My son is 12. Every winter he gets dry and chapped lips and uses Chapstick or Carmex. At least for the past 2-3 winters. By springtime his lips are fine and he stops using Chapstick. But this year he has been going through a tube of Chapstick or Carmex almost every week. I'm thinking it's a complusive action but I alos wonder if the Carmes and such has chemicals in them that are addictive. Any thoughts, advice, past experience?
2007-07-17 11:12:59 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
i think it is more out ofhabit then anything. and no it is not addictive. I used it alot my self with no troubles.
2007-07-17 11:17:22 · answer #1 · answered by wolfwhisper 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My son is 16 and he also uses a lot of lip balm. I do not think it is compulsive, or an addiction, although it is probably a habit. My son says if he does not use something like ChapStick several times a day, his lips feel uncomfortably dry without the lip balm. He is also worried that his lips will "look gross" if they get dry and chapped (and kids that age worry about their appearance a LOT).
I know that I wear lipstick most of the time and when I go without it for a day, my lips feel dry and weird.
I think it is common to have a hard time breaking a habit. I have told my son that should look to the future and understand that he may need to eventually break this lip balm habit. For now I think it is fairly harmless and if it makes him feel better about his appearance, it is OK.
2007-07-17 18:29:19 · answer #2 · answered by llaney 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be the psychological need for 'chapstick' lips. If they aren't feeling like they do with a fresh coat, they are dry. (This is according to the user of chapstick) Also, it may be physical, the lips are wrinkled and designed such that they channel saliva from the mouth outwards through the grooves, it may be possible that the chapstick has prevented the saliva from reaching his lips by filling in those channels or the body thinks it needs the chapstick.
2007-07-17 18:19:49 · answer #3 · answered by Perseus Rumlord 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my family and i use it throughout the year. we use it more in the winter than in the spring . dry lips . when i was growing up i kept cracked and split lip, i was always told a lack of water was the cause (lord knows these kids don't drink enough around here) i don't know if it helps but i drink plenty of water. and now that i am on vacation and not drinking as much i truly can tell the difference. my 29 year old daughter likes the carmex better. my 19 year old son likes whatever he can get his hands on and the twins i'm not sure what they do. me i prefer the chapstick
2007-07-17 18:24:41 · answer #4 · answered by pretty granny 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if carmex has any addictive chemicals in it, but I can tell you from my own experience that I use tons of it, too. I just love the way it feels on my lips, hate having chapped lips because it's painful, and it's not anything that is gonna hurt me... so why not?
2007-07-17 18:18:29 · answer #5 · answered by Stephanie S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds like a compulsion. It seems like he is actually licking the chapstick/carmex off of his lips, and it has become a really bad habit, which leads to a compulsion. See what happens when you take the chapstick/carmex away from him. If he displays "withdrawal symptoms"- eg, asking about it, buying it behind your back and hiding it, please get him some help! My boyfriend has obsessive compulsive disorder, and it sounds like your son may have something similar.
2007-07-17 18:18:15 · answer #6 · answered by Fallaya 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to really look at his lips and his skin in general. He may not be drinking enough water and may actually having dry, chapped lips and skin. Or is he out in the sun a lot? Does he go swimming alot? These things can cause drying of skin and tissues.
I am pretty sure there are no addictive ingredients in those two over-the-counter items. He may just like they way they feel. I suggest you have him purchase these things out of his own earned money (allowance). If you are buying them, then it is easy to indulge, but if HE has to pay for them out of his own money, he will probably slow way down.
2007-07-17 18:36:11 · answer #7 · answered by BLM 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should start using blistax because all the girls in my family have chapped lips.you are probably correct you can also try chapsticks with no flavor.he may be putting it on excessively which can be bad if he does not like tubes he should use aquafina chapsticks i have experience .i hope this helps if not cal a clinic and ask a bit
2007-07-17 18:24:30 · answer #8 · answered by grouchy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carmex is an addictive lip solution ask the doctor. My husband was the same way, and soon as you stop using it for a week your lips get terribly chapped.
2007-07-17 18:16:14 · answer #9 · answered by Lovie 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Nothing in there is addictive that I know of, but I'd ask him if he's having problems and perhaps take him to a dermatologist if he is. I'd try a lip balm that has a moisturizer in it. You might be using the wrong kind of lip balm. Get one that advertises it as being a moisturizer and have an SPF on it.
If you go to this link, it states that several people have tried to send e-mails claiming it's addictive, but they are false. (Details are in the link.) http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/carmex.asp
2007-07-17 18:16:26 · answer #10 · answered by April W 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi...my son who's also 12 has the same problem, he licks his lips when they are dry which in turns makes them worse, .. he now uses lip therapy Vaseline, with aloe vera and it works a treat. now he rarely has chapped lips and soon as They start to go red he uses it and keeps chapped lips at bay.
2007-07-17 18:20:02 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