Dark lips..causes and care

Shahnaz Husain *

Lips enhances the overall beauty of the face . Every women wants to flaunt pinkish, soft and lustrous lips. But, unfortunately, many people acquire dark and pigmented lips due to sun exposure , smoking, dehyderation , Unhealthy lifestyle, Anaemia , body conditions or weather. They make you look unclean and unhealthy.

Apart from using expensive? lip scrubs and peels, you can make some easy lip packs yourself in order to lighten your lips and get rid of darkness, dark spots, blemishes, wrinkles and other discoloration.

Lipstick is the first cosmetic every young girl wants to try. Indeed, lipstick is probably the most commonly used make-up item.

Along with learning to apply lip make-up, care of the lips is very important. It is also essential to know the damage that can be caused to the delicate skin on the lips.

As far as care is concerned, I must mention that the skin of the lips is thin and delicate. It does not contain oil glands. That is why it becomes dry and chaps easily, specially in dry weather.

The lips can also become dark and discoloured. In fact, sometimes, the upper lip becomes much darker than the lower lip.

In such cases, applying lipstick is difficult and the upper and lower lips do not look the same. There are many reasons why the lips can become dark.

A common reason is sun-exposure. Some skins are very sensitive to the sun and get tanned easily, especially in areas where the skin is thin and soft, like the lips.

Some lipsticks can also react on sun-exposure, due to what is called photosensitivity. For example, certain perfumes, like bergamot, used in lipsticks, can react on sun exposure and darken lip colour.

Of course, as we all know, smoking can darken the lips, due to the tar and nicotine content in cigarettes. Nutritional deficiencies can also result in dark, dry and chapped lips.

Your diet should provide adequate amounts of Vitamins A, C and B2, which are important for the lips. So, foods like citrus fruits, ripe papaya, tomatoes, carrots, green leafy vegetables, nuts, whole-grains, oats, may be included in the diet.

Of course, it is best to take your doctor’s advice before making changes in your diet, especially if you have any medical condition.

For dark lips, using a scrub can help. Mix sugar with a few drops each of olive oil and lemon juice. Rub this mixture gently on the skin and wash off.

Or, after washing the face, rub the lips gently with a soft towel to remove dead skin. Then apply cream of milk (malai) daily and leave on for an hour. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the cream of milk.

For general lip care, I would advise that lipstick be removed every night with a cleansing gel, containing aloe vera and lemon. It would be better than using soap.

A cleansing gel helps to dissolve make-up and facilitates its removal. Aloe vera also helps to nourish the skin and keep it soft and smooth.

After cleansing at night, apply an almond cream or almond oil on the lips and leave on overnight.

We have seen that it also helps to lighten the skin colour on dark lips if used daily over a period of time. If the lips are dark, cream of milk, applied daily, would help to lighten the colour.

The first thing to remember is never to compromise on quality while buying lipsticks or any other make-up item.

As already mentioned, certain ingredients cause a photosensitive reaction, leading to problems like skin discolouration.

Another thing to remember is that make-up items also have a shelf-life. One should not keep or use lipsticks which have become old. If you ever find that a lipstick has become too greasy, or is smelling rancid, it can mean that the oils have separated. It is best to stop using them.

You can also apply a lip balm containing sunscreen, or apply a few drops of sunscreen lotion on the lips. Wait for a few minutes and apply powder or foundation on the lips and then apply lipstick. This will help to provide sun-protection and prevent dark lips.

Last, but not least, look for herbal lipsticks and lip gloss for soft and sexy lips.