Can't get rid of dry lips

[Lave]

For the past few months my lips have become very dry, not to the point of bleeding but they peel frequently. I have been using Lypsyl Lip balm which contains beeswax and that helps keep them moist after I apply it. They are still very persistent in being dry however. I've also been treating a fungal infection "down there", both seemed to start around the same time. Could I have gotten the infection on my lips as well? Can it even spread to them? I do smoke and I know that drys the oils on my lips, it's also getting colder out as the season goes on but I've never experienced this much dryness. I rarely lick my lips since saliva dries it out even more so. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for you time.

[Lave]

Thank you for your advice, I'll be trying the Vitamin B and see if that helps, hopefully that's the case. I'll let you know with an update by the end of the week and see if it's resolving.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

There are two possibilities that are coming in my mind.

Firstly,It can be due to vit B deficiency.Take some vitamin B complex for some days and see if your symptoms improve.
Secondly,it can be due to atopic dermatitis or eczema("Atopic" refers to a group of diseases where there is often an inherited tendency to develop other allergic conditions, such as asthma and hay fever). Cheilitis(Inflammation of the skin on and around the lips)is often seen in atopic dermatitis.Diagnosed by bld test like RAST.Treatment is by topical steroids or oral therapy of corticosteroids in severe cases.Topical creams like tacrolimus ointment (Protopic) and pimecrolimus cream (Elidel) are also useful.

Also drink plenty of water and take multivitamin supplements and do not apply lipstick or other cosmetic products for some days. Use a humidifier to moisturize the air in your home and apply shea butter or Vaseline on your lips.You can also use a homemade ointment mixed from 1 tsp glycerine, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp castor oil. Spread on lips overnight, refrigerating the leftovers for future use. Eat foods high in calcium, magnesium and flaxseed oil.

If the condition still persists or there is deep cracking in the region of your mouth,then pls consult your doctor as it can be due to infection(Angular Cheilitis).Antibiotics are needed in such cases.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you had any other queries.