Darkening of the lips may occur due to a number of causes. Drinking excessive amounts of tea and coffee is one such cause. smoking is another cause, but since you have mentioned you don’t smoke, that can be ruled out in this case. Using lipsticks that have past their expiration date or low quality lipsticks could also cause the lips to darken. Some lipsticks also have harmful chemicals in them which may have an adverse effect on the lips. Sucking the lips and coating them with saliva now and again also makes them dry and dark. Sometimes the lips may darken due to a food allergy or a bacterial allergy. If there has been bleeding on the lips due to cracks or dryness, blood clots could have formed which appear as dark spots on the lips.
Lips also turn dark because we do not exfoliate them. As such new layers of skin start accumulating below the older ones. Since the lips are delicate in nature, we cannot exfoliate them as we would with other parts of the skin. The lips are also prone to dryness, as sweat glands or sebaceous glands are not present in them. The right way to exfoliate the lips is to apply a bit of lime juice and allow it to get absorbed. This causes a mild tingling sensation as the citric acid soaks into new layers of the skin underneath, as this skin is quite sensitive. To reduce the sting of the lemon juice, you may apply glycerin to the lips first. After this you need to tighten the lips by opening the mouth, and using your finger gently rub along the length of the lips, using a similar motion to that of brushing the teeth. You will notice that the skin begins to peel off. After this, you may apply petroleum jelly to the lips to soothe and soften them. You can also roll your lips into the mouth and massage them in this manner, in order to prevent toxins from accumulating in the skin of the lips.
almond oil is known to be effective in reducing staining on the lips. You may mix almond oil with a small amount of cream and apply to the lips. This will keep the lips moisturized and also prevent stains from building up on the skin of the lips. To reduce darkening of the lips, it is also beneficial to apply clarified butter to the lips and leave it on overnight. It is essential to protect your lips from over exposure to the sun. For this, apply sunscreen to the lips before venturing out into the sun.
answered by G M