Smoker. Is There Any Treatment For Dark Lips?
I would like to know if there is any treatment for my dark lips, which are either dark or black due to my smoking habit or not sure any other specific reason. Considering it to be because of smoking, I even reduced smoking or almost stopped it. I do not see any changes or improvements. I even tried applying vaseline, coconut oil, or moisturizer during the day time and before bed. I do not see any improvements. Please suggest if there are any possibilities of my lips getting back to its natural form.
Thanks in advance.
Thank you for posting the query,
Darkening of lips has various reasons ,but unfortunately has very few treatment options.
It could either be due to (as you mentioned ) smoking ,allergic reaction to tooth pastes , moisturizers or any other fragrance based cosmetics, vitamin deficiency,excess sun exposure or familial /genetic.
There are hardly any specific medicines which can help in this .But you can try tacrolimus cream & hydrocortisone creams .This would take care of any allergic reaction one is having. Apart from this pigment lightening creams like hydroquinone or kojic acid creams can be tried.
If nothing works then Lasers is also a good option. Among all the lasers the most specific for such a condition is Q-Switched Nd:yag laser (1064nm wave-length) .
You might require few sessions of the same ,but no body can assure you complete relief in this too.
Apart from this you should apply a broad band sunscreen daily in the morning .This should be used at-least three times a day.
The chances of improvement are much more bleak if the problem is genetic.
You can get the above drugs prescribed from your dermatologist after his consultation.
As far as some home remedies are concerned you can try use a mixture of honey,lemon juice & glycerin on lips applied locally.
Also use a fragrance free moisturizer (like Cetaphil moisturizing cream) at night.
Apart from smoking also reduce the intake of tea and coffee.
Hope I've answered your query.
Should you have additional concern regarding the same ,I would be happy to address it.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Regards,
Dr.Bharat chawda XXXXXXX specialist, Dermatology.