Are my lips basically ruined?! 😫

[Smutternutmosh]

Hi,

So possibly a slightly dramatic title, but my lips are soooo dry all the time!

They've been like this since I was a young teenager. Basically since I started slapping on the lip balms...but constantly! The more I used, the more I needed it and I honestly think it's ruined my lips. I'm now late 30's 😬

They're not just dry. They have this constant cycle of thick, dry skin, peeling off, then back to cratery dry skin again. Nice 👍

It doesn't matter what kind of lip balms, treatments I use. I've even tried that nipple cream (name escapes me) and I know that's very popular on here as a lip conditioner, but it just didn't really do anything. I do wear lipstick everyday, which probably isn't helping, but I feel a bit naked and plain without it. I always wear lip balm underneath though.

Any other magic suggestions? It really is driving me mad!

TIA 😊

Blistex relief cream. £3 odd.
It's brilliant. Also, drink plenty of water. It sounds obvious but it works!!

Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far!

I see the nipple cream has been mentioned again 😂 Maybe I should try it again.

I actually have started using the HL hyaluronic acid on my lips (when damp) but not very often. I did it this morning actually and whereas my lips still did the usual dry over very quickly, it did peel off (sorry!) quite easily and the skin underneath wasn't sore, so maybe I should do it daily rather than once in a while.

Also, will try drinking more water. I probably don't drink enough tbf.

OP this happened to me and I eventually got so frustrated with the discomfort I saw the GP. He prescribed a steroid and antibiotic cream. Went within a couple of days and I've never had the same problem again. You may well have a skin infection.

I agree about ditching the products, especially the lipstick. Try using nothing at all for a week and see what happens.

Blisteze is good the one in the metal tube “relief cream” and also Blistex in the small plastic tube “intensive moisturiser”.

But I really think you should try using nothing for a bit just in case it’s a reaction.

Longer term I would try to shift away from lipstick to a tinted balm for daily wear. I like the Burts Bees tinted balms which are protective and natural.

Oh and I'm currently using the Burts Bees - the minty one. I really liked it to start with, but the effects seem to have worn off now.

Looks like I should start ditching the balms altogether!

Lanolips every time.You can get it in tinted colours too so no need for lipstick as well.

I found my lips got 'addicted' to many lip balms, the only safe one for me is Vaseline.

I’d stop applying anything including lip balms, lipstick etc and allow them to recover.

are you drinking enough water and eating a diet rich in oily fish/nutrients that promote good skin health? Health comes from the inside and lip balm is not a requirement just a marketing tool

I walk my dogs twice daily in all weathers, and had the worst chapped sore lips last year. Someone recommended Elizabeth Arden 8 hr lip balm (in the small glass pot) and I've never looked back. And believe me, I had a drawer full of stuff I'd tried before.

A lot of balms contain fragrance and irritants that aren’t going to be good for you.

the job of a lot of the balms is to create a barrier to retain the moisture you naturally have in your skin/lips. If you’re lacking in internal hydration, there’s not much to lock in. So water intake is very important, and then something like Vaseline overnight is creating a barrier.

do you lick your lips? I know I do as a habit, and it’s very drying.

O'Keefes lip balm for me. It's miracle stuff. I also bought a tube for a friend whose lips were so sore and cracked they were bleeding. They were transformed overnight with this product.

Its the Lipstick drying out your lips not the lip balm. If you must use it can you try a tinted lip balm or a lip gloss?

Trumpet player here – we know a bit about looking after our lips! Don't use lip balms. At all. Ever. They are terrible for lips. All brass players know this.

Go cold turkey on all products - including lipstick. Just ensure whatever facial moisturiser you use goes on your lips.

And hydrate. Thorough and regularly.

Once your lips have recovered then you can go back to the lipstick. But you're not going to get anywhere if you keep piling different products on.

Blistex intensive moisturiser is the only one that works for me. The greasy ones just feel like they sit on top.

Well, it did seem to work for him! 😂😂

I had this and it was a fungal infection like thrush. Caused very sore lips and cracks in the corners of my mouth. Couple of days of canesten cream and I was much better.

Angular chelitis - publicdocuments.sth.nhs.uk/pil2642.pdf

This. I don't use lip balm or hand cream but when I have the more I use them the more I have to use them.
When my lips get sore from a cold I use nivea.

Nivea in the little round blue pot, not the lip balm.

My dentist told me not to use Vaseline if my lips were already dry. His brother is a dermatologist and Vaseline locks in moisture but doesn't provide it - so if your lips are already dry, Vaseline does nothing.

Gentle exfoliate with a toothbrush - apply Vaseline.
see gp if above doesn’t work.

Is it possible you have psoriasis or eczema and this is the area of the flare up.

I do, and I get small flare ups on odd parts of the body these days. Years gone by it would be in the obvious areas, wrist, inside of elbow etc. Now its one spot behind my ear and random places like that.

I would stop putting any lip marketed products on, not nipple cream or anything similar. My skin is ok with vaseline, but not everyone is the same and you may be using something that is causing this reaction.

Go back to basic, maybe start with vaseline and see if that helps. Otherwise a gp visit may be in order to get a steroid type cream.

Only three things work on my lips: Lush lip balms that have a beeswax basis, another beeswax based thing which used to come in a brown jar from waitrose and was basically a hand balm, and medicated products for eczema.

So basically, either properly prescribed skin stuff or mostly-beeswax things (not crappy lotions that purport to have met a bee once).

How's the rest of your skin?

Go cold Turkey. I never use lip balms, never have dry or cracked lips, even in winter. As PPs say, you can become dependant on them. Also if you lick them a lot, stop as it dries them out more.

I was just about to say that you may have a condition called cheilitis, but see that @HufflepuffRavenclaw beat me to it! Treatment is available (if you can get an appointment to see a GP!) but keep the area clean and dry and if possible avoid sun and wind. Good luck and hope it clears up for you soon.