Are your sticky and gluey lips driving you mad?
Do your lips sometimes feel like there’s rubber cement coating them?
The good news is that this is not a sign of cancer or a neurological disease.
“Sticky gluey lips occurs from dry mouth when one gets a coating or layer between the lips,” says Dr. Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a leading board certified dermatologist from Stanford University Medical School and CEO of MBeautyClinic.com.
Dr. Mauricio explains, “This tends to be extremely irritating and can be embarrassing. This tends to happen in people who drink a lot of caffeinated products, in smokers due to nicotine and in people taking a lot of medications.
“This can be made better by hydrating (drinking fluids) and moisturize the lips.”
And by quitting smoking, of course! One more reason to kick the habit is that of eliminating the problem of your lips sticking together.
As for the causes of dry mouth, there is always the possibility that sudden anxiety or stress can lead to this.
Another potential cause of dry mouth – feeling as though you have cotton inside your mouth – is salivary gland stones.
The stones are tiny crystals that impede the production of saliva.
Treat by placing a small rind of lemon between your back teeth and inside of your jaw; let it rest there.
It will trigger extra salivation which will hopefully dislodge the crystals.
Excessive dry mouth can also be caused by Sjogren’s syndrome, though along with the dry mouth you’ll probably also have excessively dry eyes and possibly other symptoms.
