How To Treat Dry Skin Around Mouth Naturally?

Has the skin around your mouth felt dry, itchy, and painful for a long time? The condition may even worsen if you don’t determine the right treatment to manage it.

Wondering what is causing dryness around your mouth and what you can do to get rid of it? In this article, we help you find out the causes and some effective Ayurvedic remedies.

Let’s begin.

Highlights:

• Is It Normal To Have Dry Skin Around The Mouth?
• Possible Causes For Dry Skin Around Mouth
• Symptoms Of Dry Skin Around Mouth
• Treatment Options For Dry Skin Around Mouth
• Tips To Prevent Dry Skin Around Mouth
• When Should You See A Doctor?

Is It Normal To Have Dry Skin Around The Mouth?

No. It is not normal to have dry skin around the mouth for a prolonged period. Ayurveda believes that the health of the skin reflects the internal health of the body. As per the Ayurvedic concept of tri doshas, any skin problem can be an indication of the derangement of vital life energies: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas in the body, which may also lead to other diseases in the body eventually.

“When it comes to dryness around the mouth, it can be linked to the aggravation of Vata dosha, which can sometimes be an indication of colon-related issues [1],” says Dr. Zeel Gandhi, Chief Ayurvedic Doctor at Vedix.

She further adds, “Ayurveda focuses on treatments that bring balance to the agitated Vata dosha in the body, which in turn, corrects the related disturbances in the body along with dry skin around the mouth.”

Possible Causes For Dry Skin Around Mouth

Below are some of the common factors that are associated with imbalanced Vata dosha, in turn, responsible for dryness around your mouth:

• Dehydration
• Nutritional Deficiency
• Using harsh cosmetics and skin products
• Excessive use of steroids and birth control pills
• Allergic reactions caused by fluoride in oral hygiene products.
• Aging
• Overexposure to the sun.
• Cold and dry weather conditions as in winters.
• A habit of licking the lips and the region around your mouth excessively.
• Chronic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, angular cheilitis [2], perioral dermatitis, etc.

Symptoms Of Dry Skin Around Mouth

Below are some common symptoms which may need a closer inspection to understand if you have dryness around your mouth:

• Formation of dry and flaky patches around the mouth
• Scaly red rash above the lips
• Burning sensation
• Itchiness

Treatment Options For Dry Skin Around Mouth

1. Ayurvedic Skin Care Regimen

A. Self-Abhyanga

It is an age-old Ayurvedic practice of massaging your entire body with warm oil half an hour before taking a bath. During abhyanga, massage your face, especially the area around your mouth with warm oil in small circular strokes for 5 minutes daily.

Choose using oils infused with Vata-dosha pacifying herbs such as brahmi, ashwagandha, etc. to perform self-abhyanga. Also, oils such as sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil, or coconut oil[3] can be some of the best options to control Vata dosha.

B. Exfoliation

Gentle herbal exfoliation is essential to unclog the pores filled with scaly dead skin around your mouth. Also, exfoliation makes it easy for your skin to absorb the abhyanga oils and moisturizing agents easily. This overtime controls the dryness around your mouth and improves your facial skin texture.

“Exfoliating your skin twice or thrice a week with Vata-pacifying herbal scrubs made of triphala, fenugreek, lemon peel, sandalwood, saffron or tulsi, is an effective way to treat dryness around the mouth,” says Dr. Zeel.

C. Moisturization

You should always consider applying a moisturizer to your face, especially when you have dryness around your mouth. You need to moisturize the area around your mouth at least twice a day to maintain hydration in your skin for the whole day.

“You can opt for herbal moisturizers that contain ingredients such as usheera, ashwagandha, bakuchi, kumari [4], etc. to control elevated Vata dosha in your skin. This in turn helps in resolving the dryness around your mouth quickly,” says Dr. Zeel.

2. Ayurvedic Dietary Changes

Dr. Zeel mentions, “Lack of nourishment is one of the predominant reasons for Vata imbalance in the body that may reflect as dry patches around the mouth.”

Below are some of the Ayurvedic dietary guidelines which may help to reduce dryness around the mouth.

• Consume foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
• Avoid spicy foods, junk, foods with excessive salts, and processed sugars completely.
• Always prefer having warm beverages and stay away from cold and caffeinated beverages.
• You can use organic oils while preparing your meals.
• Eat only freshly cooked meals that are warm and nutrient-rich.
• Include a spoon of desi ghee in your everyday meals.
• Prefer having only cooked vegetables. Avoid consuming raw vegetables and also vegetables from the bean family.

Vedix Tip: Consuming boiled milk with added cardamom daily before bedtime may help you maintain balanced Vata dosha in the body.

3. Ayurvedic Lifestyle

Below are some of the important lifestyle guidelines for people with aggravated Vata dosha. These include:

• Ensure you have a fixed daily routine. Your wake-up time, mealtime, workout time, bedtime should be the same every day.
• Stick to a moderate exercise regimen
• Prefer staying in warm and calm surroundings.
• Always allocate certain time on a consistent schedule for meditation.
• Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption.

4. Home Remedies

• Rub the dry patches around your mouth with freshly extracted aloe vera gel. Leave it for 15 minutes and then wipe it off. Repeat it twice a day.
• Massage the affected area with a few drops of coconut oil or sunflower seed oil every day.
• Apply shea butter on the affected area before sleeping and leave it overnight. Wipe it off gently the next morning.
• Exfoliate the affected area with honey+sugar scrub on alternate days.

Tips To Prevent Dry Skin Around Mouth

1. Stay away from harsh skin products and cosmetics that contain sulfates, sulfonates, alcohol, parabens, and other strong chemicals.

2. Prefer using skincare products that are herbal and natural. An Ayurvedic skincare regimen that is formulated for your skin type can benefit your skin in the long run.

3. Minimize sun exposure on your face. Always use sunscreen or wear a face mask while you step out in the sun.

4. Keep yourself well-hydrated by consuming at least 3 liters of water in a day. Dehydration is the predominant sign of Vata dosha imbalance.

5. Control the habit of constantly licking the affected region around your mouth.

6. Always use a moisturizer on your face and a lip balm, especially when you live in cold and dry weather conditions.

7. Avoid taking extremely hot showers and limit your bathing duration to not more than 15 minutes.

When Should You See A Doctor?

If the dry skin condition around your mouth does not improve within a month or two despite treating it with Ayurvedic herbs regularly, then you should consult a dermatologist. Your dermatologist can diagnose the condition with a much deeper examination while considering your personal and family medical histories.

The Last Word

From lifestyle to diet, weather to age, many factors contribute to imbalance in Vata dosha in your body which manifests in the form of dryness around your mouth. Besides topical treatments with Vata-pacifying Ayurvedic herbs, you need to follow a healthy lifestyle and eat a healthy diet to maintain your skin’s health and your overall body’s health.

At Vedix, we analyze your skin type and its unique problems caused by specific dosha imbalances in your body. Accordingly, we customize an Ayurvedic skincare regimen with dosha-pacifying herbs to address your unique skin concerns.