Burning lips are an uncomfortable and permanently present symptom. Many people are plagued by burning, reddened, tense and completely dried out lips.
The skin of the lips is very different from the rest of the skin of the face. It does not form skin pigment and has no sebum or sweat glands, which makes it easier to dry out. Compared to other skin areas, the skin of the lips is very well supplied with blood and sensitively supplied by many nerve endings. All of this together ensures a high susceptibility to injury from external influences and means that even slight changes and damage are perceived early due to the good sensitivity.
In addition, symptoms such as burning, dryness and itching are aggravated by licking the tongue over the lips or permanent itching. This increases the damage to the skin on the lips.
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Many influences and causes can lead to burning lips. The most common harmless cause of temporary burning lips is dehydration from wind, dry air, cold, water or vitamin deficiency. Alcohol consumption also promotes dry lips, as it removes water from the body.
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As a result of these factors, the lips become dry and, due to the lack of sebum glands, do not have the opportunity to re-oil themselves. As a result, the skin on the lips feels slightly tense, then it burns and later itching or small bloody cracks in the skin can occur.
Read more on the topic: Chapped lips
External stimuli can also lead to burning lips. Certain substances such as drugs, foods or stimuli such as cigarette smoke come into consideration here. Physical stimuli such as strong friction or scratching when itching can also damage the skin of the lips.
$config[ads_text2] not foundIn rare cases, however, the burning of the lips can also be the result of illnesses affecting the entire body. Colds, severe hunger, iron deficiency, but also diabetes, AIDS or other chronic diseases can lead to burning lips via certain metabolic processes.
An iron deficiency is one of many causes of burning lips. An enormous number of people are affected by iron deficiency without even knowing it. Young women in particular often struggle with this.
Iron is needed in the body for red blood cells to carry oxygen. The most important symptoms of iron deficiency are:
The skin shows a reduced blood flow due to the poor function of the red blood cells. This results in paleness, hair loss and combinations of insufficient sebum and perspiration, which in turn also dry out the lips.
Read more on the topic: Symptoms of iron deficiency
In addition to burning lips, it can also lead to cracked lips, minor bleeding and torn corners of the mouth. An iron deficiency can remain symptom-free for a long time. The body can compensate for the lack of function of the red blood cells for a long time, but at an advanced stage there is a drop in performance and weakness. Therefore, an iron deficiency must be compensated for, which can be achieved through food containing iron, certain vitamins, but also through drug treatment.
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Find out more about: Causes of Iron Deficiency
Burning lips can rarely be caused by allergies. This is called an oral allergy syndrome. Allergies are often triggered by conventional allergens such as pollen or birch, but also foods such as nuts, raw fruit, potatoes, ginger, almonds and many more. The body recognizes certain protein structures in these substances, which it classifies as hostile and harmful, causing allergic reactions.
$config[ads_text2] not foundIn oral allergy syndrome, the allergic reactions mainly affect the mouth, lips and tongue. These may tingling, itching, painful, or burning, and the tongue may typically feel numb and swollen.
Initially, the only thing that helps is to recognize and avoid the allergens; in the long term, desensitization therapies can also be carried out. The body gets used to the allergen in small portions over a period of years.
Stress represents a hormonal and health challenge for the body. A very pronounced stress can influence many hormones, diseases and body functions or cause typical stress symptoms seemingly for no reason. Symptoms that can occur during stress are:
With severe stress, the immune system's resistance is reduced, which also promotes pathogen-related diseases. A very common viral disease of the lip is caused by herpes viruses. These, too, can cause burning lips in the event of an outbreak with reduced performance of the immune system. Almost everyone carries the herpes virus without feeling any symptoms.
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Pimples and skin diseases also tend to break out under stress. The chronic disease "neurodermatitis" can also affect the lips and occur more favorably under stress.
You might also be interested in: How can you reduce stress?
Alcohol is one of the most common contributing factors to dry lips. After permanent but also after a one-off excess alcohol, the lips can be reddened, burned and dry out in the following days or the next morning. This is because alcohol blocks a hormone in the brain that causes the kidney to excrete too much water.
In the case of heavy alcohol consumption, it is essential to ensure that there is sufficient water. In addition to dry lips, dehydration also causes the typical hangover, which is also a symptom of dehydration of the body.
You can find out how to fight a hangover here: Hangover after alcohol - what to do?
In the case of dehydration, allergies and burning lips due to chronic diseases, the entire red lip is often affected. An emphasis on the lip rims suggests local events.
Often there is inflammation at the transition to normal facial skin, which can arise for various reasons. This can be due to irritation of the facial skin, which can result from friction, chemical influences or as a result of colds. Even apparently unfounded rashes, so-called "eczema", are often found behind burning lips. Here too, viral pathogens, such as the herpes viruses, are often responsible.
Mechanical irritation in the lip area is very common. With colds and frequent blowing of the nose, irritation of the skin up to the lips can quickly occur, so that the sensitive edges of the lips are reddened and burn.
Seemingly unfounded rashes around the lips are a common phenomenon, especially in men or in people with a tendency to rash or previous neurodermatitis. Many people are prone to spontaneous, localized eczema that is reddened but can also itch and burn. In men, mechanical irritation from the whiskers can also be a trigger. This is called a "beard lichen".
Emphasized redness with burning on the edge of the lip are also typical of cold sores. This often affects the normal facial skin around the lip and merges smoothly into the red lip.
Read more about treating cold sores here: Cold sore
$config[ads_text1] not foundThe treatment must be made depending on the triggering cause. Most lip complaints can be alleviated with simple home remedies in self-treatment. If the lips are dehydrated, the most important therapy is to remove the trigger. These include drinking more water and reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption.
