For some reason dead skin keeps caking on the top layer of my lips. Why does this happen? Is this normal? If not then why does this happen to me? After a week if I don't do anything the dead skin just keeps building up and it looks gross.
I always have to use my tongue to gently rub off all the dead shit on my lips but then the next day more gross shit is on my lips that I have to rub off.
I have tried all sorts of lip moisturizers and I have tried using hydrocortisone.
I suffer with this too, and as a woman who often wears lipstick, the pigment of the lipstick sticks to the dead skin, and leaves bits of brightly coloured gunk all over my lips, long after the rest of my lipstick has faded. Not pretty!
The way i have dealt with this for a while is exfoliatng my lips each morning. You can buy lip exfoliating products, which are usually excessively priced for what they are. So i make my own by mixing sugar with a carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, and buffing my lips with this. You can also use a soft toothbrush, such as a baby's toothbrush, along with a little oil, vaseline, or the like. Or gently use a microfibre cloth or towel, followed by a layer of emu oil, topped with Vaseline to seal in the moisture (or your regular lip moisturizer - however, i find emu oil topped with vaseline more effective).
I have actually just ordered a bottle of low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid capsules, for oral supplementation, for anti-aging/skin plumping purposes, and whilst researching i came accross a great deal of anecdotes regards its affectiveness for plumping and moisturizing the lips. In fact, several members of another forum reported their lips feeling extremely soft & hydrated, as though they had a layer of lipbalm on, whilst using oral HA. I cannot vouch for this myself, as my 1st bottle has yet to arrive, and ive read conflicting information regards whether oral supplementation of HA is trully beneficial, or if it is broken down in the stomach without crossing the membrane, but i believe the low molecular weight HA has a higher likelihood of being successfully absorbed.
As im sure you can tell, i have little to no scientific knowledge, but there is a huge thread at EssentialDaySpa.com with much anecdotal evidence to suggest the low molecular weight HA does have a beneficial affect on lip and skin plumping/moisturisation/hydration.
Edited by MsMetamorphose, 06 September 2012 - 11:09 PM.