An unknown cause of misery: exfoliative cheilitis (chronic peeling & cracking of the lips)
Hi!
Latest updates are added below; about how it is going with my treatment trials. Check it out now-I may have found something!
Today 7th of April I am on a health topic that has kept me continuously busy for 7 months now and I have finally found out what it is.
In November 2015 my lips suddenly started cracking and peeling.
I thought it was just the cold here in Sweden, but I have never had it before in the 6 winters I have experienced here and the 13 winters I lived in the Netherlands.
I used a lipstick (Lipfinity, great durability!) at the time which I had been using for several years. I stopped using the lipstick and bought lip balm. When it just got worse I bought other lip balms, I have I think about 7 of them. None worked. Even worse, the skin around the lips became red and itchy and irritated and it is hard not to bite or scratch at it, which of course makes it worse. In addition the inside of my mouth is very tender and it feels like there is a hair or thread in my throat. So like with a sore tooth my tongue keeps feeling at it so that by the afternoon the middle part of my tongue is bright red and feels burnt, making it difficult to enjoy food.
I went to the school nurse who advised a cream, Locobase Repair. It helped a little bit in the sense that it kept my lips more flexible so they wouldn't crack so much. I also applied an oil called Bio-oil. When it didn't solve the problem the nurse advised a hydrocortison cream. This also helped a little but did not solve the problem.
In December I traveled back home to the Caribbean and thought that the warm weather would make it go away.
I stupidly decided to leave all my lip balms at home (I had only about 7 at the time) and the dry air in the airplane for 10 hours made the condition so bad that when I arrived I looked like a 3-year old who has gotten hold of mama's lipstick. It was very painful and I could not smile because my lips would crack and bleed immediately.
With lip balm and so on I could get it under control but it did not go away. Seawater seemed to help initially but it stopped working after a few days. I tried an anti-fungus cream and an antibiotic. No go. After five weeks in the tropics it was just as bad as before.
When I returned to Sweden I went to an apothecary and received 3 different samples of cream for superdry skin. None of them worked although they soothe the itch. Another thing which I am currently trying is a supplement called havstornolja, a Swedish berry oil, which is specifically targeted at this problem. After 40 of these capsules I had a day when my lips were almost normal, but the next day it was bad again. Since it has a vit. A precursor I might need to stop with it as I found out today that one of the causes of the condition might be, ironically, too much vit. A.
Finally today I had the bright idea of researching this on the Internet; I can't be the only one with this problem, right? Lo and behold, I am not! It is more common than I realized. The condition is called exfoliative cheilitis and is an inflammation. There are many different causes, at least 17 of them. To name some:
Overexposure to sun (not likely here in Sweden) and UV-radiation
Cold weather
Dry air
Vit A overload
Vit D deficiency
Vit B deficiency
Vit C deficiency
Diabetes
HIV
Malnutrition
Dehydration
Compulsive lip-chewing, lip-sucking, lip-licking and lip-picking
Allergies
Candida albicans (a yeast)
Stafylococcus spp.(bacteria)
Herpes simplex (a virus)
Insufficient absorption of essential vitamins, minerals or amino acids
Of all these, I think that only the last four could be a cause for me. I eat very healthily and I am probably more in danger of vitamin overload than deficiency. I have done a home test for Candida, and I don't have it. I have a doctor's appointment on the 2nd of May, maybe he can test for herpes simplex. I do not have any allergies that I know of, but that doesn't say anything. Strangely enough the Internet sites I have found do not mention what the food supplement text says, that the cause could be menopause. I am nearly 50 so it could be a first sign. The symptoms vary between individuals, also over time; for instance I had also inflammation and cracks in the corners of the mouth in the worst period, but that is not the case now. Sometimes when I peel the excess skin away (which I know I should not do) it bleeds and hurts, sometimes there is healthy new skin underneath.
13th of april.
For someone who does not have this condition it may seem silly, but it actually gets to be a social problem, it looks awful and you have the feeling that everyone is looking at it. I have read about people stopping with work or studies and staying indoors. Besides that it hurts to eat and drink (I often have to drink with a straw), the cracks hurt and the skin around the lips is sometimes visibly red, swollen and irritated. I have days that I go to work covering it up with foundation and lipstick (which probably does the already irritated skin no good). Even then, the peeling is visible.
