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408312 tn?1202058873

Lips swollen, inflamed with small blisters

Hello !

Six months ago my wife started having episodes of Lips that were swollen, inflamed with very small blisters.  In a topical sense both organic Shea butter and cortisone cremes do help.

Current theory is that this is triggered by some sort of food additive allergy or intolerance with the prime candidate being free glutamates such as Monosodium glutamate, Yeast extract or  Hydrolyzed protein (or perhaps dozens of other names on ingredient labels).

Problems in establishing an exact cause and effect are (1) unpredictable lag times between ingestion of the suspect food and (2) her lips during an episode become so very sensitive that most any free glutamates such as those found in low concentrations in natural fruits and vegetables seem to propagate the symptoms.

Any Ideas ?


Thanks so much !
Rock.
Colorado, USA.
21 Responses
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Avatar universal
I have similar symptoms that have been going on for the last 3 months. Tingling lips followed by small blisters on perimeter of lips bursting and crusting over. Takes about 3-4 days to heal. It's "normal" i.e., no symptoms for one day, then the cycle starts again. It's been fairly consistent for 3+ months. It seems to evolve too. 2 months ago it was more than my lips. There was general redness and itching around my eyebrows, down around my eye toward cheekbones and spots along my hairline. No blisters, but redness and dermatologist said it was eczema. That mostly went away after a week, but the lip blisters have continued consistently for last 3+ mos. Tried steroid cream and it didn't seem to help on lips, but did help around eyebrows/checks.  More recently, it evolved again and I got eczema on my hands - steroid cream helped a lot here. I also used Elidel (very expensive) not sure if it's making a difference, but use it 2x daily as it's not as strong as the steroid cream. Tried taking Lysine after reading this blog.  Seemed to help last 2 weeks, but today feeling another round on my lips pretty strong today. I think it's a food allergy that my lips come into contact with - especially Chinese food, spicy foods, fried foods.  I've been wiping my lips with a wet napkin immediately after I eat and that seems to help.  I signed up for patch testing, but my insurance didn't cover it and it would have cost me $3500 - not sure if it's worth it as I hear that often times the result is no answer.
Helpful - 1
2 Comments
I have been struggling with the same lip issues described in this post.  I do not know what triggers the events but i eventually got to a dermatologist who specializes in lips and was diagnosed via biopsy with a pre cancerous condition called actinic cheilitis.  I ended up doing a very uncomfortable treatment using a chemo cream called 5-fluorouracil.  After the treatment was over it seemed to solve my issue but 6 months later it is back.  My doctor says the re-occurrence is not the same issue we treated it is a new one that seems like contact dermatitis.  Allergic reaction.    I just don't know anymore.  I am just tired of it.  I think I will try a food diary as others have done and see if there is a correlation.  
Hi Sandra,

I have very similar symptoms.

The spots around your cheekbone and hairline sound like Demodex skin mites. To diagnose mine, I put some Neosporin gel on my face and used a USB microscope late at night when these mites tend to come out, I could actually seem them moving across my skin. Washing my face and hair twice daily seems to help and I am currently trying a cream with 5% Permethrin.

I have a soreness and tingling with my lips and mini bumps that come and go. They seem to be triggered by certain foods mostly curries from jars, chilli sauces and the absolute worst was pickled cucumbers. I also get itchy, raised red skin on my cheeks after eating these foods and they can ooze an orange plasma when the pustule at the center is popped.

In the past I've had red patches of skin on the back of my hands/fingers and something similar on the soles of my feet every 5-10 years.

I have had tests for Herpes Simplex type 1 & 2 which were both negative. I have also been tested for B12, Zinc, Iron & Folate deficiency and these were negative also.

At this point in time, I have a few theories:

1) I have developed some kind of allergy or intolerance possibly to food additives and MSG. I'm unlikely to bother with allergy testing but I did check my IgE levels and they were normal. These problems all started during a time of high stress so maybe my immune system went haywire. I have also had IBS symptoms for a few years so food intolerance is nothing new.

