Dermatologist’s 3 steps to never have chapped lips again

Kiss those cracked lips goodbye.

Dr. Mark Strom, a New York City dermatologist, says his super simple three-step method is the key to banishing chapped lips for good, even as the dry, cold winter months descend upon us.

Our lips can dry out so much more easily that the skin on the rest of our bodies, and a lack of sebaceous glands are partially to blame. Sebaceous glands produce sebum, and while that sebum can be responsible for annoying things like acne, blackheads and oily hair, it’s also what keeps our skin moisturized.

But unlike most of the rest of our skin and even our scalps, our lips don’t have these glands, leaving them more susceptible to drying out.

Skin on the lips is also thinner and and lacks keratin, making it not as good at retaining water.

And to make matters worse, people are also prone to licking their lips for a quick fix, but saliva has enzymes that ultimately make our skin feel drier.

Come wintertime, when the air is cold and dry, it’s no wonder our pouts have something to actually pout about.

“In dry, cold weather, the moisture inside our skin cells essentially gets sucked out and into the environment,” Dr. Martiza Perez, another dermatologist, told Self.

But if you think reaching for your favorite lip balm is the easy answer, you may need to reevaluate.

Strom(@dermarkologist)’s step number one is to throw away your ChapStick entirely. That’s because some lip balm ingredients are just making the problem worse.

“Lip balms containing ingredients like phenol, menthol and salicylic acid actually make your lips drier. So, you apply more and it becomes a vicious cycle,” dermatologist Dr. Melissa Piliang told the Cleveland Clinic.

Some artificial colors, fragrances and flavors also “dry out the skin and can leave it feeling more chapped, so less is better,” she added.

Menthol is just one ingredient in ChapStick brand lip balm, while the trio is present in different combinations in many other popular lip balm brands.