Unfortunately I really have no idea. I use Organix brand shampoo. For more details, check my older posts. The only real advice I can give you is to PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to your lips: when do they get worse, when do they get better, etc. I wish I had kept a highly detailed journal because I would have probably figured out the problem much sooner. Good luck!   [End]
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I’m happy to report that after strict avoidance of sodium lauryl sulfate products for 1 month, my lips are now 100% better. I have put no glycerin or any product on them for three weeks and they are perfect. I also forgot to mention in my previous post that each time I had Chinese food my lips would swell and itch. I assume this is from the MSG. I had Chinese take-out last night and my lips did itch slightly, but it went away in an hour. I will also avoid MSG from now on.   [End]
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I forgot to mention a few things: 1) If you want to take the allergy route, try Bendryl first so you don’t spend too much money on grapefruit seed extract. I tried it the other day just for the hell of it and my lips were really 100% normal. One dose of 2 tablets should suffice to see a difference (if you do have an allergy). 2) If using glycerin, make sure not to get any on the outside of your lips as it’ll cause clogged pores. I learned the hard way. They’re barely noticeable but, of course, I’d rather not have them. If you get them, just sure to exfoliate with a wet face towel o ...
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This article explores the nature of SLS. A good, easy read: http://www.squidoo.com/sls   [End]
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Hi fregasedo, 1) It was impossible to leave my lips alone because they would get so hard and dry that they would crack and bleed when I would attempt to smile. Still, it did happen a few times that I didn’t have access to chapstick for about half a day. I would say that my lips turned into a combination of what you described: they would get really hard, but the skin wouldn’t ”pile up” - after they hardened, they would fall off in little flakes. At their worst, this hardening and peeling extended past the vermilion line and was headed to both my nose and chin!! 2) I never bit or licke ...
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So, turns out I don’t have h. pylori, just a bad case of acid reflux. But still, I was wondering why the grapefruit seed extract was working out well for me some days and not others. At the same time, I happened to be perusing wgb’s old messages about her cheilitis being caused by an allergy. I remember thinking to myself ”Oh geez... allergy? Is she serious? She never had cheilitis!” I live in Canada and I work part-time at a school that teaches English to adults, and most of these adults are (obviously) immigrants. There is a doctor from Argentina in the school at the moment, and we ...
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I’ve been battling this thing for over a year now -- I noticed a funny tingling sensation after almost immediately trying on a drugstore lipstick. I think I typed my story in a previous post, and if not, I’ll type it another time. It’s 2:30 AM where I live but I am so happy I had to write. Long story short, my lips have been RED, RAW, BURNING, and PEELING. More than anything, they looked and felt like I had kissed a scalding hot stove. Interestingly, they looked and felt a lot worse in the morning, and seemed to calm down by nighttime. I recently went to see a doctor for a sore in th ...
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The only thing I can tell you is that’s exactly how mine look without anything on them. And just on the aside, you have beautiful lips.   [End]
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You never know, Isis. If that cryosurgery didn’t work, then perhaps what you have isn’t a bacterial or fungal infection of the lips, but an allergy in your body that just happens to appear on your lips.   [End]
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Hi Rob, I tend to have the same problem as you. In fact, I am not even sure I have the same condition as a lot of people here. I never really have a ”cycle,” my lips are always looking like they are going to peel. They never turn white or crust off, they are just always dry and peeling. Anyway, I took anti-histamines for about 10 days, and I think that helped a lot. I stopped that though, since I didn’t see continued improvement after the initial improvement. I still take probiotics twice a day, B12, B6, D and iron everyday (when I can remember), and try to avoid sugar.   [End]
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Thanks for this story. It’s incredible how once someone gets over EC, they look back and see how trivial the problem really was. For anyone whose lips look bad right now, I know it’s hard to believe, but this really isn’t the end of the world. Think of people who have worse and life-threatening conditions. Unlike them, we just have puffy lips like Angelina Jolie ;) For those following me, my lips have really improved with the allergy medication, but if I skip it for a few days I wake up with inflamed lips. I’m going to the doctor soon to see what he’ll have to stay about a 6-month lo ...
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If you can’t find reactine you can try the drugstore brand. The ingredient is called cetirizine   [End]
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Since I began the allergy peels, the peeling has stopped. I no longer can rub my finger on my lips and have a lump of skin in my hand in 30 seconds. In fact, if I try, it even hurts. For the past 2 days, a lot of dry skin has been flaking off from the edges, which has never happened before. This has since stopped, and the edges of my lips are beginning to look and feel ”normal”. Despite the cessation of peeling, my lips don’t feel ”normal.”They still feel puffy and irritated, but better than before. I still haven’t purchased zinc tablets because I can’t find them. Could it be ...
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Determined to see whether it’s a virus or allergy that I have, I bought some reactine pills. I took one last night and put nothing on my lips before bed. Result: Lips definitely aren’t peeling, still look a bit ”funky” but feel a lot better. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. I’ll talk another one tonight and see what happens. FYI, I took Reactine 24 hour relief extra strength non drowsy pills. I can’t find zinc tablets anywhere and a relative of mine who is a pharmacist warned me not to take them. I’m still going to take them though!   [End]
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The probiotics no doubt play a large part in this, but to be honest I think it’s the combination of everything that I am doing that is helping me. Even if my ”viral hypothesis” is incorrect, the cold sore cream makes me lips look and feel instantly better and is contributing to my morale. Make sure to get the kind with a lot of bacteria (mine is 12 billion). Also, make sure to get the kind that requires refrigeration.   [End]
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Interesting. Which user is this? I wouldn’t take anti-viral medication, but I am considering taking the supplement route through zinc, primose oil, garlic, etc.   [End]
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I have had cheilitis since May 2010 (we are now November 2010). Actually, my first attack occurred a few years ago. I was given a hydrocortisone cream and after 2 weeks of applying it went away. I contracted my current case after trying one too many lipsticks at the drugstore. It had gotten so bad at one point that I was too embarrassed to go out. However, I think it’s safe to rule out contact dermatitis since I’ve been battling the problem for so long. Since May, I have been using the hydrocortisone cream the doctor had given me a few years ago (it has not yet expired). It wo ...
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