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brightrosefoxI stumbled upon a huge debate over whether or not using lip balm was an actual addiction. The majority of debaters agreed that calling it a addiction is ridiculous and annoying ("it's an insult to actual addictions.") There is no biological, physiological, or psychological basis for a "lip balm addiction."
I assume that the concept behind "addiction" stems from the fact that applying balm to the lips can become a subconscious habitual compulsion. You stop applying balm, your lips feel dry, you want more balm. Cycle continues. People feel that they need to keep applying balm because they don't like the dryness their lips feel when they don't use balm. But to call it an addiction is absurdly far-reaching.
Lips cannot produce moisture on their own. They need moisture from outside sources. Hence, balm. That bizarre website for Lip Balm Anonymous (or whatever its called) aggravates me for many reasons, but mainly because they don't acknowledge the fact that some balms are very good for lips, the ones without petroleum or mineral oil.
I never go anywhere without balm. Ever. If I don't have any on me, I find some. But I don't go into withdrawal. I don't experience a drastic change in behavior. I just lick my lips until I can find something moisturizing.
As I type this, I'm rubbing my lips together to help my current beloved balm sink in better. I will admit, I keep a tin of it next to my computer, one next to my bed, and one in my purse. It's just that good. But I can certainly go without it. I just don't like to.
Why do these myths persist? Why do people believe them?
***
Lip Balm Addiction: Problem Or Not?
Do you find yourself reaching for it morning, noon and night? Can't go a day without it in hand? Dermatologists say many of us act as if we're addicted to lip balm, but is that a bad thing?
"For many people, it is quite difficult for them to stop using the lip balm because they've become used to their lips having more moisture content then they had in the past," said Dr. Lisa Garner, a dermatologist with Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
So just how do lip balms keep dryness at bay?
"When you put a lip balm on your lips, you actually block the loss of natural moisture into the environment. So, you actually keep more of your own natural moisture, it's as if you seal it in," Garner said.
It all sounds good, but are there any problems with a lip balm addiction? Dermatologists say "no," as long as you don't develop an allergy to any of the ingredients.
"On occasion, you may develop an irritation or a sensitivity to one of the ingredients that's in the lip balm that will then start to make your lips feel dry because you're actually having a reaction to the lip balm," said Garner.
If trying out a balm causes you any problems, it could be the flavoring, fragrance or added preservatives that are the culprit. Going for the plain-Jane variety just might be your best bet. And by buying balms with SPF protection -- your addiction may prove to have an upside.
Garner said having "a sunscreen in your lip balm can prove beneficial long term."
Excerpted from the Australian edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine, December, 2002:
"Since dry lips can be a chronic condition and balms provide immediate relief, habitual use may feel like an addiction," says David Leffell, a professor of dermatology at Yale University. "But there's no ingredient that causes a true chemical dependency."
***
***
Excerpted from InStyle Magazine, September 1, 2002:
We've all heard -- perhaps even spread the rumor: Certain lip treatments are spiked with addictive ingredients, causing our lips to be incessantly chapped and thus making us constantly reapply the product. But there is no scientific evidence to support the claim. So why the rumor? What feels like an addiction is a psychological effect that results when you get used to your lips feeling soft and supple from applying balm and then stop using it. According to San Francisco dermatologist Seth Matarasso, "When you stop using balm, your lips lose that softness, so you probably start licking them to achieve that hydration, which in turn dries them out even more."
Excerpted from InStyle Magazine, April 1, 2001:
Don't worry about getting addicted to lip balm. That's a myth, according to Lawrence Moy, an L.A. dermatologist, who says "People get used to putting it on over and over, but you can't do any harm by over-moisturizing."
Excerpted from the Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), March 6, 2001:
The Internet has fueled a rumor that lip balms, especially those that create a tingling sensation, are addictive.
However, dermatologists Dr. Bruce Bart of Hennepin County Medical Center and Dr. Marian McEvoy of the Mayo Clinic said there's no evidence that any lip balm is addictive.
"I've heard of that business on the Web site and I can think of absolutely no valid reason why anyone would say something like that," Bart said.
Excerpted from The Oregonian (Portland, OR), January 11, 2001:
According to Dr. Jerome Z. Litt, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western University School of Medicine, "It's not possible to become addicted to lip balm. Not unless it's made with heroin or cocaine. It's just that when people stop using it, their lips get dry. So they use it again."
Excerpted from Woman's World, February 1, 2000:
I love using lip balm, but I've noticed something odd: whenever I forget to apply it, my lips get chapped immediately. Is it possible they've lost their ability to moisturize themselves?
