Is it really necessary to exfoliate your lips?

The skin on the lips is thinner than the skin on other parts of the body and so, it is prone to dryness, peeling, cracking, and flaking. This results in dead skin accumulating and hence, it becomes necessary to remove the dead skin by gentle exfoliation. And since we know that lips don’t produce sweat or contain any sebaceous glands, there’s no secretion of any protective oils, nor is there any production of hydrolipidic film to protect the lips, keep it hydrated, or prevent dryness or chapping of lips. 

Skin cells shed naturally, but they may not shed fully causing flakes to develop. Exfoliation helps remove the layer of dead skin cells, making your lips look and feel healthier.

Why should you exfoliate your lips?

The lips are an attractive feature of your face. They have poor skin barrier function so when they are exposed to factors like wind, sun, smoking, and changes in temperature, they can become dry and chapped.

Layers of dead skin cells accumulate on the lips and lip balms cannot penetrate and reach the skin. Gentle exfoliation can remove this layer of dead skin cells and retain the original texture and colour of your lips.

How to exfoliate your lips

There are two main ways to exfoliate: 

1. Mechanical exfoliation: uses an object to physically remove dead skin cells

2. Chemical exfoliation: uses chemicals to remove dead skin cells

To be gentle on the lips, it is better to use a physical exfoliant and an emollient.

Common exfoliants include

● Sugar
● Cinnamon
● Ground coffee

Common emollients include

● Honey
● Olive oil
● Petroleum jelly
● Shea butter
● Jojoba oil
● Coconut oil

You can exfoliate your lips by mixing an exfoliant with an emollient and rubbing the mixture on your lips gently for 2-3 minutes. You can repeat this twice a week.

Excessive exfoliation can harm you 

Excessive or harsh exfoliation can actually cause irritation, inflammation, and damage to the delicate skin of the lips. Over-exfoliation may also disrupt the natural moisture barrier of the lips, leading to dryness and chapping. Some people may be more prone to these adverse effects, especially if they have sensitive or dry skin.

Avoid these mistakes

When you exfoliate your lips. avoid a lip scrub with ingredients like alcohol, camphor, cinnamon, phenol, eucalyptus, menthol, mint, pigments or colour, peppermint fragrances, parabens, octinoxate, or oxybenzone as these can be extremely irritating to the lips. 

The results

Lip exfoliation brings about immediate results, thus taking care of the dryness, peeling, or flaking skin on your lips. Thus, your products will work better and moisturise your lips effectively. In addition to this, lip exfoliation will make sure that the application of lip liners, lipsticks, and lip glosses is better and smoother, thus giving you your money’s worth. A smoother surface equals better product application.  

Ultimately, the decision to exfoliate the lips should be based on your individual needs and skin sensitivity. If you have concerns or specific conditions like persistent dryness, it's always a good idea to consult with a dermatologist for personalised advice and recommendations.

Inputs by  Dr. Batul Patel, Leading Celebrity Dermatologist, Founder & Medical Director - The Bombay Skin Clinic, Dr. Manasi Shirolikar, Consultant Dermatologist and Founder of Online Consulting Brand drmanasiskin.com and Dr. Nishita Ranka Internationally acclaimed dermatologist, Medical Director & Founder of Dr. Nishita'a Clinic for Skin, Hair & Aesthetics