Darkened lips can result from months and years of smoking. Nicotine and tar transfer to the lips through inhalation of the cigarette smoke, causing discoloration and constricting blood vessels in the skin. Build-up and the limited blood flow will turn your lips from their once rosy hue to a darkened, sometimes black version. There are remedies to fade and return lips to a natural state without harming them further and destroying the surrounding skin.
Mix the lime juice, glycerin and honey in a small bowl. Apply the mixture to your lips once daily for several weeks, according to the Daily Glows website. This mixture lightens dark lips by its natural bleaching action. Citric acid found in limes bleaches discolored skin, while glycerin and honey keep the lips smooth and protected.
Apply lemon juice to your lips, according to cosmetic scientists for Skin Whitening.org, twice daily until dark lips are normal color once again. Lemons are a natural bleaching agent that help regulate melanin in the skin and distributes any excess melanin production that can pool on one area.
Apply lip balm or petroleum jelly to keep lips moisturized. This treatment may be applied several time a day to provide optimum moisturization. Moist skin is healthier and less susceptible to lingering discoloration, especially on the lips. Also, applying sunscreen-based lip products helps by limiting sun exposure that can worsen dark lips and allowing the lips to heal on their own.
Rub almond milk or almond oil into the lips a couple of times daily to help fade darkened lip skin. Allow almond milk or oil to remain on your lips for an hour, then gently wipe off with a clean cloth. Almond oil and milk provide moisture to the lips while fading dark areas through additional melanin breakdown.
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Writer Bio
Sharin Griffin has been a freelance writer since 2009, specializing in health-related articles. She has worked in the health-care industry as a certified nursing assistant and medical technician. Griffin's medical expertise encompasses bariatrics and geriatric care, with an emphasis on general medicine. She is completing an associate degree in health-care administration from Axia University.