2) The demodex mites on my face are perhaps more widespread than I can see, there is a very useful site http://oozingyellowcrusts.com/ which mentions demodex as a cause. I'm just not sure if they are the cause or a symptom of a bigger problem.

3) I could have some kind of virus triggered by food. I know herpes is triggered by foods like chocolate and peanuts. I have tried Lysine and Aciclovir antivirals without much success.
Avatar universal
I suffered from oozing lip blisters about once a month for an entire year.

Everyone told me it was cold sores including my doctor, so I ordered a blood test which confirmed that I did not have the herpes virus that causes theses.

Low and behold after months of researching online because the three doctors I went to had not idea I found out the cause for the blisters is.... CASHEWS.

I am highly allergic to poison ivy, and cashews are in the same family as poison ivy and poison oak.

I accidentally ate cashews one night after this discovery and woke up with the same tight feels across my lips before the blisters appear and this only confirmed that cashews were the culprit.

About a month after this I ordered an intolerance test online, not sold on the results being accurate.. but low and behold the number one food that it came back saying I was intolerant to is Cashews.

I have cut cashews completely out of my diet for the last 7 months and have not had ONE SINGLE outbreak.

Really hoping this helps someone as it seriously took a toll on me for months.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It has taken me 9 years to discover I'm allergic to pepper. Ive had allergy tests for years for allsorts but currently they do not test for pepper where I live. It was months and months of food diarys that highlighted mine. It also explained why I have an allergic reaction to antibiotics( not funny). Some capsules have a pepper content. And allergy tablets contain pepper! Im allergic to allergy relief tablets!!! Arghhh!! Anyway, starts with what feels like swollen bruises around my mouth then will blister. I get them around my mouth or on my lips. Soooo painful and take me 2 weeks to get rid of. Nothing seems to ease them or make them better. Im at my wits end. Feels like the amount of food that doesnt contain pepper gets smaller by the day and going out for a meal is just a nightmare. Pepper needs to be recognised as an allergy.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am battling this now!  I'm not a stranger to sensitive skin and eczema.. Have a steroid cream they usually solves it overnight if there is a flair up. I also have Zovirax pills for cold sore flair ups that I've gotten all my life.  All manageable with my arsenal and Inknow when something is coming on.  I had a full face swell up and eye puffed up from a cream I've used before with no issue but for some reason this time lit me up.  It may have been that I just returned from a fishing trip and had a lot of sun.  But that was two weeks ago.  I since have developed double pink eye and the swelling of the lips and blisters around and crusting.  Very different than a cold sore.  I do remember a week ago eating some very seasoned wheat crackers and it swelling and burning my lips... But it has only gotten worse.  I have tried antibiotic ointment (mupirocin 2%) as the Dr prescribed for the cracks in the corners of my eyes and lips. I've tried taking my oral Zovirax.... I've tried my steroid cream (aclovate) and plain old carmex. Nothing has helped and they still sting and throb.  I guess from this thread I have learned it is probably allergy / low immune (under stress) / food irritation related.
So thanks all for making we aware that I'm not the only one and to just ride it out and tell people I was stung by a bee : /
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hey guys woke up today same thing as all of u, I've had this before and I could never find anything like this thread where people actually spoke of having the same thing happening to them. After reading the pepper and fruit allergy posts I'm pretty sure mine is due to too much pepper aswell, I made home made soup last night and there was a ton of pepper in it, i actually commented about how much pepper I used but I still like it so I wasn't concerned.... Thanks for the help I will try to cut the pepper out and c what happens, and I'll repost in the future to follow up
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The same thing happened to me but I believe it had to do with allergies not pertaining to food. I was visiting my brother and when I was leaving I pet the dog. When I got in the car it happened so fast where my lips went numb after tingling and they had the little red blisters on the outer edges. I'm not allergic to dogs but the dog could've had a certain pollen or other allergen on her.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I began experiencing dry, swollen lips recently.  It would start with a tingling feeling around the perimeter of my lips.  Then would progress to severe cracking and tiny blisters along the perimeter of my lips.  This would last for about a week and was very painful.  The only remedy was to slather my lips with petroleum jelly all day until the condition subsided.

