we too have the same red mouth rash problem

[rattybobbin]

Hi
I hate to disagree with the Dr. but, my 15 year old daughter has this same red "Bozo mouth" rash.
She uses Blistex, Chapstick etc all day long.
She coats her face at night and after school with skin creams from the dermatologist.
She was prescribed anti fungal and cortisones but to no avail.
Sometimes it is mildly red and then it flares up to really big and red.
It burns and itches.
Now, I have mildly chapped lips and I have found that when my lips feel the most chapped (even with constant lipbalm usage) that is also when her mouth rash flares up!
So, it is not from her drooling at night!
We use different soaps and shampoos too.
Maybe something in the air we are allergic to?
We have switched our laundry soap and fabric softeners quite often.
Anyway, having the Dr say to just use lipbalm is because the doctor on this list and our own family Dr and 2 dermatologists simply do not know what it is.
Scratch tests havent found anything either.
Good luck to us all.


This discussion is related to 4 yr old has bright red Rash around mouth - looks like Bozo the clown!.

[Shannie888]

My son also had this red rash around his mouth...same look~bozo the clown~ various other symptoms popped up shortly afterwards and it turned out to be Kawasaki disease, serious vascular disease of unknown cause but very damaging to the arteries around the heart if not diagnosed and treated quickly.  

[really_uncomfortable]

I encountered the same ordeal and found that no Dr or dermatologist knew what it was. I stopped using any product with vaseline because it seemed to only aggravate the problem and sun exposure as well. chapstick also created the swelling so now i only use skin products with spf of some kind and staying out of the sun when i have the rash, the hydrocortisone seems to protect from flare ups-- somewhat, and also i make sure the lip protectant doesnt have any tint to it like softlips. (funny because lip stick and lip gloss is fine).  by the way it is very painful and does feel like a burn and i am not a lip licker like everyone keeps saying.

good luck hope it helps

[hb1979]

My son has the same problem. He licks his lip constantly and also uses his teeth to bite the bottom lip and underneath it. I used aquaphor and it goes away.... But if he keeps licking and biting his lips it comes back!.. it is horribly ugly and looks like it bothers him, but he never complains of it..

I'm worried that it might be something.. He does use a floride toothpaste and mouthwash so maybe the remnants on his teeth, and him biting his lip and mouth causes the irritation.

But Im going to take him to the dermatoglist to figure this out..

[rattybobbin]

All great suggestions from babyfaith118 however, in our case, it is not helpful.
She uses fluoride, I do not.
I use perfume, she does not.
She eats fruits and vegies I eat meat and chocolate.
We live in the Middle East and the pharmacists here do not really know what to tell us to use except whatever is not covered by the socialized medicine health insurance plan.
It is their way of getting more money.

The doctors we use are trained US doctors so if they are stumped, then I guess we are all in good company.
We use different lip balms.
She likes vaseline, I like Chapstick.
There is really no answer to this one folks.
Sorry.
Mine is dealable but hers is very angry red.
The only reason I mentioned mine is because her redness and my chaped lips seem to be worse at the same times.
The cotrisone sometimes helps her, sometimes does nothing.
Right now it is doing nothing and she even has redness under one eye and a bit on her neck that the cortisone isnt touching.
I think I will make her an appointment with the naturopath but usually by the time we get an appointment, it will be less red.
If he finds a cure, we will be back in touch.

[RJ233]

One thing that might help to nail the culprit is to keep a journal of anything you eat, or use around the mouth. Stop using the lip balm you have because it could carry the rash right back when you use it. You both could possibly be allergic to an ingredient in it or it may irritate whatever the problem is. Vaseline type things tend to seal out the air which could help in the healing. Try mineral oil. From what I have been told before that it is basically non-allergic. The journal could turn out to be very revealing. Start replacing any thing you use in or on your mouth, teeth to something very mild. You can check with a pharmacist. If you talk to the pharmacist he may be able to tell you an ingredient, or what to look at as the cause. He most likely has filled some type of prescription for it and may know what causes an irritant like that. I would stay away from acidic foods, fruit and vegetables. Apples are acidic I think. If it isn't the cause, it can sure irritate the skin. I would make a list of the toothpaste, lip balm and anything regularly used or drank that you may see any connection to and you could also share that with the pharmacist. Sometimes spices will irritate the lips, also. You can go to a web site and check out acidic foods and ingredients in things you use. It must be connected to something touching the area. Do you have an animal in your house that you might nuzzle his head and be close to the mouth area, or handle. It could be something you started using to bathe them with or spray on them like a perfume. Hope this gives you some ideas that leads to the mystery.

[babyfaith118]

I just took my 4 year old to the dermatologist after a few visits to doctors who could not tell me what it was.  I too got the licking of the lips or use vaseline but nothing worked.  The Dermatoligist walked in the room and insantly said she was allergic to flouride in the toothpaste and rinse.  Im not a 100% on this as she is not using flouride toothpaste but she is using the rinse.  She was using it for a bit without the rash and now all of sudden its there and wont go away.  But we will test it for awhile and see.