Skin Discoloration

My daughter has been keeping her hands in her mouth & in turn has created a ring around her mouth that is a lighter color than she is . At first the ring around her mouth would dry up & crack but after medicating that is has stop & now she is left with the light ring around her mouth . What should i do  or use ?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like lip licker’s dermatitis and the discoloration can be due to post inflammatory hypopigmentation. It is very difficult to treat but sometimes it goes away on its own after exposure to the sun. Creams like Elidel cream or Protropic can be used on these hypopigmented  areas but at such a young age it is not advisable to use them . If the symptoms still persist then you can talk to your dermatologist about laser-assisted chemabrasion(LACA).

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.