dry patches on upper lip

[Mysia]

I can not believe that so many people have the same lip issue. I got my first dry patch on my upper lip about 5 month ago. It started out as a little bump and turned into to pinkish (when moisturized) otherwise skin color dry patch. I thought it was the start of a cold soar but it wasn't. After two weeks I decided to see a doctor, he looked it over and said that it did not look like anything serious. Two weeks passed by and the patch on its own went away. Recently, I noticed that the dry patch was slowly returning and multiplying. I now have three of them, one slightly bigger than the other two. I've been putting everything (from Abriva to lip balms to someone suggested honey)on it, to make it go away but nothing has helped. My upper lip looks very dry and you can not see the patches, but as soon as I put lip balm they turn pink and slightly raised. I have no idea what it is. I am going to see the doctor again on August 16th, hopefully she'll know what it is. Does anyone have any answers?

[Olive12321]

I had the same issue - dry patch on upper left lip. It didn’t hurt, just supper dry. I couldn’t figure out what had caused it. I cycled through all of my lip chaps and tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. I read a ton of blogs - the tea tree oil helped a bit as did eucerin lip chap. But what SOLVED it for me was a lip chap I found at my bookstore. It’s a Canadian made lip chap called Epic Blend - Vegan Pineapple Mint. It was approx. 2.50 CAD. I’d had the dry patch on my lip for 3 months and after using this epic blend it was gone in under a week.

I wanted to share because I know how frustrating it was for me.

[Olive12321]

*super

[Aimeepurla]

Hi basically I have the same thing, or some Vaseline on it and it should take away dryness as for redness put some alo Vera. If it is ichy and you are scratching it I would highly recommend la Roche posay repair balm to replenish the skin. I am still struggling with this issue but these have all helped just use alo Vera religiously

[MikkoP]

My daily dosage of vitamin C from fresh citrus was very high, and two dry patches on my upper lip (upper left and upper right side) formed  which is so dry. I have B-complex supplements too before the dry patches appeared. I will try Tea Tree Oil or other moisturizer as others suggested here and then report back.

[MikkoP]

November 2 now, and my previous post was Oct 29 above.  The dry patch on my upper lip was gone after I avoided some Vit C fruits, especially citrus.  Not sure if that was related, but I didn't take any medication.  
Only the regular coffee,  and some B-complex vitamins was taken during the past 4 days and my dry lip problem was gone.

No winter on my location.
The current temperature on this part of the planet is stable and rainy which is just around 31 deg C since my previous post.

[Randomuser11111]

I found an answer on another thread and wanted to share that mine was almost certainly yeast. I used a soap called Defense and it cleared right up. I also had a small black dot in the center of the flakey area.

[AnLiin]

I've been trying to figure this problem out for over 8 months.  It came out of nowhere and won't stop.  I'm 48 , have been a vegetarian for over 5 years and finally by process of trying and elimination of other things (steroid creams,  tea tree oil/etc,, even stopped using the same lipsticks, toothpaste, and even facial lotions for months at the suggestion of my GP).  Nothing worked. Then, in November, I started getting B-12 shots and it stopped, until I stopped the shots over the holidays, and now it's back.  So, at the moment, that is still my best guess.  I have a few other indications of B-12 deficiency and had a couple of doctors (my dermatologist and dentist) suggested the shots.  I am having a minor surgery on my hand and my surgeon has a Ph.D in nutrition from MIT and said it's virtually impossible to really get what you need without animal products and this appears to be a possible sign but of course it can be lots of other things as well.  It's a huge hassle getting weekly B-12 shots ($80 month)  so I'm actually incorporating meat (fish and poultry)  back in my diet. Sad because I'd rather be a vegetarian, but I'm tired of this issue and don't want to damage my health.  Thought this may help others if nothing else is working.. may want to try OTC  B-12. I took/take the OTC supplements but I think I was too deficient for those alone to work.  

[Crystalll16]

I believe it is deficiency in iron:found in poultry and meats.

[Okjack]

Same issue!!!! I've never had a cold sore so im not sure if that's what's going on. I have a dry puffy spot in my bottom lip and a matching one right above it on my top lip. I can't even imagine it's chapped lips because I always always always have my lips moisturized. I tried a new lipstick 2 weeks ago but these symptoms only popped up 2 days ago so I'm not sure if there is any relation.i look stupid. Help.

[darcydarlin]

I'm having the same/similar issue.. I have a dry patch on my upper lip that I also thought was a first time cold sore. I waited for the blister to form and I never did. It became flakey and shed, and was a pink patch underneath, then it became flakey again. But one thing I do have is another very small dry pink patch of skin in my eyebrow. I do suffer with a small amount of eczema ever now and then, but one thing I do suffer with once in a blue moon is psoriasis when stressed. I'm severely stressed at the moment, so wondering if it could be linked to that. As for tea tree oil.. if it's a dry patch, don't use it, tea tree has a drying effect. If it's dry, it needs moisturising :)

[bea_mariz]

will you tell me which aquaphor you used? i see aquaphor baby healing ointment, healing ointment advanced, diaper rash healing ointment, etc..
i tried tea tree oil and felt burning sensation afte application then when it dries and opened my mouth my lip chapped. maybe i should use aquaphor but don't know which one. please help. thank you.

[bea_mariz]

will you tell me which aquaphor you used? i see aquaphor baby healing ointment, healing ointment advanced, diaper rash healing ointment, etc..
i tried tea tree oil and felt burning sensation afte application then when it dries and opened my mouth my lip chapped. maybe i should use aquaphor but don't know which one. please help. thank you.

