THE CAUSES OF DARK LIPS ARE:

1. Dryness

Lips look better and most beautiful when they are soft and moist. The skin of our lips is always exposed to the environment and loses its natural moisturizing ability easily for many external reasons. For example, smokers, mouth breathers and lip lickers experience dry lips more frequently. In cold and windy weather, you may also face dryness on your lips. Sometimes, the dryness may cause cracking or chapping of your lips. All these damages can lead to your lips looking dark over time.

2. Lifestyle and Habits

Your lifestyle may also leave a dark tint on your lips. Smoking is the number one culprit, drinking home made alcohol and narcotics may also cause discoloration of your lips. There is a medical term ‘melanosis’ for the darkness on lips and in the inner lining of the mouth caused by smoking. If you need another reason to quit smoking – this is it! Who wants dark discolored telltale lips! Illicit alcohol and home-brews containing acidic substances may cause black spots on your lips. Drinking alcohol has a dehydrating effect on our body, dehydration first attacks the sensitive skin, like lips, face etc.

3. Lip Cosmetics/Products

Lips sticks are supposed to make your lips look more attractive but a sad truth is that overtime some of them or inappropriate use can actual make your lips darker. When selecting lip stick, make-up and skincare products always try and buy the best quality that you can afford – you really do not want to compromise on the quality of things you put either in or on your body. For example, some inferior, low quality inexpensive lip products are formulated with chemical materials that are harmful to sensitive skin like our lips. Over long-time usage these lipsticks can leave dark tones on your lips. Unfortunately, even expired products may harm to your beautiful lips. If you do not remove your lipstick at night before going to bed, this bad habit may also frequently cause dark lips.

4. Melasma/Hyperpigmentation

Melasma means hyperpigmentation on the skin and lips caused by the excessive deposition of the melanin. Generally, melanin occurs due to excessive sun exposure and melasma on the lips causes darkness on the upper lip.

5. Sun Exposure

You may also get discoloration on your lips from chronic sun exposure. The persistent sun exposure burns the skin both on your lip and skin. But, the darkness of the lips is more focused. The UV rays also trigger the melanin deposition on the various parts of the body. But, the face and lips are most harmed.

6. Anemia

Anemia also causes the discoloration of the lips. Anemia tends to occur in women during their pregnancy. Often anemia means the deficiency of iron in the body. But, any type of anemia is likely to cause the darkness on your lips. Anemia occurs when the oxygen carrying compound (hemoglobin) is less than the normal amount. And, hemoglobin is responsible for the red color of the blood. So, the deficiency of hemoglobin causes discoloration of lips. Sometimes, this discoloration looks blue and in cold weather it becomes more acute. For all these reasons, your lips may look black.

7. Lentigo

Lentigo affects the skin, including lips and face. Lentigo is related to a flat brown to black spots. Lentigo may be occurred usually by chronic sun exposure and systemic diseases, like Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

8. Different Medications

Different types of medications cause hyperpigmentation and discoloration of the skin, including lips, necks, and chin etc. But, the lips are most affected by these medications.

THE MEDICATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Certain photosensitizing drugs such as- isotretinoin, acitretin for treating other skin disorders
• Tricyclic antidepressants such as- imipramine, desipramine
• Tetracyclines (minocycline) are high power antibiotics. And, other kinds of antibiotics may also cause lip discoloration.
• Antipsychotic drugs for treating particular psychiatric conditions.
• Chemotherapy drugs for treating cancer
• Some drugs (phenothiazines) for treating vomiting and nausea
• Antimalarial drugs for preventing or treating malaria
• Hydroquinone (skin-lightening agents)

9. Dehydration

You face dehydration in two ways – one is not drinking enough water and the second is the lip licking. The dryness ultimately causes dark tones on the lips. A person should drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to keep their skin and lips hydrated and moisturized.

10. Allergens

Allergens come with different types of lip cosmetics. It may come from your lipsticks or lip glosses or lip balms. Basically, the fragrances and dyes infused with the cosmetics are likely to cause allergy. And, the allergy causes dark lines or spots on your lips. If you notice that particular cosmetics are causing allergies, you must terminate them.

11. Caffeine and Hot Beverages

Many people cannot control the craving and aroma of taking freshly hot coffee or tea. However excessive amount of hot tea or coffee can cause harsh on your body.Coffee and tea take away moisture from the inside of your mouth, so it also plays a part in drying out our lips. Consuming large amounts of caffeine may also make you dehydrated. When you get dehydrated, your skin dries out, including the skin on your upper and lower lips. That does not mean you need to stop your caffeine intake completely as it would take 5-7 cups of coffee or tea per day to see a strong impact on your lips. However, we do strongly recommend cutting down your consumption.

12. Not Taking Care of Lips

The skin of the lips is one of the most sensitive skins of the body. It may be harmed easily by many things. So, you must take care of your lips properly and regularly. In winter, the lips are most brutally victimized. Lips become dry first, then they become chapped and then the dryness and chapping leave dark lines or patches on your lips. Prevent all of that and make sure you hydrate and moisturize your lips every single day, no matter what the weather is.

OTHER CAUSES OF DARK LIPS

• Injuries and allergic reactions
• Inappropriate dental fixtures may also cause darkness on the lips. But, it is rare.
• Hormonal changing levels for infection, age, and diseases are also responsible for black lips.
• Lack of vitamin B also sometimes creates discoloration of the lips. Take vitamin rich foods or multi-vitamin pills.