研究顯示你的嘴唇可能越來越糟

You need your lips to talk, take duck-face selfies and kiss your loved ones. That's why dry, chapped lips can not only be itchy and painful, they can sometimes be downright embarrassing. But repeatedly applying lip balms and products may not help your case.

與人交談、嘟嘴自拍、親吻愛的人，都離不開你的雙唇。這也是為什么嘴唇干裂除了發(fā)癢和生疼外，有時還會讓人陷入特別尷尬的境地。但是，多涂潤唇膏或多用潤唇產品往往無濟于事。

Lip balms provide only temporary comfort, and some types can make scaly lips even drier.

潤唇膏只能帶來暫時的舒緩。甚至，有些唇膏會讓開裂起皮的嘴唇更加干燥。

That's because, in part, when the thin film of moisture from the lip balm evaporates, it dehydrates your lips even more. "It just starts a vicious cycle," Dr Leah Jacob, an assistant professor of dermatology at Tulane University, said.

部分原因是，潤唇膏的水薄膜蒸發(fā)后，嘴唇脫水會更加嚴重。“一個惡性循環(huán)就這樣開始了，”杜蘭大學皮膚病學助理教授Leah Jacob博士稱。

Many of us have to deal with scaly lips, especially in the cold and dry winter, so doctors and beauty pros recommend we treat our lips, as well as the rest of our skin.

很多人的嘴唇都會干裂起皮，像鱗片一樣，尤其是在干冷的冬天。因此，醫(yī)生和美容專家都建議我們像護理身體其他部位皮膚一樣去護理我們的嘴唇。

 

 

"Any part of our body that is not covered in the winter time is going to be subjected to the elements," said Dr Crystal Aguh, an assistant professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University. "People tend to get very dry hands in the winter because we're wearing long-sleeved shirts and jackets, but we're not necessarily covering our hands."

約翰霍普金斯大學皮膚病學助理教授Crystal Aguh博士稱，“在冬天，沒有被衣物覆蓋的人體部位都會被(干冷的環(huán)境)影響。到了冬天，雙手往往會變得非常干燥。雖然我們穿著長袖襯衫和夾克，但并沒有保護雙手。”

Likewise, people rarely cover their faces and lips during the winter time, and so those tend to dry out, too, Aguh said.

同理，在冬天，人們也很少會遮住自己的臉部和嘴唇，因而臉部和唇部往往也會特別干燥，Aguh稱。

Although lips look very different from the rest of our skin, they're actually quite similar, Aguh said. Just like the rest of our skin, the lips are made up of three layers of cells: the outermost layer of mostly dead cells, known as the stratum corneum, the epidermis and the dermis, which sits below it.

Aguh說，盡管唇部看起來與其它部位皮膚完全不同，但實際上構造非常相似。像其它部位的皮膚一樣，唇部也是由三層細胞構成：位于表皮最外層的，多數(shù)已死亡的細胞(即角質層)、表皮和真皮(位于角質層下方)。

The main difference is that these layers — especially the stratum corneum, which forms a protective barrier over the others — is much thinner in the lips and, therefore, more vulnerable to damage. Additionally, lips don't have any hair follicles or oil glands of their own. Instead, the oil from glands around our lips provides moisture.

主要區(qū)別在于唇部皮膚的這三層細胞(特別是具有保護其它兩層細胞作用的角質層)比其它部位皮膚更薄，故而也更容易受傷。此外，唇部皮膚沒有任何毛囊或油脂腺體。唇部保濕需要依靠周圍腺體產生的油脂。

Licking your lips or applying a thin gloss, balm or anything out of a tube to supplement that moisture may sound like a good idea, but it can be the worst thing you do for them because it can lead to further dehydration, Jacob said.

Jacob說，舔一舔嘴唇或薄涂一層閃光的唇膏(或其它產品)保濕聽起來是一個不錯的主意，但實際上這可能是你做的最糟糕的事，因為它會引起進一步脫水。

Some lip balms contain ingredients that can be irritating or drying. Menthol, salicylic acid, cinnamic aldehyde and peppermint flavors are all culprits, Jacob said. "A lot of people don't have any problems with these ingredients, but people with sensitive skin or allergies may be more sensitive to these on their lips, as well," she said.

一些潤唇膏含有刺激或干燥成分。薄荷醇、水楊酸、肉桂醛和胡椒薄荷香料都是禍因。“很多人都能接受這些成分，不會有任何問題。但敏感肌或者過敏體質者的唇部皮膚可能對這些成分要敏感很多。”

Shiny glosses and oils are also thought to intensify damage from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, focusing the rays the way a magnifying glass may channel a beam of light onto your lips.

光澤和油會加劇太陽光紫外線的傷害。陽光會被光澤和油聚焦，就像一束光通過放大鏡一樣照到你的嘴唇上。

But because lips have less melanin — the pigment that gives skin its color — the skin cells in your lips are more likely to sustain sun damage if you use shiny lip products, Jacob said.

但因為唇部的黑色素(賦予皮膚顏色的一種色素)較少，如果你使用閃光的唇部產品，唇部細胞會更容易受到陽光的傷害，Jacob說。

Jacob recommends using a thick, emollient lip balm or ointment with SPF in it to truly protect your lips. Glycerin or plain old petroleum jelly are good ingredients to look for, she noted.

Jacob推薦厚涂有SPF防曬指數(shù)的鎮(zhèn)定潤唇(軟)膏，以真正保護唇部。她認為甘油或者普通的老凡士林油都是不錯的選擇。

You can also try using a humidifier at home, which will replenish moisture in the air and, eventually, in your lips. And drink more water to stay hydrated from the inside out.

你也可以在家里裝一個加濕器。加濕器可以補充空氣中的水分，最終這些水分子也會進入你的唇部。此外，你也可以多喝水，從里到外保持身體的水分。