dry patch on lip

[sk00]

hi, i have a dry patch on the top of my lip. it started off about 2 months ago as a small discolored dot, then progressed into a darker patch bigger patch (<1cm wide). Now, it looks dry and and slightly flaky, and feels weird when i touch it with my tongue, but i can't really pick at the dry skin. it also feels sort of heavy, not numb or slightly tingling (not like pins and needles) but like i can feel something there. also when i stretch the skin i can see white spots behind it.
what is it, and what can i do to treat it, tried moisturizing with Vaseline constantly, but doesn't help. Could this be a sign of lip cancer?

any advice would help. thanks.

[missjj77]

I had the same problem as everyone is describing over the past few weeks...sudden red dry patches on lips which felt like a bit of tape was stuck to my lip. Anyway I took some advice on here and used some anti fungal creams (Daktarin & Clotrimazole) 2 to 3 times a day as well as applying Blistex whenever lips felt really dry (which was often!). My lips are now almost back to normal after 4 days thank goodness. Just thought i'd post this, hope it helps.

[Di811]

This past July I started with all the symptoms everyone is describing. It seems every time I get sick it flares up. But there is always the rough dry skin that feels like gum or tape stuck to my lips. I recently went to Doctor and he asked me when I brush my teeth if the tooth paste gets on my lips? I said yes and then he asked what kind of tooth paste I use? I said 3 D whitening tooth paste. He said throw it away and use regular old tooth paste and try to not get it on my lips. I'm excited to see if this is what has caused all these problems.

[justpassingthrough]

I have the same thing everyone else is talking about.  Followed advice and used Nystatin with huge overnight improvement.  Peeled skin off easilly this morning and am continuing to use Nystatin today.  Definitely some kind of fungal thing.  Weird, but I guess weird things happen with age??  Never saw the doctor, but used some of my son's ointment from diaper rash.  Hopefully my lip will be normal in a couple days.

[BIOxSHOCKED]

Okay so I've had the same thing for months! Here's what's working for me. I do not touch my lip with anything but q-tips. I clean the area with alcohol then peroxide. I put lotromin lotion on it and let it stay on overnight. The next morning I clean the spot again with alcohol and peroxide, when I see it peeling I use pointy tweezers to remove any loose skin and repeat the process over again. It's been a week and it's almost gone. Apple cider vinegar works too but it doesn't stay on it just drys up and you have to keep applying it over and over. Don't use band aides on your lips!!! I made that mistake and it rips off the good skin leaving a mess behind! I haven't been using any type of lip gloss or lip stick at all, during the day while I'm at work I use Burt's bees herbal blemish stick, it's a liquid with tree tree oil in it. Mine is still there but it's really really small now and going away. I hope this helps I know it makes you crazy!!!

[user151]

Good to hear.
As I've mentioned in my previous posts, I do agree probably the majority of individuals having this dry tape-like patch on the skin is due to a fungal organism. That said, I agree with you that there are several posts here that might indicate something else... and for them individuals, I'd suggest keep researching and see your local doctor.
As far as the majority here, I had this dry spot reoccur (as many have also eluded), either in the same location or slightly offset. Normally that would support a potential viral involvement. However, I felt the relapses were due to not completely eradicating the fungus deep within the tissue. Well, I've been symptom-free so far after treating my last episode. I used an extremely diluted bleach and water solution. Let me repeat - extremely diluted. Bleach is dangerous and can chemically burn your skin, especially your lips! Twenty eye-dropper drops to each 8oz of water. This is so mild, one can barely taste it and is somewhat like a freshly chlorinated pool. I soaked my lips in this solution for 15 min, three days in a row, and saw the patch start to peal off (like tape) afterwards, thus new healed skin emerged. But this solution is still harsh on the lips, so use a lib balm between. I allowed my lip to heal before I repeated this treatment for good measure in the following week. So far so good, no re-occurrences yet. I won't recommend the bleach-protocol I mentioned above - probably be better off going for a swim in a chlorinated pool next time, and more fun - LOL. But just wanted to illustrate that the dry patch (my dry patch) reacted positively to a chlorinated protocol treatment.
I still suggest that seeing your Dr. is the best advice - not self treatment as I did.

[floatonfreshies]

hello, i've read most of this post and found that some of us may have slightly different conditions... however, in my case, i had a dry discolored spot on my upper lip that developed a couple weeks ago. you could peel a layer off of if you wanted to... felt like a piece of tape as some of the other posters have described.  kinda like dead skin... anyways, i got worried and came here to check it out.  i read the post about the woman believing her case to be a fungal infection, and concluded that i also was dealing with a fungal infection.  i put some listerine on it, and as of today (3 days later) the spot is gone.  if you are prone to fungal infections try applying anything that kills fungus to your lips, you don't have to get all fancy with it.