Severely dry and cracked lips in a 6 year old: remedies?

[Artichook]

My DD has had horribly chapped lips for months. The lip skin itself is peeling, cracked and sometimes bleeding and the facial skin at the corners or the lips is also red and flaky.

I've tried regular Vaseline which helps a bit but then gave her pimply spots around her mouth, I've tried regular bio oil, I've tried regular moisturiser. I thought it would get better with the end of the cold weather but its actually worse.

Does anyone have any tips? Could this be an allergy?

[quoteunquote]

pure bee's wax balm from the health food shop, anything like Vaseline / chapstick type things will just make them re dry out.

nothing with nut oils, or the types of oils you find in vaseline.

[Artichook]

Thank you, I will have a look for that today. I didn't know that Vaseline could be drying.

[quoteunquote]

neither did I ,

until I broke the cycle as a knowledgeable friend explained the science behind it, clearly I failed to take on the in and outs to relay it properly,

At our local market there is a couple of women who make soaps and cosmetics, natural shampoos, that sort of stuff, they make a very good one, lasts all year (seems expensive £4/£5 for a small pot) but goes on for ever , I just know that any with the petroleum type stuff in them help cause the problem, the pure bee's wax ones solve it.

my DD(9), suffers from very sensitive skin she has a pot in her bag, applies as soon as she has anything sore, solves it.

[MargeSimpson]

Try daktacort. Could be fungal infection. had it prescribed for my ds with similar thing for weeks and cleared in 3 days.

[Roopoo]

Could have written the OP myself.
I've been liberally applying vaseline and wondering why she is getting spots and her lips are no better.

Will be heading to health food shop.

[Twitterqueen]

Is she getting enough to drink? I know dry and cracked lips is a sign more liquids are required..
But I appreciate from your OP it's probably more than this. [trying to help]

[PacificDogwood]

Any lip salve, something your DD likes, applied frequently. The trick is in the frequency.
I've been known to sneak into DS2's room and put cream on him when he is asleep.
It's usually caused by repeated licking of lips aka 'Lip Licking Dermatitis'. Antifungals sometimes help - mainly because yeasts like sugar (food going in) and moisture (saliva being applied all the time by lip licking).
Most lip lickers are not aware of doing it btw...

[Slavetothechild]

My daughter has suffered from this for years. We have discovered that anything with petroleum is bad, as was explained above. She now uses burts bee lip balm or kiehls lip balm. Both have worked really well and stopped the redness spreading around her mouth and face .good luck

[lyndie]

DH uses Cymex which is excellent and you get from the chemist. I have no idea if it's officially ok to use in children but have used it on the DC occasionally.

[Startail]

My teen DD swears by Cymex too.

Every winter I get sent for a tube of magic yellow cream.

No idea if it's officially suitable for DCs she's binned the outer packaging. You need so little I'd not worry, but it really does work.

[Artichook]

Thanks everyone. I bought some Burt Bees Balm yesterday and we will see how we go. She loves the smell!

I may book a GP appointment too. When she was a baby she had severe cows' milk protein allergy but she grew out of it, maybe though this is a residual reaction. Also her sister has coeliacs disease so there is a pattern of allergies in the family (thanks to DH's genes...).

[hazeyjane]

Lansinoh (the cracked nipple cream!) is amazing on chapped lips and skin. A tube is about £9, but lasts forever. I use it on my lips, last thing at night, and it really works. Dh has very cracked skin on his hands, from working outdoors and he swears by it.