Most people use lip balms once in a while, but for a few people, those little tubes have become an obsession.
If you notice the people around you applying and re-applying lip balm, it may not be a sign of dry lips, but of an addiction, reported WEWS-TV in Cleveland.
There are actually Web sites devoted to the problem.
Carrie, a lip balm user, says she has to have her tube with her all the time -- and she applies it more than just now and then.
';It's almost involuntary, but probably 50 to 60 times a day,'; she said.
In case you doubt the addictive power of lip balm, it took only minutes in a crowd of people to find those who get pretty worked up about it, especially the flavored stuff, the television station reported.
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Are you a lip balm addict?
Yes, absolutely.
I used to be.
No, I can control my lip balm use.
No, I don't use lip balm.
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';Oh yeah, and eat my lips, mmm,'; Louise Tufts said.
Dr. Kevin Cooper, a dermatologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, offered a theory about how people get so stuck on their Chapsticks.
';I think it could become repetitive behavior, more like habit, in same sense that some people become fixated orally with smoking, or chewing on pens,'; Cooper said.
Ingredients like camphor and menthol give lips a tingly rush, another addictive sensation, WEWS reported. The problem is some of the ingredients can create the need for more lip balm.
';The menthol can be drying, can take out moisture and interfere with function of outer layer of skin, so don't have natural barrier anymore, so now need moisturization,'; Cooper said.
Using more can create the need for more. So how do you battle this addiction?
';The best way is to gradually wean down,'; Cooper said. ';Try to go to a couple times a day, maybe breakfast, lunch, dinner. Then try to cut one out, maybe over three to four weeks to get yourself off.';
Cooper recommends the most plain, unflavored wax-type lip balm when you do need one. He said fewer chemicals are better. More serious dermatitis around the lips may need medication.Can people get addicted to chap stick/lip balm. Are there any serious problems with excessive use of it?
As a general rule, people can be addicted to ANYTHING. So, sure, you can be compulsive about putting on chapstick. I doubt there could be any serious health issue behind it, unless you are eating a signficant amount of them a day.Can people get addicted to chap stick/lip balm. Are there any serious problems with excessive use of it?
In v.37:no.6 (1986: June) of the medical journal ';Cutis:cutaneous medicine for the practitioner';, W.B. Shelley authored an article entitled ';Chap Stick Acne.'; The abstract for this article is as follows:
';We describe two patients with an unusual, limited form of acne manifest as a single row of large, open comedones along the entire cutaneous margin of the upper lip. The acne began after repetitive application to the lips of Chap Stick in one patient and petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in the other. It was treated successfully by eliminating the Chap Stick and petroleum jelly, respectively, as well as by microincision and expression of the comedones. Petrolatum, the major ingredient of Chap Stick, appears to be responsible for this type of acne.';
This information was found in the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database. Please see your local library to find out how to get a hold of the full text of the article.
This answer was provided by The Octobrarian, a librarian in Ohio. Let me know if you have any more questions.
yes they sure can! my husband is so addicted to cherry chapstick, he has a tube in his pocket at all times, one in each of our 4 cars, by the bed, and in my purse.
we went to disney last summer and he forgot to bring his chapstick... we had to pay $8 for a generic lip blam at disney so he could be happy.
I go through phases where I use tons of chap stick, then I slow down. I think it depends on the humidity and how hydrated you are. You can become ';addicted'; to the way that your lips feel when they are thoroughly moisturized and as long as you are using a balm that doesn't contain menthol or any other medication you should be fine. Try Burt's Bees products or something all natural if you are concerned.
Sounds like OCD to me.
im addicted to chapstick...its the one thing i cant live without...i use it about 10 times a day every day for the past 3 or 4 years and im just fine~!
I don't think so. If yes, then they must have very dry lips.
lol, i used to be addicted to it for like half a year. no there arent any problems, unless you eat it... but when you put on A LOT, then it starts feeling like glue and tasting like cardboard.
i am a guy and i am addicted to lip gloss. now i have stared wearing with a little glitter........girls love it!
as long as u dont eat it ;]
Hi,
No, people cant get addicted to it as if it were drugs, but yes, it can cause people to excessively use it, including myself. My dad has told me time and again that I shouldn't use it too often cus i'll never be able to let go of it. LOL. As far as serious problems go, I don't think that you'll have to worry about that, unless ur planning on eating it, or sumthin like that. Other than that, no.
addicting? YES
problems? MAYBE but most likely No
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