In addition, moisturizing creams can be applied to the lips for a few days to promote rapid healing of the lips. In addition to medical products and creams, selected home remedies can also be used.
You might also be interested in: Home remedies for dry lips
Allergic complaints can only be treated most effectively by avoiding the allergens. In the long term, therapies for desensitizing certain substances are available, whereby the body slowly gets used to the allergens.
Infectious causes often require antibacterial or antiviral therapy using antibiotics or antiviral drugs in the form of ointments.
In the case of inflammation caused by hyperreactivity of the immune system, such as allergies or eczema, ointments with light immunosuppressive substances can be applied to the skin. You can stop the inflammation and give the skin time to regenerate and heal by itself.
Various home remedies can be used, especially when the lips are drying out. Medical ointments do not always have to be used. The function of home remedies is to lubricate the lips, provide them with fluid, and reduce symptoms until they are cured.
Simple oils such as olive oil can be used for this. Small amounts can be applied to the lips until the entire lip skin is moistened. They should not be licked from the lips under any circumstances, otherwise the symptoms will worsen.
Aloe vera and honey also have a greasy and healing effect. Conventional lip balm or lip butter preparations can already be found in many households today. These are not only available in pharmacies, but also in supermarkets. In the event of symptoms that do not go away on their own or that cause severe itching and pain, a dermatologist should be consulted after a while.
More on this topic can be found here: Honey against dry lips
Burning lips are often accompanied by other symptoms of dehydration. First, the lips feel tight. The burning sensation is accompanied by redness, pain, and itching. Later, the lips may tear, bleed, and be very painful with every movement. At this stage, the skin's barrier function is no longer guaranteed.
Contact with certain foods or liquids can lead to severe stabbing pain in the bleeding, open areas. Acidic drinks such as orange juice can be very painful.
Symptoms of dehydration throughout the body can also occur. In addition to generally dry skin, thirst, tiredness, constipation, circulatory problems and drowsiness can also occur.
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If there are chronic illnesses behind the burning lips, these can become noticeable through other general symptoms of the body.
Torn corners of the mouth are another symptom that is often associated with burning and dry lips. At this stage, the skin is so dry that it is under great tension and tears due to movements such as opening the mouth.
The corners of the mouth in particular are often affected, as they are more under tension. Torn corners of the mouth are a particularly unpleasant symptom, as they can be stabbing every time you eat, yawn or come into contact with various foods. In addition to dehydration, herpes and diseases such as neurodermatitis can also cause torn corners of the mouth with burning lips.
A burning tongue is rather atypical when the lips are drying out. The tongue is largely protected from external influences such as cold air and strong wind. It is also permanently moisturized and does not dry out very easily, except in the case of severe colds when breathing heavily through the mouth or when snoring.
When the tongue burns, there are often other causes behind it. A vitamin deficiency is often responsible for these symptoms. Iron deficiency, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies, as well as excessive alcohol consumption can cause burning lips and a burning tongue. Various food allergies can also lead to an oral allergy syndrome. In some cases, the tongue is also involved.
A swelling of the lips suggests an acute inflammatory process. If the lips are very dry and bloody, the lips become inflamed in response to mechanical irritation and can swell.
You can find out more about inflammation of the lip here: Causes and therapy of inflamed lips
Allergies also cause such swellings. As an acute reaction to the allergen, water accumulates in the tissue and leads to what is known as "edema".
In many cases, inflammation is also caused by pathogens and toxins. In this regard, the herpes virus is the most common causative agent for viral lip swellings. Insect bites can also be behind it less often.In the case of insect bites, poisons are injected into the lip, which, like allergens or pathogens, lead to inflammatory reactions with burning and swollen lips.
Read more about the topic here: swollen lips
Dry lips are by far the most common cause of burning lips. The majority of people experience dry lips every now and then. Factors that most favor dry lips are:
The problem with dry lips is that the lips notice the drying out at an early stage due to their high sensitivity. Most people reflexively moisten their lips with their tongue, but this increases the dehydration. As a result, the dry, bloody lips with torn corners of the mouth can often be fully developed.
Read more about this: Dry lips
Burning lips can be accompanied by itching. This occurs less often when the lips are dried out. Often, however, there are inflammatory reactions behind it. Rashes, cold sores, allergies and also insect bites typically lead to itching.
The itching tempts to scratch the skin and lips, further damaging their surface and increasing the discomfort. In the case of previously damaged lips in particular, the itching must be suppressed or treated with medication to prevent further damage to the skin.
Most lip discomfort is temporary and harmless. Many of them can be self-diagnosed. Certain symptoms that do not go away on their own should nevertheless be clarified by a dermatologist.
In order to make a diagnosis, it is important first of all what the exact symptoms look like, whether the burning sensation is limited to the red lips and in what time frame it arose. Subsequently, a possible trigger of burning lips can be determined through temporal relationships, such as increased alcohol consumption or the start of the cold season.
In the case of further complaints, a dermatologist can examine the lips more closely in the dermatoscope. Here, by means of a magnification, he can recognize typical skin structure changes in rashes or herpes diseases. The latter can also be diagnosed by swabbing the rash, which allows the virus to be seen under a microscope.
Lips usually do not feel burning for very long. Very dry lips with a feeling of tension, cracks and burning can be healed within 2-3 days with the right care. It also depends on whether the lips are only slightly dry or whether there are already bloody cracks in the corners of the mouth. In the latter stage, it can take a few days for the skin on the lips to fully recover. With adequate hydration and a lip balm, symptoms usually subside quickly.
Eczema, cold sores, or other inflammation of the skin can be more persistent. In many cases, they don't go away on their own. With adequate therapy, however, the symptoms can subside within a few days. This also depends on the strength of the active ingredient and the persistence of the inflammation.
