface. It can also help lighten lips that are discolored due to sun damage. To exfoliate your lips, you can use a mixture of sugar and olive oil or if you want something fancy, you can buy those flavoured lip scrubs in the market. Make sure to moisturize your lips after exfoliating them.

5 Avoid smoking. Smoking is one of the primary causes of both the wrinkles in the skin around the lips and the lips itself. It also dries out the lips which can make it look unhealthy and old, so better ditch that stick before it's too late.-By Mich Ching

Home Remedies For Split Corner of Mouth Sores

When you have a split corner of mouth sore it's hard to even smile. The skin in this area is so incredibly sensitive that even the smallest movement causes a great deal of pain. If you've ever had this condition, known as Angular Cheilitis, you know that you're willing to try just about anything to find some relief from the pain and also the redness. There are actually a few simple things you can do at home that really help remedy the situation.

One of the very best things you can do if you do have split corner of mouth sores is to keep the area as dry as possible. Most people automatically think they should apply a moisturizer since the skin when you have Angular Cheilitis tends to be very dry and cracked. Moisturizing it will actually make the problem even worse. So stay away from lip balms as well. Instead focus on not licking your lips and when you do apply creams to your face, keep it away from that area.

You also need to be mindful of the area when you are drinking a beverage. Since keeping the split corner of mouth sores dry is most important, consider drinking from a straw as often as it's convenient. If you can't, then you should keep a napkin or tissue handy to ensure the area does stay dry.

Also up your intake of Vitamin B. It's been proven that split corner of mouth sores can be caused by a deficiency of this important vitamin. Eating more foods rich in the nutrient is the best approach and in addition to helping ward off this uncomfortable condition, it's healthy for your entire body.

Although it can be painful and embarrassing to live with cracks on the sensitive skin in the corners of the mouth, there are ways you can treat the problem at home.

By Gillian Reynolds

Lip Color Change - A Hint Of Deteriorating Health?

What is the first thing you do in the morning? Brush your teeth? Wash your face? That's normal but I wish you could break the routine at times by studying the color of your lips once you drag your body out of the bed in the morning.

As stated in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), changes in lips color or texture indicate changes of health status. (Yes, lip observation is a way of diagnosis in TCM). Healthy people have reddish, averaged moist and shiny lips. If you're getting exhausted easily or your health condition is flashing red light, ya... your lips would signify you through the following color and texture changes.

Pale Lips

Commonly found among people with anemia, blood loss or other diseases associated with anemia and low cell count.

Pale Or Greenish Upper Lip

You might have weak intestine, diarrhea, bloatedness, stomachache, fear of cold etc.

Pale Lower Lip

An indication of weak and cold stomach, frequent vomiting and diarrhea, stomachache, stomach upset, abdominal pain and so on.

Greenish Lips

Highly indicates poor blood circulation, you are prone to acute diseases, especially coronary disorders such as coronary thrombosis, stroke or similar acute attack.

Dry Or Dark Red Upper Lips

Watch out for abdominal disorder, this symptom might come with stiff shoulder, bad breath, mouth infection, throat irritation, blocked ears or nose etc.

Pale Pink Lip

Most probably associated with blood or both energy and blood deficiency. Proper toning up of blood or both blood and energy are needed.

Extreme Dark Red Lips

This is a symptom of excess syndrome in TCM. It usually accompanied by high fever, thirst, respiratory tract infection, abdominal fullness and pain that may lead to sputum and indigestion.

Black Lips

Highly suggestive of digestive system disorder, such as constipation, diarrhea, lower abdominal pain or even headache, insomnia, poor appetite and so on. Smoking and excessive caffeine intake cause lips darkening too. Anyway, some people are inherited with darker lips color.

Black Spots On Lips Or Black Ring Around Lips

Closely monitor the function of adrenal cortex. It might be weakening without our knowledge.

By Zing Teoh

Yeast Infection on Lips - How to Treat It

This article will discuss treatment to cure yeast infection on lips based on a real case of my friend. She has had to be on antibiotic therapy for a very serious infection for almost a year. She has been watching her yeast diet because she is sure she is loaded with systemic candida. However, one problem she needs to get rid of as soon as possible is the fact that she has a fungal infection on her lips.

It started at the corners of her mouth, and now her whole lip area is flaking. It will heal, then come right back. She hates to leave the house because her lips look so funny. She has tried putting acidophilous paste on them and that didn't work. So she wonders whether there are some kinds of antifungal, besides tea tree oil, that she can use. She can't eat anything acidic, because it worsens the problem.

My dentist told me to use athlete's foot medications. I did, and it worked, but I prefer tea tree oil myself, because I wondered about getting the stuff in my mouth. I've had very bad cracks at the corners of my mouth in the past, and they still crop up occasionally.

Alternatively, you might consider using oregano oil on it. You might have to dilute it with some other kind of oil, like olive oil, because it can be pretty caustic. I know it will make you smell like pasta, but it is anti-candida. As long as we're talking about pasta, you might also try garlic on it.

The last alternative is to take nystatin ointment. The fungal part will be going away. Your lips may be still peeling, but they will look a lot better.

By Angie Lindsey