Cheilitis Again

[Nati]

Hi Dr. Rockoff,
I posted this weekend about my battle with cheilitis for the past two months. You can find my history under Cheilitis Prognosis.
Well, on Saturday I started putting Cortaid on in addition to the Protopic to get rid of the red splotches. On Monday night, I put Clinique lipstick on to go out. Lips were fine on Tuesday. Wednesday and today they are extremely red, swollen, the skin has peeled off. I feel like I'm at Square 1 again. I'm really sad that the progress I thought I was making is gone.
Do you think it could have been the lipstick, maybe the alcohol in the Cortaid, or is this just the cheilitis cycle?
I'm going to see my dermatology p.a. tomorrow. Is there anything more potent they could give me besides Protopic for when it gets really bad?
On another note, do you think I could have gotten this from giving a guy oral sex? (He does not have any std's that he knows of, and two doctors assured me it wasn't herpes, plus the test for it was negative) I'm just wondering if maybe this is an infection. I don't know. . . Please help.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I don't think you need to worry about having contacted an STD.

Your dermatologist can prescribe a stronger cortisone cream.

Cheilitis is most often a form of eczema, which flares up not from aspecific allergen but spontaneously, as eczema does elsewhere.  This is frustrating but treatable, and the cases I've taken care of have invariably subsided and stopped coming on their own after a while.

Meantime, however, you should share your fears of STD with your doctor, who can then sspecifically address them and more than likely set your mind at ease.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Ruined4Life]

I'm 16 years old and have suffered from exfoliative cheilitis for the last 13 months or so, It has quite literally ruined my life. I dropped out of school in the last year, I was an A grade student in most subjects. I have hardly left my house in a year, this is ripping me apart.

I visited a Harley Street Specialist about 7 months ago, to be told I have exfoliative cheilitis, an eczema of the lips, I was given Hydrocortisone ointments, none of which have helped.

I am so depressed, what really doesnt help at all, is that I found it hard enough before I got this condition to deal with my teenage acne, and in treating my lips with greasy ointments makes my acne much much worse, before I got cheilitis my acne was clearing up, what excellent timing. I cant cope, one unsightly facial condition is bad enough, but to try and battle against 2 simultaneously, when treating one makes the other worse, this is an infinite cycle, which is destroying me.

I've had all the blood tests and patch tests, nothing was found, I was wishing they would find something, then at least I would know the cause of this, it could perhaps then be treated.

I'm starting to wonder whether it's worth going on anymore, ending everything now seems like the only way to go, seeing as this condition is practically untreatable.

[blackspecks]

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[nhong11]

I have been diagnosed with exfoliative cheilitis since early 1999.  After visiting dermatologists on and off for three years, including very skilled doctors at UCSF and Stanford Medical, I unfortunately am still suffering from it.  I had have two biopsies and have a long list of meds, ointments and creams I've been given, including different corticosteroid ointments, Retin A, Protopic, Bactroban, a corticosteriod injection to the lower lip (where it's worse), a depressant (can remember its name but similar to Valium), etc.  

One last thing that was suggested to me and which I haven't tried is to have laser surgery to remove the top layer of the lip.  It was hoped that the new cells would be back to normal.  I find its better when I just use petroleum jelly on my lips and not any other brands of lip balm. This doesn't prevent my lips from peeling every 1-2 weeks but my lips peel less than if I use something else and they feel better.

I haven't let my lips affect my life too much.  Please don't be let it affect yours.  Very few people asked me about and when they do, I just tell them.

[mari3932]

someone help me! The outsise of my lips ar so dry it wakes me up all through the night!  I've tried everything from vaseline, to carmex, which has dimethicone, to burts bees, and vitamin e stick!  I am 34, and usually have on lipliner and lipstick all day long....I don't look like myself, and I feel so so so uncomfortable!  anyone know what this could be?  It all started 3 weeks ago when I powdered my lipstick to set for a party. Help!