Nothing is more annoying than dry, chapped lips—so here’s how to treat them

Temperatures are starting to change and going in and out of heat can wreak havoc on your complexion. As a result, your lips are likely to feel the effects of transitioning into spring before the rest of your skin. Prone to dryness, flaking and cracking, they can look unsightly at best, or feel incredibly sore at worst.

So, with intermittent weather on the horizon, we sought guidance from Emma Ravichandran, clinical director at multi-award winning Clinetix, on how to achieve the perfect pout for spring.

What are the major causes of chapped lips?

The skin on your lips is thinner than that on the rest of your body, which means it's more prone to damage and signs of ageing.

At this time of year, drastic changes in the weather, coming in from the cold and into heat, causes them to quickly dry out, which leads to cracking.

How can you prevent chapped lips?

I’d always recommend seeking advice from a skincare expert before you try any treatments, as they’ll be able to pinpoint the problem. Before any cracking occurs, keep your lips supple with a delicate lip balm with a scrub built-in.

Soothe an already chapped pout with products containing a low percentage of retinol, as they'll be more nourishing and less harsh on the soft skin. Balms with UVA filters are paramount too, as they’ll help protect your lips from damage caused by unnatural light—a problem that keeps on growing the more dependent on our screens we become.

Which lip colour trends should we be wearing this SPRING?

Delicate blush lipstick always looks classic and is less likely to show the effects of chapping. Looks for colours with slightly blueish or mauve undertones and they’ll also make your teeth look whiter in a flash.

Lips are big news on the beauty scene right now—for those of us wanting to enhance our pouts, which treatment would you recommend?

They certainly are. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported an increase of 50% in lip augmentations for 18-55 year olds between 2000-2016 and, at Clinetix, we’re seeing the same upward growth with a 15% annual increase in requests for lip treatments.

Every procedure should be tailored to a patient’s needs—we’re not a “one treatment suits all” kind of clinic. However, more often than not I’d recommend using Belotero Lips; the filler's formula is very cohesive and doesn’t migrate underneath the surface of the lip, making for a very successful implementation. It gives a natural, long-lasting result, and doesn’t cause much inflammation, though you can expect slight post-treatment swelling for 24-48 hours.

The results are immediate but I’d always advise carrying out the treatment two to four weeks before a big event—this’ll give the treatment time to settle, and give you time become accustomed to your new look. 

What you advise we do before going down the filler route?

Research is absolutely paramount. People need to remember that is a medical treatment and, as such, should do sound research on who will be administering the treatment, as well as the product that is being used.

If at all possible, try and speak with someone who has had the same treatment carried out at the clinic you’re considering—even better, go and see their real-life results firsthand. When done correctly, our Belotero Lips treatment looks beautifully natural; don’t settle for anything less.