A friend of mine who suffers from cold sores suggested Lysine, which is an amino acid.  You can buy it at Whole Foods.  After 1 day of taking Lysine capsules, my lips felt substantially better.  The swelling, cracking, and blisters all subsided.  I will definitely be taking this if I have future episodes.  In the meantime, I'm keeping a food log to determine what foods may be causing this allergic reaction.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank god I'm not the only one!  Originally I was misdiagnosed as having cold sores, which meant about three weeks of having top and bottom lips covered in super dry, blister crusted lips and me not putting any chapstick on my poor lips and taking antivirals. Finally I went to a dermatologist who told me I definitely did not have cold sores. Got diagnosed as having perioral dermatitis because by this point I had a full on rash/pimples around my mouth and chin area as well as my lips.  Was prescribed an antibiotic and diflucan. Strangely the only thing that seemed to take the sting away was diflucan. Although I do not have thrush. After countless follow ups where we were throwing anything at the wall hoping it would stick, a second opinion that told me I had rosacea and nothing was wrong with my lips as well as a skin allergy test that showed I was allergic to nickel and disperse blue 106 dye I am at a total loss. I've kept a food diary, but Im still clueless. At this point I think my lips are so raw anything with any seasoning irritates them. I tried changing toothpastes but the non flouride/no sulfate Jason's natural toothpaste stings.  Baking soda seems to **** off my mouth as well.  I have made an appt with an allergist next week and I'm hoping to pin down what the heck is going on. I miss my lips. Im currently in the middle of a bad episode, lips are red, swollen and covered in tiny blisters. I'm having reconstructive surgery in a few weeks and also trying to keep my acid/non acid reflux in check... I'm thinking I've had enough character building experiences and I'm ready to not have botox blister lips any more.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Rosacea is linked to Demodex skin mites, they mainly cause pustules around the mouth and chin. I have similar lip problems and wonder if Demodex are also the problem.
Avatar universal
I have this same thing. I think that mine is from an allergic reaction to fruit. There is a group of fruits that people with sensitivities to latex are often allergic to. It includes kiwi, banana, pomegranate, pineapple, and even potatoes. I get the reaction mostly from kiwi and bananas. I have had this same reaction with the horrible blisters covering my lips a few times. It usually isn't this bad though. I have had these blisters for 6 days now and they are just getting worse. I just have to stay away from them as much as I can because this isn't worth it!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm in my 40s and started having swollen lips around May 2012 followed by chapped and cracked lips.  All I could do was apply petroleum jelly.  When it got bad I used Hydrocortisone Butarate and that helped.  This went on for 6 months with the only relief being the 3 weeks we were on vacation and camping most of the time (not a lot of fancy cooking).  In Nov 2012, I developed small blisters around the perimeter of my mouth that popped then crusted.  I started a food journal and suspected avocado or garlic.  The blistering happened again one day but I wasn't sure until I ate something that had a lot of garlic and no avocados that day.  Benadryl helps but makes me sleepy.  I try to be careful but have incidents of blistering when I didn't ask about the ingredients.  Concentrated  amounts of garlic or raw garlic causes the blistering but I have a continuous redness around my mouth from some exposure.  I love garlic and am okay with small amounts.  I'm sad that this has happened and hope it will go away some day.  For now, it's the new normal.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for posting this. I've been going thru the same thing for months and I just think I pinpointed it to be an allergy to any kind of pepper. I'm going to go pepper-free and see if this will stop the reactions.
Helpful - 0
1839266 tn?1318519046
I too think mine is MSG! And my son also gets this and he is 9 - we both ate  Chinese Food at the same time and had a bottom lip outbreak...mine was so bad I couldn't go out of the house for a week I was so ashamed and it hurts! My glands under my chin swell some and the nerves down my chin hurt.....this has happen to me like 1 time every 10 years...at least to this magnatude. We always get them off and all all year....I found the term Meniere's Disease that seems to be real close to what I have....search it...