Lip Balm Dries Out Lips

The dental assistant to my daughter's orthodontist told us this past week that there is actually an ingredient in chapstick that dries out your lips and not to use it (my daughter had been using it since her last orthodontic appointment when they added new hardware in her mouth). My daughter's lips were really dry and she cracked one corner of her mouth. She recommended NEUTROGENA LIP MOISTURIZER or Vaseline.

I looked it up online and I've found different articles claiming chapstick 1) dries out lips, and 2) that people become addicted to it. Are you one of those people who use it frequently throughout the day and have sticks of it with you at all times and laying around the house and car? I've been using it regularly for about two weeks now and my lips are actually dryer than they were before I started using it. You'd think they'd be better, not worse, if that stuff really worked the way we are supposed to think it does.

So my daughter has been using Vaseline now for several days throughout the day and before going to bed and looking at her lips this morning, they don't look any better. They seem very dry. Vaseline contains petroleum which I also read online is drying which would explain why my daughter's lips aren't better. I think I better pick up some Neutrogena Lip Balm for her and try that.

Another thing to be aware of for women especially, one of the symptoms of anemia is a sore mouth with cracks at the corners. What you think is just dry lips may be an iron deficiency.