In a word, no. In fact, most of the moisture on your lips comes from your tongue, anyway.; My guess is that you've just developed the habit of having a certain feel to your lips. When you don't use lip balm, your lips automatically feel dry, even if they're not. (Though they're certainly dryer than if you had lip balm on them!)...Roy S. Rogers, M.D., professor of dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Excerpted from News (Buffalo, NY), December 21 1999:
But University of Kentucky skin doctor Margaret Terhune chuckles at the notion that lip balm can be an addiction.
If someone wants to put on lip balm all day long, it's not harmful, she said. People don't build up a resistance.
Excerpted from Men's Health, November 1999:
Is it possible to become addicted to lip balm? I've heard that it makes the lips lose their ability to moisturize themselves.
That's not going to happen, says Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., a dermatologist in New York. "Lip balm is no different from any skin moisturizer -- it's just waxier so that it will stick to your lips." Dryness of the lips is caused mainly by environmental factors, such as wind, dry indoor heating, or air-conditioning; it is not a symptom of an out-of-control lip balm habit. "If you're hooked on using it, it's just because moisturized lips are more comfortable than dry lips," says Dr. Novick. And lips are particularly prone to sunburn and certain types of skin cancer, so using a lip balm with SPF 25 or higher really can save your skin.
Excerpted from Allure, September 1999:
But while it may seem as if there's an addictive connection between balm and chapped lips, there simply isn't (and no, tingly ingredients like camphor don't hook you). Lip balms form a temporary seal to lock in moisture, and it's scientifically impossible for an oil-based barrier to pull moisture from your lips; Oil and water, remember, don't mix. That's why petroleum-based lip balms are always a smart choice for chapped lips. "It's the gold standard," says Chicago dermatologist Marianne O'Donoghue. "It's the very best thing that you could possibly put on your lips, your hands, or your feet."
Excerpted from News-Sentinel (Knoxville, TN), February 1, 1999:
Dr. Meredith Overholt (a Knoxville dermatologist) chuckles at the notion that lip balms are addictive.
"No," she says, "it's more the people who overuse them that drives their own need of these things.
"There isn't anything in them that is going to have an effect on your brain, or whatever."
Excerpted from Cosmopolitan, October 1998:
Do balms contain an addictive ingredient?
"No. Lip balms are generally made from nonaddictive mineral oil and waxes, so your 'application addiction' is just a harmless habit," says Robin Ashinoff, M.D., chief of dermatologic and laser surgery at New York University Medical Center.
Excerpted from Columbia University's Go Ask Alice Web Site, December 20, 1996:
There is no ingredient in any of the lip balms/moisturizers on the market that is physically addictive. You may feel that you're addicted to lip balms/moisturizers because you've become so used to the feeling of well-moisturized and non-irritated lips.
***
I assume that the concept behind "addiction" stems from the fact that applying balm to the lips can become a subconscious habitual compulsion. You stop applying balm, your lips feel dry, you want more balm. Cycle continues. People feel that they need to keep applying balm because they don't like the dryness their lips feel when they don't use balm. But to call it an addiction is absurdly far-reaching.
Lips cannot produce moisture on their own. They need moisture from outside sources. Hence, balm. That bizarre website for Lip Balm Anonymous (or whatever its called) aggravates me for many reasons, but mainly because they don't acknowledge the fact that some balms are very good for lips, the ones without petroleum or mineral oil.
I never go anywhere without balm. Ever. If I don't have any on me, I find some. But I don't go into withdrawal. I don't experience a drastic change in behavior. I just lick my lips until I can find something moisturizing.
As I type this, I'm rubbing my lips together to help my current beloved balm sink in better. I will admit, I keep a tin of it next to my computer, one next to my bed, and one in my purse. It's just that good. But I can certainly go without it. I just don't like to.
Why do these myths persist? Why do people believe them?
***
Lip Balm Addiction: Problem Or Not?
Do you find yourself reaching for it morning, noon and night? Can't go a day without it in hand? Dermatologists say many of us act as if we're addicted to lip balm, but is that a bad thing?
"For many people, it is quite difficult for them to stop using the lip balm because they've become used to their lips having more moisture content then they had in the past," said Dr. Lisa Garner, a dermatologist with Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
So just how do lip balms keep dryness at bay?
"When you put a lip balm on your lips, you actually block the loss of natural moisture into the environment. So, you actually keep more of your own natural moisture, it's as if you seal it in," Garner said.
It all sounds good, but are there any problems with a lip balm addiction? Dermatologists say "no," as long as you don't develop an allergy to any of the ingredients.
"On occasion, you may develop an irritation or a sensitivity to one of the ingredients that's in the lip balm that will then start to make your lips feel dry because you're actually having a reaction to the lip balm," said Garner.
If trying out a balm causes you any problems, it could be the flavoring, fragrance or added preservatives that are the culprit. Going for the plain-Jane variety just might be your best bet. And by buying balms with SPF protection -- your addiction may prove to have an upside.
Garner said having "a sunscreen in your lip balm can prove beneficial long term."
