It’s that time of year again. Winter is in full swing and students seem to have chapstick permanently attached to their hands, constantly coating their lips to avoid the dried out cracking that the winter months bring. Before anyone runs out to Walgreens to pick up another chapstick, it is important to understand what causes people that urge to lick their lips for a little relief.

“Most of the time chelitis, or chapped lips, is caused by environmental factors,” said Chadd Sukut, MD dermatologist. “The (most common) causes we see in a dermatology clinic are from irritation, allergy, and sun damage.”

Chronic lip licking, acute sunburn, windburn or any topical product that may disrupt the barrier function of the skin, such as some lip sticks and lip balms can all cause Chelitis. Sometimes this irritation is actually caused from an allergy to an ingredient in a product, Sukut said. “Toothpaste is a common culprit, but various lip balms and lipsticks can do the same,” he said.

The key to keeping lips hydrated appears to be staying on top of the issue.

“I’m always wearing chapstick everyday so I don’t really have problems,” said Ally Abrahamian, sophomore in AHS. “I think a lot of people worry too much about their face and moisturizing that, and they don’t realize that licking their lips and being out in the cold is really drying out their lips.”

Abrahamian does not have any secret product to keeping her lips moisturized.

“I just usually just get the generic brand chapstick from Walgreens,” she said. “I used to use Burt’s Bees and I got addicted to it. I’d put it on multiple times a day.”

For students looking for a good product to use, the possibilities are endless.

“The best thing to start out with is a lip scrub,” said Julianne Erickson, an employee of C.O. Bigelow. “A lot of companies don’t make these anymore, but the one that we have is Mentha Lip Buffer. It’s just sugar, so it’s edible and it’s nice because you can really get the dead skin off. It’s exfoliating so it’s perfect to start off with.”

After the exfoliation, there are a lot of different products available to put on the lips.

“We have this favorite Lip Balm,” Erickson said. “A lot of people are addicted to this. It’s got natural Shea butter and sweet almond oil, and it is more glossy.”

Erickson has helped a number of customers with dry lips.

“One kid I worked with had really chapped lips, and he did not know what to do,” she said. “I gave him this Lip Saver for men, which is great for guys because it’s not shiny at all. It’s not going to feel too girly. Basically the process is trying to eliminate the dead skin first and then moisturizing.”

When basic lip treatments are not enough, there are further steps available to try and save chapped lips.

Dorothy, an esthetician at Mario Tricoci who requested to keep her last name anonymous, said the salon offers a process called micodermabrasion, which removes the dead skin cells using an ultrasonic machine. After the microdermabrasion process, she recommends using a collagen mask to hydrate the lips.