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I woke up 2 days ago with numbness in the corners of my mouth, I applied lip balm all day and the next day woke up with numbness all the way up to my whole top lip, I continued to apply lip balm. This morning I woke up, I hadn't applied lip balm before bed and my top lip was swollen and has little blisters. I did eat a couple of pieces of mango about 40 hours before the first signs. I thought it was the Chilean red wine I had the night before and the night after the symptoms, but now I'm thinking it was the mango. I ate the skin of the pieces I had and the skin was rubbing on my lip when I ate the fruit inside first. I would like to know what this is so I can avoid it happening again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am 25 years old and I have the same problem since I was 18.  I have found that eating raw fruits or using any type of lip products brings on the reaction.  It first started with mangos, so I stopped eating that.  Then it was brought on my strawberries and the reaction occurred.  I tried applesauce, canned peaches, canned pineapples...I was so desperate for fruit that I even tried bannana baby food.  All caused the same reaction.  I can have juice in moderation and fruit flavored candy or snacks do not cause a reaction.  I can even have jam or jelly.  So I suggest, if its fruit, learn to be fruit free and find your fruit nutrients from another source such as vitamins or juice.  It ***** not be able to eat raw fruit but you get use to after awhile.  
I went to a dermatologist when this problem first occurred and he prescribed me this insanely expensive medicine which I can't afford anymore so I just keep fruit and lip products out of my life.  Good luck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've been  having the exact same thing.  My lips swell, become kind of dry and they tingle.  They're also bright red with tiny blisters around the perimeter.  I was tested for food allergies, and they said they couldn't find anything.  I haven't had an outbreak in 4 or 5 months, but then this morning it's started again!  The only thing I can think of is that I ate Chinese food last night from a  place I haven't had in months.  Maybe MSG?  Maybe the other asian food I eat more frequently doesn't have MSG?  Mine is so bad today that I've decided to work from home.  If I don't, I have to deal with questions all day long as to why my mouth is so red and puffy!  Has anyone else figured out other triggers?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been struggling with these small blisters recently, and tonight just had the worst outbreak.  Ate chicken with pepper on it and both upper and lower lips felt hot and then little blisters broke out all around my mouth.  So glad to see what you wrote.  Have you less or No outbreaks since eliminating pepper?  thanks, Cheryl
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I recently started having this same problem.  About 3 times in the past 2 months.  Mostly on my upper lip.  My lip gets swollen and very tiny blisters around the perimeter (but still on my lip).  I have gotten cold sores in the past so I know this is not one.  Has anyone found out what this is and what is causing it?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I get the same symptoms as your wife.  After eating something my lips would get very irritated (mostly the top one) and It would turn into little blisters and then they would dry up and start all over again asi I couldn’t find the source.  I noticed a pattern that every time I ate anything that had pepper in it, it would happen.  I have had to eliminate all pepper from my diet (this is not easy as you have to make everything from scratch) and I have yet to have an outbreak.

Also, my doctor prescribed a steroid ointment to apply onmy lips and it really helped after 2 days of use.

Good luck!!!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

I have answered your post in the pther thread - but also posting the reply here too.

You should use a moisturising lip balm with sunscreen - preferably a medicated one - ask your dermatologist to prescribe you one.

You also need to drink plenty of water - 1.5 to 2 litres per day and eat a balanced diet and supplement any viamins or minerals for the deficiency in your diet. Take vitamin B complex for some days.

Apply a glycerine based lip cream at night.

Keep the area clean - wash your face with a face wash several times a day and also clean your face after each meal with a wet tissue or wash it with water generously.

If the symptoms still persist, you should get a review from your dermatologist.

Let us know if you have any doubts.

Good luck.
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Avatar universal
can you read mine and see if this sounds familiar???? I would like some answers too???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,

Has she seen an allergy specialist for her symptoms? Has food allergy testing been done?

She should avoid foods with MSG and see if that helps.

In case she does have an allergic reaction, she should immediately take antihistamine or antiallergic medications.

Do let us know if you have any doubts and keep us posted about how she is doing.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.
Helpful - 0
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