Ask the Addict: Lip Gloss or Lipstick Okay?

Lynn writes:

I am addicted to chapstick, I have been for years. I am on day two of not wearing any. My lips haven’t had moisturizer for 2 days and they are in terrible pain.

I am just wondering, after I get better…when I wear lipgloss  or lipstick (down the road) I am scared I will fall into the same habit with those or go back to chapstick. Have you heard of any cases like this?

Have we heard of this? Of course we have.

Among the reasons for lip balm addiction are the psychological feelings one gets when you start your ritual of covering the lips. For some, trading lip balm for lip gloss or lipstick equates to someone addicted to drinking beer switching to wine. At the same time, lipstick especially will form a barrier between your lips and the elements. So, you definitely need to be careful to keep your use within appropriate limits.

Unless there is a professional reason to use lip gloss, however, we’d recommend staying away. Many of these are flavored, which only adds to the impact of “glossing.”  These are essentially more viscous versions of lip balm anyway, so if you’re trying to cut the habit this isn’t much of a step.

Hope your sobriety continues.

Ask the Addict: Dry Lips… or Cancer?

Leanne P. wrote:

I have used lip balm several times a day for years  – it just seemed to me that my lips were a little dry and a little lined compared to models and I wanted them to look plump and smooth. I figured make-up manufacturers add powder to lipstick to get it to stay on, which dries my lips out, and the pictures of models lips were air-brushed, so I was never concerned about it.  I saw your website and thought it was interesting, but since I had reasons for my lips being dry and wanted them to look nice under my lipstick, again, I was not concerned.

I went to the doctor yesterday for a one year follow up appointment and skin check after having a little basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) last year. She asked if my lips were dry a lot and I told her that they were. She took a closer look and said that my entire lower lip appeared to have sun damage and pre-cancerous activity. She said it needed to be treated aggressively because pre-cancerous activity in the lip area can turn into cancer quickly. She prescribed a medication that I am using now to treat this condition. It will be interesting to see what my lips are like afterward.

I don’t want to scare any one, but I thought about your website and whether there might be others who, like me, thought they just had dry lips, when it could actually be something else and thought I would just pass the word along. I had the same dry lips a year ago when I was diagnosed with the basal cell carcinoma, but that doctor apparently didn’t notice the lips, and I had no idea that dry lips could be a symptom of a pre-cancerous condition.

This is a great example of what we’ve always said, which is to see a doctor rather than “self medicating” with Chap Stick or even “medicated” lip balms. In these cases, the doctor may prescribe a lip balm to reduce the dryness of the lips. If so, that’s fine… but once your lips are moist then it’s time to cut back on the balm!