It’s easy to forget that your lips are, in fact, skin. It might feel
like a quick coat of lip balm here or there is all they need. But your lip
skin requires more support than you might think.
Here’s what makes lip skin so different from the skin
on your face and body:
It’s much thinner. While most skin on the body has
about 16 cellular layers, lip skin only has up to 5 . This makes it more
vulnerable to damage and moisture loss.
It has no oil glands. Sebum contains molecules that act as
antioxidants to protect the skin. Since the lips can’t produce their
own natural oils, they are more prone to damage from external
factors.
It has a very delicate barrier. This can lead to higher
trans-epidermal water loss and lower protection from environmental
stressors, like cold weather, dry air, UV radiation, or pollution.
These key differences make lip skin more prone to flaking and
dehydration. A proactive lip skincare regimen can help. Instead
of only applying lip balm as a reactive solution to these common lip skin
concerns, we suggest using it as the final step in a layered, 3-phase
approach.
