How to Stop Biting Your Lips, According to Experts

Do you bite your lips? If you do and you're on a mission to stop, then you've come to the right place.

There are in fact two very different reasons as to why people bite their lips. The first is that dry, flaky skin can be annoying, so if your lips aren't pillowy soft you may be inclined to chew the flaky skin. "If your lips are dry, we’re likely to lick them more often and maybe pull at them, but this can make our lips drier and more irritated," says Victoria Schofield, Dermalogica's digital education executive.

So far, so obvious. It's sort of like getting the urge to pick a zit once you know it's there or to go at a stray hair with your tweezers. The second reason is anxiety. Yep, if you're feeling stressed or out of sorts, then you could find your lip biting reaching new heights of regularity. "Many of us will unconsciously chew or pull at our lips when we’re stressed or anxious," says Schofield. "Think about how these emotions relate to that sick feeling or butterflies in your stomach."

Dr. Anita Sturnham, a GP specializing in dermatology and founder of Decree, agrees that lip biting can be linked to stress, anxiety, and even boredom, but goes onto reveal that "it can also be part of a bigger spectrum of conditions called Body-Focussed Repetitive Behaviors [that] typically begins in childhood and can extend into adulthood. It can vary in severity from one-off occurrences [to more consistent lip biting]." New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Morgan Rabach, MD, notes that picking at scabs and nail-biting are other examples of Body-Focussed Repetitive Behaviors.

Serious lip biting can have major consequences, says Sturnham. "If done repeatedly, it can cause injury to the lip tissue, with short term issues such as pain, ulcers, infection, and longer-term implications of scarring and an increased risk of oral cancers."

We asked the experts to share their best tips for kicking the habit. If you're determined to stop biting your lips, then keep reading.