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Help! I have very bad chapped lips.....

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eks6426

eks6426

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 19, 2004
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2,011
I got braces back in April and I have had chapped lips ever since. It was tolerable in the summer when the air was moist, but now that it is drier they really hurt. Drier lips=more canker sores. I use vaseline, Burts Bees, Blistex & Clinique lip gloss daily but nothing seems to help. I probably put one of those 4 things on every 1/2 hour or more.

Does anybody know of anything that really helps chapped lips? My lips are so dry they have lots of cracked lines.
 
Have you tried Carmex. It comes in a yellow "pot" with a red top and I always loved using it. I think they also make it in tube form now.
 
I suggest you see a doctor. A friend of mine had this happen to her, and all that over-the-counter stuff actually was making it worse! The doctor gave her some prescription balm, and it totally worked for her.
 
As low-tech as it is, I swear by the Chapstick Lipmoisturizer! It has SPF 15, Aloe & Vitamin E and is super good to my formerly-chapped-all-the-time lips! The tube is blue & white and says LipMoisturizer on it, and is sold at most drug stores near the regular chapstick.
 
Pure shea butter works great. L''Occitane sells little round tubs of it and I think Sephora carries them too. Also, you need to exfoliate your lips occasionally too just to make sure you can get the moisture in. a little scrub with some exfoliating scrub and a washcloth should do it, but there are several products on the market for this purpose. Mary Kay Satin Lips is one of the best.
 
drink lots of water!
also try lanolin. you can find it in the baby section at target.
 
Sorry to hear about your poor lips, IslandDreams. Have you tried a little triple antibiotic ointment yet?
 
I agree that you should go see a doctor. I know you said you used Blistex... but the Herbal Answer Blistex works REALLY well, it''s in a green chapstick tube. Also, I know this sounds weird, but don''t lick your lip when they are chapped because it makes them even drier. Hope your lips feel better soon!

Marisa
 
Hey Island Dreams!

I have the solution for you! Hurray!
When I was in college I took Accutane for acne.
It worked wonders, but the consequence was severly chapped and peeling lips and skin.

THE SOLUTION: Aquaphor

It''s made my Eucerin and used to only be available by perscription. Now you can get it over the counter.
It is clear, frangrance and taste free. It works wonders and your lips don''t become addicted like they do to other products. It is glossy too, so it''s like wearing a clear lip gloss.

You''ll find it at any pharmacy usually next to the vaseline products. I think a tube is about $6-$10 and you can get it in tubs for close t $20. But it''s worth it! It lasts a long time too.
emwink.gif


Good luck!
Janna
 
I had this EXACT problem about a month ago. My lips were bright red and swollen, they itched and were sore, I had all the nasty peeling lip skin, etc. I was using Carmex about every hour, which seemed to make it worse, then I tried some lip balm and lip exfoliant I have from B&BW (My Favorite Lip Balm and the sugar scrub thing) and that didn''t help either. What worked for me is Mary Kay''s Satin Lips set. I used the lip mask and slathered on the lip balm before bed, and then used the lip mask and balm again the next morning, and my lips were back to their normal size, feel, and color THAT MORNING.
 
HI sorry to hear you are having this problem...ine thing that should help it to stay well hydated...water, water and more water...

Also I would not use triple antibiotic on you lips without a healthcare providers okay...the combo of antibiotics may be cause irriation and make your problem...

You should see your dentist or doctor for the proper treatment for you...

ETA: If basic Chapstick-like or lipstick-like things don't work...Antibiotics are inappropriate to treat canker sores..

Best of luck
 
I second the idea of seeing the doctor re: canker sores and what not, but otherwise Mary Kay Satin Lips all the way. It's wonderful! The mask is a great exfoliator and the moisturizer balm really soaks in and keeps your lips moist. You can also use the moisturizer balm all day too, not just after exfoliating with the mask.

Also, I love Softlips. Comes in a bunch of nifty flavors too. It tingles when your lips are dry or chapped. You can also use it as an exfoliator by heavily applying it, waiting a few minutes, and wiping it off with a cloth. It softens all of those cells so it's an easy (and cheaper) way to rid your lips of the dead skin cells. Good luck!