There are a lot of things on the Internet that one can do which may help, but since the causes are so diverse, what helps for one may not help for another. I am going to try borago oil first. I can't find it here in Sweden (not yet anyway) and tried to buy it online but the manufacturer ships only to the USA and Canada (where most of my pageviews come from, so I let it stand).
So I was considering Evening Primrose oil and/or calendula oil.
Fish oil is also recommended.
All of these oils can both be applied directly to the lips and used as a food supplement (I would not want to put fish oil on my lips though:)).
But as a first start- this is the beginning of April 2016) I am going to try to put on nothing at all, although this will initially make it worse, I have tried, but maybe I should give it longer, a week or so. And I am going to try really hard NOT to mess with my lips, not touch, not rub, not peel, not lick, not anything, just let it be.
I will update this post when something happens. If you are reading this you are most likely a fellow sufferer, please drop me a comment if you'd like. I understand that most sufferers go through cycles in which they are back to almost normal 1-2 days and then 3-4 days of misery. Haven't had that. Since November 2015 I have had this every single day.
Updates:
* After two days of doing nothing my lips are terribly crusted and cracking. So I change strategy a little bit and apply cortisone salve just once in the morning so I can smile again.
* On the third morning I wake up with my lips almost normal, just slightly harder (keratinous) than normal. During my day at work (without any lipstick, feeling that I look really pale) I have some crusting but it is not very obvious. At the end of the afternoon I have a crack in the left corner.
* On the fourth morning, again my lips are almost normal but slight crusting appears in the course of the day and I have to put on some lipstick to cover it. At the end of the 4th day I try out another health shop. They do not have borage or any of the other plant oils, just fish oil, but I want to try the plant oils first. The lady gives me a sample of a cream with blackcurrant seed oil.
* On the 5th morning I try it on first thing in the morning -lips are slightly crusted- but react badly to it: the skin around my mouth becomes red and itchy within 15 minutes and I can't smile without cracking. It becomes gradually worse during the day and I have to peel off large unsightly skin flakes together with the covering lipstick. I also use foundation to cover the redness. Not good but I have to work.
* 6th morning: lips clean though hard, not red anymore but still itching.
*21st of April: a week after last update. Although I have had one more morning with almost normal lips and an afternoon, after peeling away all the crusts (shouldn't do that!!!) with almost normal lips, it is generally misery. Crusts, peeling, cracks, bleeding, sore inside mouth, burning tongue (chewing gum helps!) What helps most is absolutely not touching anything with my tongue. But that is very hard, and the bottom result is still not healthy. I need to try out something else.
*26th of April: although it was almost normal in the morning during the weekend, on Monday I awoke with horrendous crusting and red, swollen, irritated skin around the mouth which itched like crazy. I used the Locobase but it has not gotten better so I ordered the burp-free fish oil and am waiting for it to arrive. I can buy fish oil at any pharmacy here in Sweden but it costs twice as much, besides they don't have burp-free.
* 1st of May: the worst yet!!!! Waking up like this! In the course of the day large scales can be peeled off and my lips are hard and have totally no feeling. Can't smile or even open my mouth to eat, the skin bursts immediately. Sucks bigtime. I don't dare to put anything on it.
*11th of May: a week ago I finally found calendula officinalis salve on a medieval event from a lady who makes it herself. I was so happy and it seemed to work the first few days, but now I am back to the old situation, although my lips are only crusting and peeling, not bursting. I have received the fish oil and am happy that it is indeed burp-free but it has not helped either after about 10 days. Although, I have not had any cracks or the red/itchy skin around the lips since I started with the Calendula.
*15th of May: something may be happening! The last 3 days have had the following routine: I wake up with lips smooth but hard (keratinous). Despite the salve they start peeling during the day; by the end of the afternoon I have peeled off a couple of square cm and my lips are ok. Today however I have hardly had any peeling. Is it getting better? I am hopeful. Still taking the fish oil and Vit. B.
26th February 2018. After having found several temporary cures I am still suffering although not as much. I use a lanolin-based salve, Decubal, constantly and blend it with Propolis which keeps it under control, but I still peel and I even have to get up during the night to put on the salve, otherwise it is cracking again. The propolis product which I bought is unfortunately no longer available via the website but I can order it direct from the manufacturer. However I think I am going to try something else. I have a multivitamin supplement and I am using vitamin E oil which I made myself from vit. E capsules and almond oil with lavender, but I think I am going to try this vitamin E oil. Oh no, won't go, this manufacturer also only sells in the USA & Canada. Maybe it will help someone there. It is getting worse again. I am truly desperate.
