4) Sunlight
I got this idea from Daniel Miller and what I did was basically expose my lips to direct sunlight between 10am-4pm ( when the sun's UV rays are at their strongest). I would expose my lips (and my face) to direct sunlight for about 30 minutes a day. I did this for about a month and I made sure not to apply anything on my lips before I went out on the sun. One thing I noticed was that the inflammation and discomfort decreased the next day after sun exposure. I did not continue to do this because the pros did not outweigh the cons. The very small comfort I felt the next day was not worth risking skin cancer and being burnt. Again, I did not follow through with this, so I can't say that long time exposure wont heal it, but to me personally, it isn't safe. Perhaps UV exposure in a doctor's office would help.
5) Betametasone steriod cream (diprosone steriod cream)
I decided to visit a doctor and get a steriod cream because I had a trip planned for a few weeks. I did not want to be consumed with how my lips were looking or if there is a loose skin hanging, I just wanted to enjoy this time and really be in the moment and have memorable conversations. The doctor prescribed betametasone steriod cream (I dont know what percent or concentration it was) in vaseline (as in vaseline was the base to the product). I used it for those weeks and I completely forgot that I even had cheilitis. It was great and I felt normal again. The thing with steriods, however, is that you cannot use it as a long term treatment. I read that this steriod in particular is very strong and should not be used on the face for more than five consecutive days. I was using it every other day and sometimes, every other day. What to expect when using strong steriod creams on your lips is that it wont completely eliminate your crusts. Expect some VERY THIN loose skin present, something that a person with normal, chapped lips might have (I dont know if that was because I used it every other day but i didn't mind the thin skin, it was not abnormal at all). Another thing to expect with using the steriod is that your lips might look a little discolored. This was not noticeable at all, I was just super examining my lips closely. What I did to combat the discoloration was use Lanolin ointment. Almost immediately, the color of my lips changed back to normal. I did not continue to use the steriod for more than three weeks( I should mention that I would sometimes use it everyday or everyother day, depending on how my lip was doing) and I did because I wanted my body to heal my lips and not just forget that my lips were damaged and stop forming skin at all. One thing I would recommend while on this steriod is disinfecting your lips with a gentle cleanser like saline solution. This is great because you don't want your lips to harbor any bacteria during its vulnearable state of steriod application. The other thing I would like to mention is that I was told by my doctor not to apply anything else on my lips while on the steriod. I did not adhere to his advice because I found that sometimes the steriod would be too much for my lips (I noticed my lips were extremely soft to the touch), so I would apply lanolin ointment to it. I applied my steriod mostly during the day because I did not want to risk getting the steriod cream on other parts of my face at night or when I was sleeping. Also, it is important to mention that you get so much more out of your steriod if you apply it while your lip is semi-wet. I think it abosrbs into the skin when the lip skin is damp, but make sure it is not dripping wet and water is not on your lips. It is also important to note that you should apply just a thin amount of steriod on THE AFFECTED AREA. Dont put the steriod on your whole lips, just the parts affected by chelitis. I noticed that parts of my lips that were healthy looked dry and peely after continual steriod application, but was back to normal after I stopped using the steriod.
I got this idea from Daniel Miller and what I did was basically expose my lips to direct sunlight between 10am-4pm ( when the sun's UV rays are at their strongest). I would expose my lips (and my face) to direct sunlight for about 30 minutes a day. I did this for about a month and I made sure not to apply anything on my lips before I went out on the sun. One thing I noticed was that the inflammation and discomfort decreased the next day after sun exposure. I did not continue to do this because the pros did not outweigh the cons. The very small comfort I felt the next day was not worth risking skin cancer and being burnt. Again, I did not follow through with this, so I can't say that long time exposure wont heal it, but to me personally, it isn't safe. Perhaps UV exposure in a doctor's office would help.
5) Betametasone steriod cream (diprosone steriod cream)
I decided to visit a doctor and get a steriod cream because I had a trip planned for a few weeks. I did not want to be consumed with how my lips were looking or if there is a loose skin hanging, I just wanted to enjoy this time and really be in the moment and have memorable conversations. The doctor prescribed betametasone steriod cream (I dont know what percent or concentration it was) in vaseline (as in vaseline was the base to the product). I used it for those weeks and I completely forgot that I even had cheilitis. It was great and I felt normal again. The thing with steriods, however, is that you cannot use it as a long term treatment. I read that this steriod in particular is very strong and should not be used on the face for more than five consecutive days. I was using it every other day and sometimes, every other day. What to expect when using strong steriod creams on your lips is that it wont completely eliminate your crusts. Expect some VERY THIN loose skin present, something that a person with normal, chapped lips might have (I dont know if that was because I used it every other day but i didn't mind the thin skin, it was not abnormal at all). Another thing to expect with using the steriod is that your lips might look a little discolored. This was not noticeable at all, I was just super examining my lips closely. What I did to combat the discoloration was use Lanolin ointment. Almost immediately, the color of my lips changed back to normal. I did not continue to use the steriod for more than three weeks( I should mention that I would sometimes use it everyday or everyother day, depending on how my lip was doing) and I did because I wanted my body to heal my lips and not just forget that my lips were damaged and stop forming skin at all. One thing I would recommend while on this steriod is disinfecting your lips with a gentle cleanser like saline solution. This is great because you don't want your lips to harbor any bacteria during its vulnearable state of steriod application. The other thing I would like to mention is that I was told by my doctor not to apply anything else on my lips while on the steriod. I did not adhere to his advice because I found that sometimes the steriod would be too much for my lips (I noticed my lips were extremely soft to the touch), so I would apply lanolin ointment to it. I applied my steriod mostly during the day because I did not want to risk getting the steriod cream on other parts of my face at night or when I was sleeping. Also, it is important to mention that you get so much more out of your steriod if you apply it while your lip is semi-wet. I think it abosrbs into the skin when the lip skin is damp, but make sure it is not dripping wet and water is not on your lips. It is also important to note that you should apply just a thin amount of steriod on THE AFFECTED AREA. Dont put the steriod on your whole lips, just the parts affected by chelitis. I noticed that parts of my lips that were healthy looked dry and peely after continual steriod application, but was back to normal after I stopped using the steriod.
