Top 4 Things That Your Lips Are Telling You

Are you paying attention to what your lips are look and feel like? Do you notice when there is discoloration or a little swelling? But what do these things mean when our lips aren’t happy? Recently, using ones lips to indicate health has been ignored, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying to tell you something important. Here are the Top 4 things symptoms that you could be missing from your lips:

  1. Tenderness

Tender lips are often accompanied by other symptoms such as cold sores or swelling, providing a good indication of what the underlying issue may be. If your lips feel sensitive to touch without other problems, it may be a mild allergic reaction, or sensitivity to something topical. Tenderness in the lips may be caused by lipsticks, glosses or balms. Toothpaste may also be a trigger.

  1. Dryness and Chapping

These symptoms are usually caused by exposure to the elements, so use sunscreen to prevent this from happening. Dryness and chapping may also be caused by dehydration. Unless you experience no other symptoms, increase your fluid intake with water, coconut water or herbal teas. Dry lips may also indicate a lack of healthy, gut friendly bacteria. Improve the symptoms by adding fermented foods to your diet. Allergens in toothpaste or cosmetics may be another cause of dry, chapped lips.

  1. Discoloration

Healthy lips should be pink or red in color. If your lips appear brown or bluish-gray, take note. Slightly blue lips indicate anemia (an iron deficiency) or a lack of oxygen in the blood. A flat brown or black spot on the lips, known as lentigo, may be due to long term sun exposure. Several types of medications may also cause discoloration of the skin and the lips, including certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, some antidepressants and other drugs used for the treatment of skin disorders. Seek medical attention if the discoloration persists alongside other symptoms.

  1. Pallor

Lips take on the hue of the underlying tissue color and blood flow. Consequently, pale lips can signal a change in the redness of the blood. It is affected by the oxygen levels in the body. Heart conditions and lung problem affect the amount of oxygen carried in the blood, as does anemia. Another culprit of pale lips may also be poor thyroid function.

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