Latest updates are added below; about how it is going with my treatment trials. Check it out now-I may have found something!
Today 7th of April I am on a health topic that has kept me continuously busy for 7 months now and I have finally found out what it is.
In November 2015 my lips suddenly started cracking and peeling.
I thought it was just the cold here in Sweden, but I have never had it before in the 6 winters I have experienced here and the 13 winters I lived in the Netherlands.
I used a lipstick (Lipfinity, great durability!) at the time which I had been using for several years. I stopped using the lipstick and bought lip balm. When it just got worse I bought other lip balms, I have I think about 7 of them. None worked. Even worse, the skin around the lips became red and itchy and irritated and it is hard not to bite or scratch at it, which of course makes it worse. In addition the inside of my mouth is very tender and it feels like there is a hair or thread in my throat. So like with a sore tooth my tongue keeps feeling at it so that by the afternoon the middle part of my tongue is bright red and feels burnt, making it difficult to enjoy food.
tripleclicks.comIn December I traveled back home to the Caribbean and thought that the warm weather would make it go away.
I stupidly decided to leave all my lip balms at home (I had only about 7 at the time) and the dry air in the airplane for 10 hours made the condition so bad that when I arrived I looked like a 3-year old who has gotten hold of mama's lipstick. It was very painful and I could not smile because my lips would crack and bleed immediately.
With lip balm and so on I could get it under control but it did not go away. Seawater seemed to help initially but it stopped working after a few days. I tried an anti-fungus cream and an antibiotic. No go. After five weeks in the tropics it was just as bad as before.
Finally today I had the bright idea of researching this on the Internet; I can't be the only one with this problem, right? Lo and behold, I am not! It is more common than I realized. The condition is called exfoliative cheilitis and is an inflammation. There are many different causes, at least 17 of them. To name some:
Overexposure to sun (not likely here in Sweden) and UV-radiation
Cold weather
Dry air
Vit A overload
Vit D deficiency
Vit B deficiency
Vit C deficiency
Diabetes
HIV
Malnutrition
Dehydration
Compulsive lip-chewing, lip-sucking, lip-licking and lip-picking
Allergies
Candida albicans (a yeast)
Stafylococcus spp.(bacteria)
Herpes simplex (a virus)
Insufficient absorption of essential vitamins, minerals or amino acids
Of all these, I think that only the last four could be a cause for me. I eat very healthily and I am probably more in danger of vitamin overload than deficiency. I have done a home test for Candida, and I don't have it. I have a doctor's appointment on the 2nd of May, maybe he can test for herpes simplex. I do not have any allergies that I know of, but that doesn't say anything. Strangely enough the Internet sites I have found do not mention what the food supplement text says, that the cause could be menopause. I am nearly 50 so it could be a first sign. The symptoms vary between individuals, also over time; for instance I had also inflammation and cracks in the corners of the mouth in the worst period, but that is not the case now. Sometimes when I peel the excess skin away (which I know I should not do) it bleeds and hurts, sometimes there is healthy new skin underneath.
13th of april.
For someone who does not have this condition it may seem silly, but it actually gets to be a social problem, it looks awful and you have the feeling that everyone is looking at it. I have read about people stopping with work or studies and staying indoors. Besides that it hurts to eat and drink (I often have to drink with a straw), the cracks hurt and the skin around the lips is sometimes visibly red, swollen and irritated. I have days that I go to work covering it up with foundation and lipstick (which probably does the already irritated skin no good). Even then, the peeling is visible.
There are a lot of things on the Internet that one can do which may help, but since the causes are so diverse, what helps for one may not help for another. I am going to try borago oil first. I can't find it here in Sweden (not yet anyway) and tried to buy it online but the manufacturer ships only to the USA and Canada (where most of my pageviews come from, so I let it stand).
So I was considering Evening Primrose oil and/or calendula oil.
Fish oil is also recommended.
All of these oils can both be applied directly to the lips and used as a food supplement (I would not want to put fish oil on my lips though:)).
But as a first start- this is the beginning of April 2016) I am going to try to put on nothing at all, although this will initially make it worse, I have tried, but maybe I should give it longer, a week or so. And I am going to try really hard NOT to mess with my lips, not touch, not rub, not peel, not lick, not anything, just let it be.
I will update this post when something happens. If you are reading this you are most likely a fellow sufferer, please drop me a comment if you'd like. I understand that most sufferers go through cycles in which they are back to almost normal 1-2 days and then 3-4 days of misery. Haven't had that. Since November 2015 I have had this every single day.