Excerpted from the Australian edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine, December, 2002:
"Since dry lips can be a chronic condition and balms provide immediate relief, habitual use may feel like an addiction," says David Leffell, a professor of dermatology at Yale University. "But there's no ingredient that causes a true chemical dependency."
***
***
Excerpted from InStyle Magazine, September 1, 2002:
We've all heard -- perhaps even spread the rumor: Certain lip treatments are spiked with addictive ingredients, causing our lips to be incessantly chapped and thus making us constantly reapply the product. But there is no scientific evidence to support the claim. So why the rumor? What feels like an addiction is a psychological effect that results when you get used to your lips feeling soft and supple from applying balm and then stop using it. According to San Francisco dermatologist Seth Matarasso, "When you stop using balm, your lips lose that softness, so you probably start licking them to achieve that hydration, which in turn dries them out even more."
Excerpted from InStyle Magazine, April 1, 2001:
Don't worry about getting addicted to lip balm. That's a myth, according to Lawrence Moy, an L.A. dermatologist, who says "People get used to putting it on over and over, but you can't do any harm by over-moisturizing."
Excerpted from the Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), March 6, 2001:
The Internet has fueled a rumor that lip balms, especially those that create a tingling sensation, are addictive.
However, dermatologists Dr. Bruce Bart of Hennepin County Medical Center and Dr. Marian McEvoy of the Mayo Clinic said there's no evidence that any lip balm is addictive.
"I've heard of that business on the Web site and I can think of absolutely no valid reason why anyone would say something like that," Bart said.
Excerpted from The Oregonian (Portland, OR), January 11, 2001:
According to Dr. Jerome Z. Litt, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western University School of Medicine, "It's not possible to become addicted to lip balm. Not unless it's made with heroin or cocaine. It's just that when people stop using it, their lips get dry. So they use it again."
Excerpted from Woman's World, February 1, 2000:
I love using lip balm, but I've noticed something odd: whenever I forget to apply it, my lips get chapped immediately. Is it possible they've lost their ability to moisturize themselves?
In a word, no. In fact, most of the moisture on your lips comes from your tongue, anyway.; My guess is that you've just developed the habit of having a certain feel to your lips. When you don't use lip balm, your lips automatically feel dry, even if they're not. (Though they're certainly dryer than if you had lip balm on them!)...Roy S. Rogers, M.D., professor of dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Excerpted from News (Buffalo, NY), December 21 1999:
But University of Kentucky skin doctor Margaret Terhune chuckles at the notion that lip balm can be an addiction.
If someone wants to put on lip balm all day long, it's not harmful, she said. People don't build up a resistance.
Excerpted from Men's Health, November 1999:
Is it possible to become addicted to lip balm? I've heard that it makes the lips lose their ability to moisturize themselves.
That's not going to happen, says Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., a dermatologist in New York. "Lip balm is no different from any skin moisturizer -- it's just waxier so that it will stick to your lips." Dryness of the lips is caused mainly by environmental factors, such as wind, dry indoor heating, or air-conditioning; it is not a symptom of an out-of-control lip balm habit. "If you're hooked on using it, it's just because moisturized lips are more comfortable than dry lips," says Dr. Novick. And lips are particularly prone to sunburn and certain types of skin cancer, so using a lip balm with SPF 25 or higher really can save your skin.
Excerpted from Allure, September 1999:
But while it may seem as if there's an addictive connection between balm and chapped lips, there simply isn't (and no, tingly ingredients like camphor don't hook you). Lip balms form a temporary seal to lock in moisture, and it's scientifically impossible for an oil-based barrier to pull moisture from your lips; Oil and water, remember, don't mix. That's why petroleum-based lip balms are always a smart choice for chapped lips. "It's the gold standard," says Chicago dermatologist Marianne O'Donoghue. "It's the very best thing that you could possibly put on your lips, your hands, or your feet."
Excerpted from News-Sentinel (Knoxville, TN), February 1, 1999:
Dr. Meredith Overholt (a Knoxville dermatologist) chuckles at the notion that lip balms are addictive.
"No," she says, "it's more the people who overuse them that drives their own need of these things.
"There isn't anything in them that is going to have an effect on your brain, or whatever."
Excerpted from Cosmopolitan, October 1998:
Do balms contain an addictive ingredient?
"No. Lip balms are generally made from nonaddictive mineral oil and waxes, so your 'application addiction' is just a harmless habit," says Robin Ashinoff, M.D., chief of dermatologic and laser surgery at New York University Medical Center.
Excerpted from Columbia University's Go Ask Alice Web Site, December 20, 1996:
There is no ingredient in any of the lip balms/moisturizers on the market that is physically addictive. You may feel that you're addicted to lip balms/moisturizers because you've become so used to the feeling of well-moisturized and non-irritated lips.
***
