Dry, cracked lips can be caused by cold or dry weather, sun exposure, frequent lip licking, dehydration or vitamin deficiencies. The skin on your lips is different from the skin on your face. It’s thinner and lacks the oil and sweat glands that protect other parts of your body.

Because lips can’t moisturise themselves, their only source of hydration is saliva, which unfortunately isn’t very effective. In fact, licking your lips often makes things worse: saliva evaporates quickly, taking away existing moisture and leaving lips even drier. This is why chapped lips, also called cheilitis, are so common in cold, dry air.

Yes, most cases of dry, chapped lips can heal with simple home care. The golden rules:

• Stop licking your lips: no matter how tempting it is, it only makes dryness worse.
• Use a moisturising lip balm: preferably with SPF if you’ll be outdoors. This locks in hydration and protects from UV damage.
• Stay hydrated: drinking enough water benefits your whole body, including your lips.

With consistent care, lips often recover on their own within days to a week.

At Thames Skin Clinic, we offer a range of professional treatments and advanced skincare products to restore hydration and improve lip health. Our HydraFacials are designed to deeply hydrate and plump the lips using nourishing serums. We also use hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, which attract and retain moisture while instantly restoring volume, smoothing the lip surface and softening fine lines. 

To maintain these results and prevent future dryness, we recommend supportive medical-grade skincare, such as the ZO Skin Health range. These products protect, hydrate and nurture the delicate lip area long after treatment.