How I Got Exfoliative Cheilitis

I have never had any problems with my lips before getting exfoliative cheilitis. I never really bit or ripped the skin off for any reason. This summer, sometime around July, I decided to get braces. I had braces as a teenager but was too frustrated with having to deal with it, I got it off before I was done with the treatment. I had the regular metal braces on back then, and I can't remember having any lip problems, other than the occasional drying, which I could usually fix with Vaseline or any other lip balm. This time I opted for ceramic ones because I didn't want my braces to be so prominent and "In your face" when I open my mouth. After my regular consultation, my dentist took a model of my teeth and in the process, stretched my lips to the max. Listen, I have had braces before, so I knew what to expect going in, but I knew in that moment that he overstretched my lips. I didn't notice anything right afterwards, I didn't even think that it was a big deal at all. After a week, I got my braces on. Anyone who has had braces before knows that the process requires your whole mouth to be open for about an hour and a half. This unleashes havoc on your lips. After the procedure was done, I felt like my lips were on fire. I tried to put on some organic olive oil to sooth the pain, but nothing worked. My whole teeth and jaw was hurting as well, and I thought it would go away after a few days. Well, after a week or so, my teeth and jaw was fine, but my lips were still kind of inflamed. I soon realized that my Colgate whitening toothpaste was irritating my lips even more. Mind you, I had never had problems with it before. I stopped using the toothpaste and it looked like my lips were doing ok until my next visit to the dentist. This time, I did feel like he stretched my lips into exfoliative cheilitis. I didn't even know what exfoliative cheilitis was at the time, but I knew that my lips were on fire. Two days later, I noticed yellow scabs forming. It would get white and gooey when it got wet and was fragile as hell. I was in panic mode trying to find out what was wrong. I soon realized it was exfoliative cheilitis and was really upset for awhile. I was angry at my doctor, angry at myself for not telling him not to overstretch my lips. I was heartbroken. I went to the dentist to fix my teeth and not only did I  get my lips fucked up, but I couldn't even get my braces tightened. I was in a loose, loose situation. It was a shock because I never thought problems like that even existed. I explained this to friends and family and they were very sympathetic. They thought my braces were the culprit and would nag me into taking it off. I knew it wasn't the braces because I had been fine with them for the first month that I had them on. But even if I did want my braces off, I couldn't have done it because my lips were in a very fragile state (the skin on my lips was really tight and the scabs were thick and hard). I knew getting the braces off would make my condition worse. Needless to say, the next couple of months were horrible. It tested my strength as a person. I would get bummed out when I would look at old pictures of myself. I even hated it more when people would pity me. I hate pity. What kept me going was learning more about the condition. The more I spent time on finding a treatment or a cure, the less I was angry. Sometimes I would get frustrated because there would be contradictory testimonials about a remedy or a cure. I decided to actively test the theories and such that were online (I didn't apply everything, just some that made sense). This is what kept me going. To use myself as my own lab rat. I started working out, not because I thought it would help with my lips, but to uplift my mood.I desperately needed endorphins. Exfoliative cheilitis had me bummed out already, I didn't want to get depression from it. I felt like I had no control with what was happening to my lips at that point, and exercising  helped me feel in control about something.
On my next post, I will reveal the remedies that I tried throughout this ordeal. I will list the products that helped and ones that didn't. Please bare with me, as I am trying to juggle work and school at the same time. I will make sure to post this week.

You Are Not Alone

Ok, so I know if you are reading this right now, you are probably as desperate as I was to find a cure, a treatment, something that will make this terrible condition go away. I will admit, I spent hours online reading everything there is to know about exfoliative cheilitis. I WAS ALWAYS ONLINE. My family thought I was nuts (I was peeling my lips back then and they thought I was over exaggerating). I will say this, that the internet played a great role in helping me diagnose my condition and even gave me hope. One of the best sources of encouragement out there was Daniel Miller and his blog. His blog helped me recognize what was happening to my lips. He wrote about resisting the urge to peel the crusty buildup and what it means if you do. I want to take this opportunity to thank Daniel for putting himself out there for us. He posted pictures, even videos documenting the struggle. And the struggle was REAL! So, thank you Daniel for initiating my road to recovery. My mental and emotional health would have really been in serious question, if it weren't for your blog; I owe you so much. I used to read the feedback he got from other people and what they were doing to help themselves. I learned so much and this blog is an accumulation of what I learned online from people who I don't know (but am eternally grateful to), from my own experience and what suited me, and what doctors and friends have suggested. Exfoliative Cheilitis has changed me and is still changing me. I will tell you now that I am not completely cured, but I know that I am almost there. I decided to write this now other than later because I want to pay it forward. It is not fair for me to keep to myself about what I know works and is working for me. I believe I have a responsibility to help others out there, however I can, as soon as I can. I could have waited to write this after I was completely cured, but I know that someone right now could start their own recovery plan based on my testimony. Plus, it is important that I document everything that I have done and am doing, so that I do not forget or leave anything out. This is not to say that I dont have days where I feel down and fucking pissed off about why I got this, why me. But for the most part, my lips don't give me much trouble. I have adapted to my routine and I am not angry or miserable anymore. What's funny about exfoliative cheilitis, and I am sure other conditions have this effect as well, is that it brings you closer to people who feel its effects. We might have a different outlook on life, a different upbringing, our exfoliative cheilitis might have also been caused by different situations, but we ALL feel the same way about it, at some point in our struggle. We need to be able speak about OUR feelings to people who listen and completely understand. I am willing to be a cyber family to anyone going through this and just wants to vent or ask questions. I am here for you.