How do you get rid of dark lips from smoking? - Dr. Udhay Sidhu | Doctors' Circle

Dr. Udhay Sidhu | Appointment booking No: 081057 38481
Consultant Dermatologist & Cosmetologist | United Medical Center & Skinglo Clinic, Bengaluru
A cigarette has about 6000 chemicals present and when burnt it results in production of about 7000 chemicals, out of which 69 of them are carcinogenic or cancer causing these cancers are very concerning. The cigarette smoking tries to increase the melanin production, they giving lot of pigmentation and darkness inside the lips and even inside the oral mucosa. The coal and tar present in the cigarettes reduces the blood flow to the skin, hereby depriving the skin of oxygen and nutrients which leads to early signs of ageing and dark complexion. So the ways to tackle dark lips because of smoking is first and foremost stop smoking, second look for a good sun protective lip balm which has a sun protective factor of about 30 or 50. Third exfoliate your lips by doing a home remedy by taking granulated sugar and mix it with organic honey or a coconut oil and scrub your lips gently once a week. Go in for a lip masks which can again be made at home, which can be made with milk cream by adding in a little bit of pomegranate juice . Apply it on your lips and let it be there for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove it. The medical treatments are peels like alpha hydroxyl peels which are meant for the sensitive areas of the body. So multiple sessions of this can help the lips get lightened up. Also there are safe and effective lasers which work by reducing the skin pigment. Also it is a good thing to use less of mat lipstick because they contain less oil and more pigment and they tend to dehydrate the lips, thereby making it more prone for darkening. This remedy can be used by people who have pigmented or dark lips, but they do not smoke .So there are multiple reason why a person is prone to have dark lips. So find out what is the reason from your dermatologist and get it treated.