I just noticed that 4 and 5 are missing from my post on March 9th. Sorry guys! I must have posted the draft by accident. Anyway, here it is.

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.

My Journey Towards Treating Exfoliative Cheilitis- Continued

5) Dr. Dans 1% Hydrocortisone lip balm

Since I knew that using a strong steroid on my lips is not something I can do on a regular basis, I wanted a mild steriod chapstick that I could use on the go. A friend recommended Dr. Dans hydrocortisone chapstick, so I decided to try it. Besides the very mild steroid, the inactive trident is beeswax. It helped with the inflammation just a little but the chapstick itself was pretty hard to apply on your lips. I tried to run it under hot water for a few minutes just to get it into a workable consistency before I put it on, Other than that, it worked pretty well.  

6) Lansinoh Lanolin HPA Grade (It is basically nipple cream)

Of all the products that I used on my cheilitis, this is by far what has helped me the most. I read online about "moist healing", which is basically treating a wound in a moist yet clean environment. Lanolin is a product extracted from wool. YES, WOOL! It is this yellowy greasy substance that is used in many products such as lotion and cosmetics. What makes lanolin super amazing is that its smoothing and soothing effect lasts SO MUCH MORE LONGER than your regular lip balm. Like seriously, one application a day is enough. It can penetrate through several layers of skin maximizing the moisturizing effect (again, amazing for moisture reaching the lip skin beneath the yellow crusty barrier). It also acts as a waterproof agent, so drinking a glass of water or brushing your teeth wont be as bothersome as before. I have been using Lansinoh Lanolin which is, in my opinion, the best and purest kind of lanolin on the market. The product is actually made for breast feeding mothers to be used on very irritated nipples. I thought that it made sense that a product used for nipples could work on lips, since they seem like they are made up of the same kind of skin. Plus, the product is exposed to the lips of feeding infants, so it is pretty safe for us. This product has been a Godsend for me. I still use it till this day. I remember the first time I used it, I immediately felt my inflammation go away. Mind you this does not completely get rid of your crusts. What it does is make it bearable to leave the buildup on, I believe it is the best to use on your inflamed lips because it soaks deep into the lip skin and makes it very easy to clip off.

On my next post, I will go into detail about my routine and I will share some tips I have about exfioliative cheilitis.

My Journey Towards Treating Exfoliative Cheilitis

One of the really hard parts about having exfoliative cheilitis is the inflammation. I couldn't stand it. It would burn when I ate, when I would brush my teeth, and when I slept.  I refused to apply anything on my lips at that time and it was not only making it dry, but it also didn't help with the inflammation. This is what I knew: I had to start curing myself as soon as possible. That meant having to be extra cautions about what to put on my lips, and at that time, I didn't trust any product fully. This fueled me to do the necessary research on everything that I decided to put on my very sensitive lips.
Here is a list of all the things I decided to put on my lips.

1) Aloe Vera Gel.

As I mentioned earlier, the inflammation was unbearable at first, which prompted me to seek a natural anti-inflammatory product. I heard Aloe Vera gel being used for sunburns before, so I decided to give it a try. I used the real aloe gel straight from the leaves of the plant. Sometimes I would store the leaves in the fridge to increase the cooling effect it had. It did help with the anti-inflammatory effect and it was really soothing besides the very bitter taste. One thing I didn't really like about it was the fact that it would get really gooey when I would try and wash it off; the gel didn't absorb onto my lip skin very well. I did not continue to use this as much as I wanted to because I ran out ( I used it for about a month tops). I really do not know what would have happened had I continued to use it, maybe I would have gotten better faster. I really don't know. Maybe someone can use it and stick with it and find out the real effects of aloe vera.

2) Vitamin E Oil

I think I got this idea from curezone. I bought a bottle of Vitamin E pills and started applying it on my lips, this was around the same time I started using the aloe gel. One thing I will say about this product is that it is extremely sticky. If you are prone to acne, I would probably stay away from it. What it did do was kind of disguise the yellow crust on my lips. I think it was because the gel was really shiny and

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.