In lips hyperpigmentation, factors like sun damage, nutritional imbalance, or other issues make lips appear dry, lighter, darker or even red. Lip hyperpigmentation is most common in the peoples who continuously administer pigmented juices and beverages. Lips are the part of the body that are continuously exposure to the surrounding environment, affecting the lips natural glow and natural pigment.
Factor’s that causes Lips hyperpigmentation :-
There are several factors that affect the color and hue of the lips like,
- Nutritional imbalance,
- Genetics,
- Exposure to the sunlight,
- Chemical application on the lips,
- Adverse effects of the medication, etc.
In this article, lets study causes of Lips hyperpigmentation,
Deficiency of essential nutrients: deficiency of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and water can cause lip dis coloration leading to ill health effects and lip hyperpigmentation.
Deficiency of iron: a person develops anemia when body does not contain enough amount of iron which is the leading cause of lip hyperpigmentation. Depending on density, anemia presents with different symptoms. Sometimes a person with mild iron deficiency may or may not have symptoms.
Sun exposure: ultraviolet light is the main cause of lip hyperpigmentation. It causes tanning on the skin as well as on the lips and around the chin. Sunspots are benign lesions that vary from light brown to dark reddish in color and appearance. In a skin condition called actinic keratosis, sometimes referred to as sunspots, dark, dry growth in skin may appear. the skin malignancy foundation estimates that 5-8% of lesions from actin keratosis will progress to malignancy.
Application of chemical cosmetic on the lips: continuous and regular use of lip pigments on the delicate lips can cause rigorous adverse effects on the lips. Most of the lipsticks are chemical enrich that may affect the natural melanin contains of the lips.
Enormous lip biting: there are many peoples out there having excessive habit of lip biting, in this situation saliva escapes from the mouth and lips end up drying and forms a whitish layer around the lips. Natural moisture of the lips vanish out due to enormous lip biting, extended periods of time is another common practice.
Shortage of water: water being the essential nutrient of the body, it is very important to keep body hydrated. Plenty of water should be administered so as to remove the toxins form the body and keep lips hydrated and moisturized.
Smoking regularly: regular smoking can cause shift of nicotine and tar containing chemicals to get deposited on to the lips leading to lip pigmentation.
Management of lips pigmentation: Removal
Depending on the possible reason, lips hyperpigmentation has several treatment options. For instance, patient who is administrating a certain medicine and experience lip pigmentation can discuss optional treatment choices with their physician. Antifungal drugs in the form of tablets, lozenges, or mouthwash are prescribed by doctors to treat oral thrush, as oral thrush can also be a major cause of lip hyperpigmentation.
Depending on the severity, medical treatments for lips pigmentation are:
- Laser treatment
- Synthetic and chemical peels is the method in which chemical solution is applied on the top layer of the lips so as to exfoliate the lips.
- Natural lip balms
- Lip cosmetic with SPF 20 to 30
- Cryotherapy
- Ointments, such as 5- flurouracil and 1% kojic acid.
- Kojic acid act as the best medication to treat pigmented lips.
- Niacinamide is the skin brightening agent that reduces the appearance of hyperpigmentation on the lips.
Remedies to prevent lips pigmentation:
In certain circumstances, one should avoid having discolored lips by
- Stopping smoking regularly,
- Use natural remedies to treat lip hyperpigmentation like
- Cleansing lips with raw milk,
- Scrubbing the lips with natural scrub like coffee and sugar,
- Moisturizing the lips with cocoa butter, or Shea butter,
- Healing the lips with natural ghee or use of natural lip mask.
- If applicable minimizing sun exposure and using SPF lip balm to protect lips from UV ray damage,
- Eating a healthy, well balanced diet and maintaining good dental hygiene.