Why do human lips appear to be red?

Why do lips get so red, and why are they so sensitive and prone to dryness?

We make use of them daily, but have you ever thought that other parts of your body, including your lips, do not appear, feel, or behave in the same way? Why are they so delicate and prone to dryness? Why are they so bright red? And why did evolution decide to give us lips while other animals, such as birds and turtles, do very well without them?

A professor of human biology at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom named Noel Cameron told Live Science in an email that "lips are vitally important for eating, respiration, and communication." [citation needed]

Cameron made the observation that lips are sensitive. According to the Jamaica Hospital, lips have approximately one million nerve endings, which is why they are susceptible to touch and variations in temperature and air moisture.

According to Cameron, "the skin of the lip establishes the barrier between the exterior skin of the face and the interior mucous membrane of the inside of the mouth." "The skin of the face forms the border between the internal mucous membrane and the exterior skin of the mouth," Because the mucosal membrane occupies a considerable amount of space in the brain's sensory cortex, it possesses an exceptionally high degree of sensitivity.

Cameron observed that, consequently, the lips could engage in the delicate and large-muscle activity.

Because of this potential for delicate and precise movement, which is provided by five muscles for lip elevation (upward trend) and four powers for lip depression (downward movement), humans can communicate in the manner we do.

Cameron explained that the lips play an essential role in producing "bilabial and labiodental consonant sounds, as well as vowel rounding."

Both lips are required to produce bilabial sounds (like the letter 'p' in picnic), whereas labiodental sounds require the use of both the lips and the teeth (like the letter 'f' in fructose).

Cameron continued by saying that it is incredibly challenging to produce certain sounds or correctly pronounce certain letters when one does not move or use their lips: For example, to obtain a sense of the challenges faced by ventriloquists, try pronouncing the letters "M," "W," or "B" without using your lips.

To the cheeks with anger

But what causes lips to take on their distinctive appearance? Why are they so red, especially compared to the other facial features?

According to Cameron, "the lip's skin, which typically contains three to five cellular layers, is significantly thinner than the skin on the ordinary face, which can have up to sixteen layers." Compared to people with darker skin, those with fair complexions have fewer melanocytes in their lips (cells that produce melanin pigment, which gives skin its color). Because of this, the blood vessels of the lips are visible through the skin's surface, resulting in the lips having a distinctively red color.

Cameron said the effect is less pronounced in individuals with darker skin tones because "the skin of the lips contains more melanin and is therefore optically darker."

In this piece, Cameron drew attention to the fact that the lips are distinct from the other components of the human face in several essential ways.

"The skin of the lips is extremely thin, smooth, and devoid of hair or sweat glands." Consequently, it is readily broken, has a dry feel to the touch, and is relatively delicate. It lacks the typical protective layer of sweat and body oils, which keep the skin smooth, prevent pathogens' growth, and regulate body temperature. Because of this, the lips dry out more quickly and are more prone to becoming chapped.

Because there are no hair follicles on the lips, just like none on the palms of one's hands or the soles of one's feet, hair cannot grow on the lips. This is because various body areas function more efficiently when they do not have hair. For example, it would be considerably more challenging to hold goods if our palms were hairy, and our lips would be less capable of producing clear speech if they were burdened by hair.

A brief moment on the tongue

Not only are the lips necessary for communicating and eating, but they are also commonly employed in the act of kissing. Cameron said these areas "function both as an erogenous zone and an area of appeal."

In a study conducted in 2010 and published in the peer-reviewed journal Perception, it was discovered that white participants could alter the hue and contrast of the lips in images to emphasize various aspects. According to the study's findings, participants were more inclined to increase the redness of their lips to improve the feminine and appealing qualities of women's faces. Despite this, research on the idea that the color "red" (or red lips) indicates sexual appeal has produced conflicting results.

 

 

 

 

 

Article source : https://www.livescience.com/32193-why-are-lips-red.html

Image source :  https://pixabay.com/id/vectors/lip-gloss-bibir-ciuman-percintaan-303125/

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