To all of you who are silently suffering from this annoying, mysterious condition, do not give up. You probably ended up here after many hours of scrounging the internet. Keep looking. Keep learning. The more you know, the better you will understand your condition, and heal yourself. I hope this list helps you out.
-Do use a mild steriod (preferablly once in three weeks or so) , especially if you know that you are going to see a dentist or know that you will be moving your lips alot (speeches, presentations etc).
-Why? The steriod will prevent the crusts from forming, and is a relief sometimes. I do not recommend the use of it everyday or every week though, because it is a temporary solution. The minute you stop using it, your cheilitis will be back even stronger. I say to use it once every three weeks or even month because it prevents your lips from reacting too aggressively to moving your lips. In case of a dentist appointment where you will be opening your mouth moderately widely or doing a speech or presentation where you will be moving your lips for longer than you would prefer with exfoliative cheilitis. Also, the steriod helps with morale. It reminds you that you are still you, that you look the same. It is like a cheat day on a diet lol.
-Do continue to clean your teeth, but limit it to once a day.
-Why? The reason is that you do not want to reek havoc on your lips more than once a day by disturbing the lip skin. Plus, there is the added ingredient in most or all tooth paste, sodium lauryl sulfate. This substance creates the froth in tooth paste and some other cleaning ingredients. I have found that this substance is quite harsh on lips with exfoliative cheilitis. Applying a Very thin layer of olive oil or even Vaseline (be very short handed with the Vaseline because you do not want it to stay on your lips after brushing). Apply these ingridents before you brush so that if you are using a tooth paste containing Sodium lauryl Sulfate, if wont really land directly on your lips.
-Do try really hard to improve your diet.
-Why? This is not exactly for internal health as you might expect, but for having to avoid to brush or clean your teeth that often. The health aspect is also a bonus. If you eat clean, and avoid sugar and other wheat related foods, the less you have to spend time cleaning your teeth. Clean food does not really give you cavities. I should mention though that this was a tough one. I really tried to eat clean for two weeks and then would reward myself with a big cup of ice-cream. If you think you have better self control, do try this. It helps. Daniel Miller mentioned this on his blog also.
Do consider using oils extracted from animals.
Why?- I know this might sound gross, as a previous vegetarian, I was reluctant to use it. Lanolin, for instance, has been known to penetrate deep within the skin and provide relief. This substance made out of wool wax has water proof properties.
On my next post, I will write an in depth look at animal fats or extracts and why I believe it a miracle substance in the treatment of cheilitis.
Remember this list is what worked for Me. There are going to be many of you with different degrees of cheilitis or on different stages that this might not really work for you. I am willing to offer any kind of help by drawing on my own experience. Please message me or leave a comment if you have specific questions about this condition.
