How to enhance and protect your pucker power in the summer

You may think that slathering yourself with sunscreen takes care of the summer’s skin perils, but the sun attacks your body in many subtle ways.

And if you have sensitive lips as I do, the one part of your body that sunscreen never quite protects is the kisser. Yep, we’re talking lips today. We’re talking about your totally underappreciated but totally necessary smoochers.

You can’t smile without lips. Try it. Can’t be done.

First things first. Anytime I talk about better health during hot weather, I’m not going to use the word “hydration” because it’s a made-up word for modern times. Mostly it’s just another way of saying “drink something very much like water, except pay four bucks for it.” I will never quite get over paying for clean water. But that’s a lecture for another time. 

Today, we’re trying to save your lips so they can be healthy for more important activities  - like kissing.

Besides the sun’s radiation beating down on your skin, lip health is all a question of moisture, of course.

There’s the bad moisture: salt water and chlorine. And if you swim in most commercial pools, your lips will feel like they’ve been traveling the Sahara after an hour in the water or an hour outside in the sun.

So try these ideas and keep your pucker power  and other less appealing skin in good operating order. If you’ll be in the water or out in the sun most of the day, take vitamin B and omega–3 fatty acids. They resurface your body and moisturize skin cells. Your re-surfacing body will appreciate if you eat more leafy greens, broccoli, oily fish (salmon, for example), avocados, beans, and sunflower seeds.

As for lips, you don’t have to spend a kazillion bucks for fancy-schmancy Euro-cures for your smackers. Apply cucumbers, honey, or coconut milk to your lips, especially just before bed. 

They reduce inflammation, close up cracks, and relieve irritation. When your lips are mostly just victimized by dryness, gentle exfoliation can remove dry patches.

Even for lips, exfoliation is the first step of any meaningful skin care. Lips are a part of skin and they also keep depositing layers of dead cells on them. Therefore, lips need regular exfoliation.

So what I’m promoting is not cosmetic improvement. It’s a more systemic way to better health for the biggest organ in your body: your skin.

I’ll give your two tried and true suggestions.

Here’s method 1:  Take a teaspoon of brown sugar in a small bowl and add a smidge of olive oil. Mix well to make a paste. Apply this mixture on your lips in circular motion,  gently and slowly. Do it for at least 2-3 minutes. This exfoliates lips intensely. Do not rub lips harshly or for too long as you may end up with chapped lips with sores. After you are done massaging, rinse your lips with warm water. Apply a lip balm right after washing your lips with water. This will moisturize and provide the-much-required fatty acids to your lips. Your lips are bound to feel soft and smooth.  

Or a second favorite.

Cut a lemon into small slices. Put some sugar on one slice.  Rub this sugar slice on your lips. Lightly and softly for about a minute. Wash the lips with ice-cold water. Apply 1-2 drops of honey on your lips right after washing with cold water. Keep the honey on the lips for 5-8 minutes. Rinse the lips off well with warm water. Now, apply lip balm on your lips.

If you do this every 10 days, your lips will be soft, gentle and shiny.

And more to the point, Kissable!

I have more lip tips. Give me an email buzz, and I’ll contribute more pucker power.

Who am I, and why would a person listen to me? Both fair questions. I’m Christine Hammerlund and I’ve been a nurse for years. I have delivered babies, saved lives, and cared for hundreds of patients through their medical triumphs and tragedies. Now I run Assured Healthcare at http://www.assuredhealthcare.com. We're a multi-million dollar medical staff provider in Illinois. I live in Antioch, Ill. Got health questions for me, whether large or small? I’ll answer. Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/AssuredHealthcareStaffing  and Chrishammerlund@yahoo.com