Licking your lips, while offering temporary relief from dryness, is ultimately detrimental to their health. The act, while seemingly moisturizing, actually exacerbates dryness and can lead to various problems.
Why Licking Your Lips is Bad:
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Temporary Moisture, Lasting Dryness: Saliva provides brief moisture, but it evaporates quickly, drawing moisture away from the lips, leaving them drier than before. This is consistent across multiple sources [Reddit ELI5 (2024), NIVEA, UAMS Health, Quora (2021), Think Twice (2019)].
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Enzyme Damage: Saliva contains enzymes that, with repeated licking, can irritate and damage the delicate lip skin [Reddit ELI5 (2022), Chapstick SBC].
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Lip Licker's Dermatitis: Habitual lip licking can cause lip licker's dermatitis, an eczema-like inflammation [Reference from July 21, 2022].
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Chapped, Cracked, and Bleeding Lips: Excessive licking leads to chapped, cracked, and even bleeding lips [Reference from July 21, 2022, Chapstick SBC]. This is further supported by several sources noting the increased dryness and potential for damage [Healthline, North Star Dental, Quora (2021)].
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Other Factors: Environmental conditions like wind, cold, and sun, as well as friction, can worsen the damage caused by licking [Reddit ELI5 (2022)].
When is Licking Your Lips Acceptable?
Occasionally licking your lips poses no significant harm. However, frequent or habitual licking is strongly discouraged [Healthline].
Solutions for Dry Lips:
Instead of licking, use a lip balm or other moisturizing product to combat dryness. This protects and hydrates the lips more effectively than saliva.
