It’s a common complaint at this time of year.
But now it has been claimed that it’s not just cold weather that could be responsible for your chapped lips.
A Reddit user was astounded after she discovered the ‘secret cure’ for her dry and flaky lips – simply changing her toothpaste.
Writing on a thread, dannelinflannel said: ‘Oh my god – the difference it has made in just a week, and it’s the middle of a pretty cold winter here!’
A Reddit user was astounded after she discovered the ‘secret cure’ for her dry and flaky lips – simply changing her toothpaste
The user, whose name is unknown, admitted her chapped lips were the bane of her existence since childhood in the brutally honest post.
‘I’m talking dry, cracked, peeling lips constantly,’ her frank post read. ‘I was a chronic chapstick user and nothing I did seemed to make it better.
‘I thought I would do a search for the magic secret to cure my chapped lips. Much to my surprise I found it.’
The post, published on the site last December, continued: ‘I never in a million years would have guessed my toothpaste was the one to blame.’
She stressed it was a ‘big decision’ to change to a Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste and began using Vaseline instead of chapstick.
Advice she stumbled across online urged her to avoid using toothpastes containing sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) – a chemical some are allergic to.
Chelitis, the medical term of chapped lips, is most often triggered when the lips lose moisture and begin to split, the NHS states.
But toothpastes, mouthwashes and sun creams can also cause it because they may contain ingredients that are skin irritants.
Dr Anton Alexandroff, consultant Dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, told MailOnline: ‘Toothpaste ingredients can cause irritant or allergic contact dermatitis or chapped lips.’ He warned SLS is a common irritant.
A spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists added that lips can be ‘sensitive to certain products’, particularly ones with fragrances.
They said: ‘Considering how commonly toothpastes are used, reactions tend to be quite rare.
‘Whether it is definitely the toothpaste causing people to have chapped lips, or whether it’s a combination of other factors isn’t clear though.
‘Chapped lips occur because our lips lose moisture very easily, tightening the skin and leaving it more likely to split. The main culprit here is the weather.
‘Our lips are particularly sensitive to cold air and wind, as well as the sun. This is why it is a common problem during the cold weather.’
It comes months after toothpaste was the centre of storm after scores of women were using the product as part of a bizarre pregnancy test.
The strange DIY method became something of a social media phenomenon in July, but doctors slammed it and warned there was ‘no evidence’ it worked.
Hoards of hopeful women posted images of them trying the technique, amid claims urine would fizz and turn blue if they were carrying a child.