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 😊

Only use vaseline and stop with the lipsticks, to see how they heal.

lip balm also makes my lips dry! Slap sudacrem on them before bed and stop using lip balm.

There's a known cycle with lip balms. You aren't alone.

Aquaphor helped me, also pure lanolin.

Another vote for Blistex - it is magic!

Also this. The dr recommended it. It's in purple packaging and they sell it in Superdrug and Waitrose. It's amazing stuff

Try o'keeffes lip repair cooling stick. Game changer!

Sensodyne is SLS free too

This sounds grim, but try animal fats rather than vegetable fats (cocoa butter, vegetable oils) and always avoid petrochemicals (vaseline) - I often wonder if people know how it's made?

Actual butter can work well - it stopped my reliance on lipbalms - lansinoh can fix loads of things (unless you have a lanolin allergy). Neatsfoot oil (used on leather) is great on hands, haven't tried it on lips.

I've put irritation down to allergic reactions to lip balm, I only use absolutely plain one-ingredient Vaseline in the blue tin and it's much better.

The Burt's Bees lip balm gave me cracked lips! I used it for a couple of weeks and got the worst dryness ever, right to the outer edges of my lips and not just the usual place. It was actually scaly feeling when I rubbed my lips together. It took me a while to realise and then when I stopped using Burt's Bees it immediately went away. Lots of people love their lip stuff but for some reason it was awful for me.

I now use Blisteze and only overnight usually which is all I need to keep the dryness away. DS2 also has dry lips and I use Eucerin on him which seems to work well for him.

None of the balms work for me - too thick to penetrate the dryness

The only fail safe one is Blistex relief cream - cannot be beaten!

I've had similar before, swollen red lips with visible flakes. GP diagnosed a fungal infection and prescribed treatment which cleared it up. He also said to apply an emollient before lip balm when very dry - double base gel. It did the trick.

I would see your GP first as it could be fungal/eczema/psoriasis and may need medication.

Maybe your lips have become too reliant on the balms? Or it’s an allergy. I have insanely sensitive skin, even on my lips. I can’t use many lip balms. The one that gives me no reaction at all is Superdrug own brand lip balm. It’s in a blue tube and is about 99p. I used to do well with Clinique lip balm too (the silver tube) but it’s so expensive! Superdrug is just as good, maybe better!

I use lip balm constantly (I'm probably addicted but too old to care) and have done for the last 40+ years. I almost hyper-ventilate if I'm out and realise I don't have lip balm with me (I'll buy one immediately on the rare occasion I don't have one in my bag/pocket).

However, I've never had the dryness you're talking about OP. I suspect, as others have said, the issue is that you're dehydrated so you're effectively sealing the dryness in by using lip balm. And then lipstick on top (which is often quite drying) only makes it worse.

I drink approx 2.5 litres of water daily (or more when exercising).

Give your lips a break. Drink more water, exfoliate your lips (just rubbing gently with a dry flannel will help), use Blistex for a couple of days and then use a moisturising lip balm or oil once your lips are in better condition. Use a coloured balm instead of lipstick if that's too cold turkey. I use tinted Hourglass Lip Oil and get tons of compliments.

Most importantly, drink more water!! It's good for you (not just your lips!).

My mum has similar but in her case it was an allergy.

This is probably worth checking out or other mentioned conditions.

Lansinoh nipple -is lanolin (wool related) is something DS is allergic to - not anaphylactic shock allergy but hives and sore skin and and his eczema much worse and it was in a lot of the prescribed creams.

Try coconut oil in the evening before bed. It's a cure-all!

THIS. I have little tubes of blisteze all over the place, in every pocket, in the car. Can’t live without. Nothing else touches the sides.

I can suggest what works for me and what I recommend to my friends:

AMELIORATE Intensive Lip Treatment - this is a game changer for me, I use it at night.

Eucerin acute lip balm ( comes in a squeezy tube) - I use this during the day

Paula's Choice Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide Lip Booster - I use this at night and day depending on how bad my lips are.
😊

Did has this and we put sudocrem on this at night then Vaseline over the day.

This was exactly how my lips were before lockdown. During lockdown I had my first baby and was terrified so even when I could leave the house I didn't and would leave parcels that were delivered at least two weeks before opening them (yes, I had PPA)... so inevitably I ran out of lip balm/was so sleep deprived and anxious that I didn't notice until it was all gone. Now my lips are only cracked when I'm severely dehydrated and unwell - the rest of the time I don't use any lip products at all and my lips are so soft.

If I ever put anything on my lips its Weleda skin food and that's if I'm going out in the lashing cold/wind and I put it all over my face. Might be worth a try? Lansinoh just made me feel unwell with how greasy it is so I never liked that

I had this to the extent the skin around my lips was also getting sore and peeling. My doctor prescribed very thin layers of hydrocortisone cream which cleared it up nicely.

I have a really bad intolerance to nearly all toothpastes. My lips shrivel up and become so dry and sore. I’m 41 now and have had this problem since being a teenage.
I now make my own lip balms from the kits you can buy from “Sweet Cecily”. I love them so much and they’re the only lip balms that really soothe my lips and keep moist all day. All natural ingredients too - no nasty stuff. It’s weird I actually had a box delivered yesterday and made them this morning - then saw this post. The 5 tins I’ve made will probably last me a year at the least.

lol 😁 just don’t think about Harry or Diana when applying it (although at least it’s not your nether regions).

Good luck getting the right solution, it sounds very sore and miserable 🫦

Go to a dermatologist