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Some may call it absurd. Some may call it vain. But Dr. Marcia Driscoll, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland, assures us that lip balm addiction is real. So what causes balm addiction? Dr. Driscoll points out that licking your lips can cause dermatitis, which is extremely drying -- and it's extra-tempting to lick your lips when they taste like candy.
Additionally, chapsticks can contain drying agents and irritants like menthol, scent and flavor compounds, and even plant-based ingredients. So the more you moisturize your mouth, the drier it gets -- sending you back into the vicious cycle of slathering on the balm.
Being a LipSmacker smackhead could also be all in your mind. Dr. Driscoll believes that most women severely overestimate the need to moisturize. In the grand tradition of "cosmeceuticals" -- beauty products pitched with enough science jargon to rival actual medicine -- the "lip care" industry is banking on women's obsession with the perfect pout. In fact, sales of lip balm grew to over $378 million last year, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Those who can't go five minutes without reapplying, however, do have a community of supporters to guide them through the agony of withdrawal. Lip Balm Anonymous, started by San Francisco Web site manager Kevin Crossman, is still in demand despite the fact that there have been no new updates in years. And, ironically enough, Facebook, a devastating addiction in itself, has 192 groups dedicated to chapstick (such as "Addicted to lip balm like CRACK").
We just hope this doesn't mean we'll be seeing lipstick-lover Gwen Stefani on season three of "Celebrity Rehab," barfing into a trash can as she withdraws from the gloss.
Tell us! Are you addicted? What beauty product makes you itch when you don't have it on hand?
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Wednesday 05 November
By Asacco
It is all in your mind and peple of course, especially doctors are going to want to label it an addiction so they can perscribe treatment, medication ( drugs just another form still addictive, and most of the time worse for you) Its like replacing one drug with another. Mygirlfriend went to the doctor on this issue and he perscribed her a special lip balm to stop the dryness so she wouldn't use it so much, all she did was use what he perscribed instead constantly. Addiction is a real issue and for more information go to Drug rehab
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Friday 21 November
By john
The above picture is very funny. I would not what is the meaning of the gutty images. By viewing this picture I came to a conclusion the the gutty images would be like this with full of fun. Nice pictures.
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john
maryland drug rehab
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Monday 19 January
By CD
I AM A LIP GLOSS JUNKIE! Do I call it an addiction, NO!!! I just happen to like to apply lip related glosses / balms to my lips every 20 minutes. You automatically look better with it on. I am never without anything in my pocket because you never know when you might need it. But let's be serious, an addiction. That's BS! What about gambling, drug addictions. Am I not able to show up to work because of lack of lip gloss? Am I loosing friends over this addiction? Going broke? Lip glosses are usually under $25 so I won't loose my house over it. My friends love to borrow from my library of 100+ glosses. See, everybody wins. An addiction, whatever
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Monday 28 November
By Dillon
CD, have this healthy dose of knowledge:
An addiction, as defined by the Webster dictionary, is a "compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal". Under this definition of an addiction, you're an addict. You say you apply lip balm every 20 minutes. Sounds to me like a compulsive need and use of a substance that has been shown to be habit-forming. According to the research in the article, the more you put on lip balm, the more you need it, which is the tolerance part. If you were to stop applying lip balm, your lips would become incredibly dry because they now rely on lip balm to stay moisturized, which is the physiological symptom upon withdrawal. An addiction does not need to ruin one's life. Many people are addicted to cigarettes, and yes it is harmful, but many people smoke 2 packs a day for 50 years and don't get the slightest ailment from it. Welcome to the world of real addictions.
Also, the word you were looking for throughout your whole comment is lose. Not loose. Loose is an adjective used to describe your vagina, while lose is the verb.
Thursday 10 September
By Hadley
I've successfully been able to get off my chapstick addiction. After my lips had actually become chapped (while obsessively using chapstick), I ended up using some shea butter instead, which actually moisturizes the skin directly. While my lips actually were chapped, I then topped that off with some aquaphor, but once my lips were no longer chapped I stopped using the aquaphor, and now I only occasionally apply the shea butter when my lips are dry, which is becoming increasingly less often.
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