[asakumeneg]

Tree Oil and Aquaphor works for me. Thanks to merisulcer and gclmed.

First I've tried just only Tree Oil. Applied 3 times for couple of days. On the third day it wasn't healing. In fact, it was more worse. But couple days later after laying off of Tree Oil, my dry skin on my upper lip was gone.

Few days later my dry upper lip came back; I came back to this thread to see what other magic other people have done.

Gclmed posted to apply Tree Oil until it drys and apply Aquaphor. Within an hour it was gone! Like magic! It has been 5 hours since I applied Aquaphor after Tree Oil. I have taken a shower and ate dinner, and I still don't have the dry upper lip. But I'm afraid it might come back. If I don't post anything after this message that means it worked.

[tokara79]

Hi,

I have the same problem, did the Tee Tree Oil help? If so how long have you been using it for?
Thanks

[JReiniche]

I am so glad to see these posts!!!  I too, have developed one of these mysterious dry patches on the upper right side of my lip. It's now come and gone 2x and now reappeared. I have terrible fall allergies, and it appeared one morning that I was having really bad allergies, lots of kleenex and wondered if it was somehow related to that.  I too have tried all of the medicated lip balms, alcohol, peroxide, even cold sore medication and NOTHING.

I'm going to try the tea tree oil and Aquafor and report back.  Thank you.

[Beerish]

I have the same irritating problem and as one of the posts wrote, I totally understand when he/she say it feels like there is a tape on the top of the lips! I tried your tea tree oil method several times a day. By the next morning, my dry skin started to peel off. And underneath is healthier skin. Still red, but not as blotchy as the previous skin. Now its been 36 hours and its healing great! I'm at least 60% healed!

Thank you for your suggestion! :))

[kjlanz93]

I hear really good things about tea tree oil and I want to try this for the patch on my lip.  Did you dilute the oil at all first?

[blessed0807]

Thank you merisulcer for your post!!!!   I tried EVERYTHING and nothing seemed to work.  The tea tree oil WORKED!!!!!!!  My dry patch was gone in 2 days!!!!!!  Thank you!!!!!  Thank you!!!!! Thank You!!!!!  

[rbhadani080]

Hi its rajesh want to share my problem
In my lower lip there was three pink patches I tried many doctors homeopathy alopathy but worked now half of my lip like pink patches what is the solution pls help

[cafegirl57]

thank you for your comment. I have tree tea oil and will try it. I also refill my plastic container at school but from the purified water filter at school. It could be the container. I will go back to stainless steel or a straw?
Thanks again.

[gclmed]

TEA TREE OIL! I read the previous postings and wanted to try to fix on my own instead of having to go to a doctor.

I bought tea tree oil and Aquafor (both sold at CVS or Walgreens). I applied Tea tree oil until it dried then lathered my lips in the Aquafor salve. It started working in two days flat. SO RELIEVED! Hope this helps!

[Collegeteenmom]

I have a rough dry spot and my mom says it is a cold sore and I know what a cold sore looks like and in know that I don't have it. So to get to the point eucerin will help? If it doesn't is there something else I can use that is affordable?

[houstondma]

I had the same problem, stupid dry patch on the upper part of my upper lip and it came out of nowhere. I search the web exhaustively, but everything I tried came to nothing. I finally asked my doctor (!) and told him what I had tried. He rolled his eyes and said "Eucerin." I got the cream in a small tube and used it.

In a week or two....problem solved. Sometimes the patchiness reoccurs, but I just use the Eucerin original cream and it's magic. Try it.

[houstondma]

I had the same problem, stupid dry patch on the upper part of my upper lip and it came out of nowhere. I search the web exhaustively, but everything I tried came to nothing. I finally asked my doctor (!) and told him what I had tried. He rolled his eyes and said "Eucerin." I got the cream in a small tube and used it.

In a week or two....problem solved. Sometimes the patchiness reoccurs, but I just use the Eucerin original cream and it's magic. Try it.

[Kannydoo]

I had the same issue for over 3 months (dry lips, peeling, pussing, back to dry, peeling, so on and so forth); sometimes it felt like I had a piece of tape over my lip.  I finally decided to visit a clinic and they prescribed a corticosteroid (eg. Prednisone).  It prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation.  It's basically a steroid.  I took one at night and saw immediate results the next morning!  I just finished my prescription (twice/day for 5 days) and my lips are 99% healed.  I highly recommend asking your doctors/physicians if they could prescribe it.  

[merisulcer]

I had the same problem- dry patch on upper lip.  I've NEVER had this issue before.  It started after I began working at a public school where I was refiling my plastic water bottle in the water fountain.  Well, after reading enough of these posts, I realized that it was probably the combo of the unwashed/ reused water bottle. I tried every kind of chapstick, blistex, carmex, different vitamins, nothing worked.  I was VERY FRUSTRATED.  I stopped drinking from the water fountain at school. I went to my health food store and bought some tea tree oil and rubbed a small amount onto the dry, rough patch a few times a day with some lip balm.  It was gone in 2 days!!  Immediate results!  Please try this and report back.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
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.

Avoid licking the lips as saliva evaporates quickly resulting in them being drier than before. 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.

I recommend you see your dermatologist for proper treatment, as that may combine an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-yeast meds and that you use just plain petroleum jelly for moisturizing. This is particularly important right before bedtime.
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 dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.