Lipstick gives me coldsores!

[smoothieooo]

Does this happen to anyone else? I've tried a fair few different brands and the only thing I can wear without breaking out is Burt's Bees tinted lip balm which is fine for during the day but I feel a bit half-dressed if I go out of an evening with bare lips.

Any suggestions?

[Pickofthepops]

Not had this myself but made me think of the Victoria health website which I think has some new treatments and preventative stuff for cold sores. Might be useful?

[smoothieooo]

So... just me then?

I'll get my coat

[smoothieooo]

Oops. Thanks Pick - I'll take a look!

[slug]

A consultant virologist DH worked with swore by neat vodka as a cold sore treatment. It's a thought... purely for medicinal purposes though.

Cold sore are a virus. When you use lipstick, is it a new lipstick or one you have used before. It's possible you are constantly reinfecting yourself from contaminated lippys.

[smoothieooo]

Slug as soon as I feel the beginnings of a cold sore I chuck the lippie away so I'm pretty sure I'm not reinfecting myself.

I'm liking the neat vodka approach... I'm thinking dab, swig

[Pickofthepops]

If anything looks good and your going to buy wait until Thursday. They do a free gift for first 50 orders at 11.30 and I think 2pm. Usually something lovely like a neom candle worth £20. Makes paying a bit of postage worthwhile. And no min spend for qualifying for free gift. Good luck

[smoothieooo]

Cheers Pick - not sure if I can wait until Thursday, I want a lipstick now ! I might just set myself a reminder for 11.30 on Thursday though so I can get something else!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Boots do a UV light treatment for cold sores, it's about 20 quid iirc .

Some lipsticks make my lips itch!

[ShimmeringInTheSun]

L Lysine - an amino acid - works very well for many people in preventing cold sores. It's in a tablet form that is taken daily.

You can buy it from Holland and Barratts .

I don't wear make up so cannot say that lipstick causes mine. What I do know is that strong sunshine is my trigger, so I take the lysine and use a sunscreen in a lip balm format.

This works very well, and I've gone from having coldsores almost monthly, to having one maybe once every 2-3 years.

[FrugalFashionista]

I get perioral dermatitis from lipstick (google pics, it can resemble cold sores and I sometimes get just one lesion). Pretty sad because lippy is my favorite makeup item.

Try coloring your lips with lip pencil. If you react to a pigment it won't eork but if it's one of the waxes it might help. If that doesn't help, focus on your eye makeup. I'm a gloss girl these days...

[smoothieooo]

Cheers all! I'll try the L Lysine (someone at work also recommended).

Sorry to hear about your perioral dermatitis Frugal - I just googled and it doesn't look fun at all.

[CelticJuggler]

I get this too! I hate the aftermath of "posh" events as I always break out.

I think I'm allergic to one of the ingredients in the wax; I don't seem to get them if I use a tint or gloss rather than a proper lipstick, but that doesn't work sometimes for certain events.

I know that I get the same from some lip balms too; I think the only one I can yse is the Palmers

I may try the lip pencil idea with a slick of one of the lip balms over it to get the gloss look. Thanks for the tip Frugal

[FrugalFashionista]

If you are allergic to lipstick, it's really hard to track what exactly is triggering the reaction. In my case, I suspect brown pigment because I also react to quite a few brown eye pencils and eye shadows.

Here is a really difficult article that gives a long list of potential culprits. Someone else here suspected beeswax allergy. Pencils can have waxes too but it's worth a try anyway. Start with a really cheap pencil...

[Rosa]

I react to quaternium but over the years it has improved and now I can tolerate some polyquaternium . It was found in a variety of lipsticks and makeup and some shampoo/ conditioner. I used to get sore cracked lips if I used it without trying and often small cold sores would develop...before I had allergy tests.

[DorothyGherkins]

I ve tried cheap lipsticks, I ve tried expensive ones, I ve tried organic ones - they all leave me red and sore next day, and even one I ve never used before can bring me out in something akin to a cold sore. Lip balms are the same too. I feel sad I cant treat myself to a nice new lipstick like other people. Cant wear eye make up either

[TollgateDebs]

Lip balms don't like me either. I find my cold sores respond to the cold pea treatment, where I place a pea on the cold sore to cool it down and it is easier to control than an ice cube. I now use a lip pencil to colour my lips and vaseline, which they prefer to lipstick and it is cheaper to chuck the pencil away than a lipstick!

[CelticJuggler]

Pencils and eyeshadow are fine for me, so I think I'm fine with pigment. Definitely a wax/petroleum thing as (if I actually stop and think!) I'm not great with E45 cream etc.

Never really linked the two things before.

[ggirl]

This happens to me too!!!!!

Not with lipbalms though.

I have given up wearing a colour on my lips.

I am also allergic to hair dye

[DorothyGherkins]

Cant use all the Vaseline lip products either.

[smoothieooo]

Aha ggirl - I'm also allergic to hair dye so I wonder if there is a link?

[Pickofthepops]

Victoria health freebie is today Tuesday 11.30 and 2.30 sorry got my days Wrong!

[ggirl]

hmm I wonder if there is a link?? sounds like it

[Stevieluna]

I have the same problem. I can't use anything on my lips. I haven't tried burts bees yet.
My sores get so bad I have to get anti virals from my dr it sucks.....:(

[Coldsoresuck]

I have noticed the same thing. Lotions, chapsticks and lipsticks causing cold sores. Mac lipstick and estelauder are ok. Lancome made me get 4 cold sores. I am trying to figure out what ingredient is causing this to avoid breakouts. I know this post is old but hope since then some of you have found out more information.

[lindaloo919]

Yes! It's been happening to me for years and its very real. I think its because it blocks the air from my pores or something but i've tried a million different kinds (I'm 53) The only thing I can wear is Clinique almost lipstick-its a very light gloss-try it-it works and its pretty.