Updates:
* After two days of doing nothing my lips are terribly crusted and cracking. So I change strategy a little bit and apply cortisone salve just once in the morning so I can smile again.
* On the third morning I wake up with my lips almost normal, just slightly harder (keratinous) than normal. During my day at work (without any lipstick, feeling that I look really pale) I have some crusting but it is not very obvious. At the end of the afternoon I have a crack in the left corner.
* On the fourth morning, again my lips are almost normal but slight crusting appears in the course of the day and I have to put on some lipstick to cover it. At the end of the 4th day I try out another health shop. They do not have borage or any of the other plant oils, just fish oil, but I want to try the plant oils first. The lady gives me a sample of a cream with blackcurrant seed oil.
* On the 5th morning I try it on first thing in the morning -lips are slightly crusted- but react badly to it: the skin around my mouth becomes red and itchy within 15 minutes and I can't smile without cracking. It becomes gradually worse during the day and I have to peel off large unsightly skin flakes together with the covering lipstick. I also use foundation to cover the redness. Not good but I have to work.
* 6th morning: lips clean though hard, not red anymore but still itching.
*21st of April: a week after last update. Although I have had one more morning with almost normal lips and an afternoon, after peeling away all the crusts (shouldn't do that!!!) with almost normal lips, it is generally misery. Crusts, peeling, cracks, bleeding, sore inside mouth, burning tongue (chewing gum helps!) What helps most is absolutely not touching anything with my tongue. But that is very hard, and the bottom result is still not healthy. I need to try out something else.
*26th of April: although it was almost normal in the morning during the weekend, on Monday I awoke with horrendous crusting and red, swollen, irritated skin around the mouth which itched like crazy. I used the Locobase but it has not gotten better so I ordered the burp-free fish oil and am waiting for it to arrive. I can buy fish oil at any pharmacy here in Sweden but it costs twice as much, besides they don't have burp-free.
* 1st of May: the worst yet!!!! Waking up like this! In the course of the day large scales can be peeled off and my lips are hard and have totally no feeling. Can't smile or even open my mouth to eat, the skin bursts immediately. Sucks bigtime. I don't dare to put anything on it.
*11th of May: a week ago I finally found calendula officinalis salve on a medieval event from a lady who makes it herself. I was so happy and it seemed to work the first few days, but now I am back to the old situation, although my lips are only crusting and peeling, not bursting. I have received the fish oil and am happy that it is indeed burp-free but it has not helped either after about 10 days. Although, I have not had any cracks or the red/itchy skin around the lips since I started with the Calendula.
*15th of May: something may be happening! The last 3 days have had the following routine: I wake up with lips smooth but hard (keratinous). Despite the salve they start peeling during the day; by the end of the afternoon I have peeled off a couple of square cm and my lips are ok. Today however I have hardly had any peeling. Is it getting better? I am hopeful. Still taking the fish oil and Vit. B.
26th February 2018. After having found several temporary cures I am still suffering although not as much. I use a lanolin-based salve, Decubal, constantly and blend it with Propolis which keeps it under control, but I still peel and I even have to get up during the night to put on the salve, otherwise it is cracking again. The propolis product which I bought is unfortunately no longer available via the website but I can order it direct from the manufacturer. However I think I am going to try something else. I have a multivitamin supplement and I am using vitamin E oil which I made myself from vit. E capsules and almond oil with lavender, but I think I am going to try this vitamin E oil. Oh no, won't go, this manufacturer also only sells in the USA & Canada. Maybe it will help someone there. It is getting worse again. I am truly desperate.
tripleclicks.com
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHye! I might be late in finding your blog post, but I've been getting the same problem with you! Literally the same but luckily it is just on my upper lips. Just found out that it id exfoliative centilitis, can you update more about your lips? And PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU to tell me if you found the solution! My school isn't allowing us to use any face products so i can't use any lip products and foundation to cover it. And the the ONLY LIPBALM that i like will give sheer natural pink on my lips but it is also forbiden at my school :( I can't live with this humiliation forever (and you know that appearance is important in high school life :'( )
ReplyDeletehttps://tinyurl.com/Exfoliativechelitislippeeling
ReplyDeleteExfoliative chelitis Successdul treatment method
I might just try this.... Don't know if it will work. I have a partial cure by the way, something that is keeping it under control...just contact me!
Delete