ETA: I like these two because they're not too waxy, but that may be a personal preference. =)
 
Hi I just re-read your post...if you have ''canker sores'' you need to be seen and appropriate treatment prescribed...such as a topical anti-viral

Best of luck
 
Date: 10/18/2006 1:27:48 PM
Author: scarlet16
Have you tried Carmex. It comes in a yellow ''pot'' with a red top and I always loved using it. I think they also make it in tube form now.
Click to expand...
I second the Carmex... I get bad chapped lips too (although not quite to the extent of yours!) and that has always been my saving grace. Not the most delicious taste, but it''s effective.

I can second the Aquaphor too... that stuff is useful for a million different things... definitely worth giving it a try!
 
You need to be very careful about using medicated balms like carmex. they can actually do the opposite of what you need and dry your lips, the camphor and menthol in them can be drying. I would do an exfoliating treament gently with a soft toothbrush (childs) to remove surface flakes and then IMMEDIATELTY slather on an emollient lip product or aquaphor...do it a couple times a day and you should see results. My friend got addicted to using carmex and it messed up her mouth so use it sparingly if you must use it...
 
PS do you mean cold sores or cankers? cankers are ulcers inside the mouth and you can swish warm salt water in your mouth and use over the counter glyoxide to treat those, cankers are different and there are medicines I think both RX and OTC you can put on them...
 
Thank you everyone for your advice.

I have canker sores INSIDE my mouth from my rubbing on the braces. I am grateful that I do not get cold sores. The dry lips cause more canker sores because my lips get stuck on my braces.....Even worse, I now have rubberbands on my braces that go from 2 teeth on the bottom to my canine tooth on top...sort of a triangle configuration on each side. My dry lips catch on the rubberbands all the time and OUCH!

I have an appointment with a dermatologist in November so I will definitely ask about the dry lip problem then. Meanwhile, I will be checking out some of your suggestions. I might just try them all :)
 
When I got sores in my mouth from braces, I dabbed alum (from the spice aisle) on them. It burned, but they healed really fast. My orthodontist taught me this trick. Definitely get those lips moisturized!!! You don''t want them getting hung on the braces. Have you tried putting wax on the metal to give you a little space?

oh, I did rubber band triangles for a few months... you have my sympathies!
 
Date: 10/19/2006 8:23:03 AM
Author: diamondfan
You need to be very careful about using medicated balms like carmex. they can actually do the opposite of what you need and dry your lips, the camphor and menthol in them can be drying.
Click to expand...

This is my experience as well. Carmex made my lips drier and more chapped this time.

I agree with sumbride - braces wax is a life saver!

Random: apparently Aquafor is MUCH better than Desitin for diaper rash. I have some friends with a newborn.
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I have heard that carmex is no good because camphor the ingredient that causes that tingly feeling actually is drying out your lips more and making you want to use more carmex.. its like an addiction thing..That tingly isn''t really HELPING.. it just makes you THINK its doing something.. So I''d assume all the tingly ones are bad (softlips, blistex.etc)

Lip balms I like

Wet Your Whistle shea butter lip balm from Bath and Body Work

Avon''s good lip balm.. I forget what its called by mom has used it since I was little and she just gave me some for christmas last year.. I love it.. Is it called Care Deeply or is that lotion? lol.. I''m not much help

If you have cracking or bleeding use neosporin cream..
 
Oh and for canker sores INSIDE the mouth.. I discovered this wonderful wonderful stuff called Peroxyl by the makers of colgate.. Its basically just flavored peroxide that your rinse your mouth with.. but it REALLY REALLY helps canker sores, especially if you use it right when they start and keep using it.. It gets all the nasty stuff out of them.. I had tried a lot of other things.. including this "regimen" that I bought from the internet that was supposed to be a cure all of like 4 different products and they didn''t do ANYTHING compared to how good peroxyl is..

I did see that you said you DON''T have cold sores.. but for anyone who does.. DEFINITELY get an anti-viral cream from your Dr.. I suffered for years with awful ones then I discovered denavir.. I LOOOOVE it.. cuts the healing time in half and sometimes it makes them not even come out all the way.. and the last one I had it did come out, but only minor.. and most people couldn''t even notice it..

Hmm. I have a lot of mouth issues apparently.
 
Date: 10/19/2006 10:38:13 AM
Author: sumbride
When I got sores in my mouth from braces, I dabbed alum (from the spice aisle) on them. It burned, but they healed really fast. My orthodontist taught me this trick. Definitely get those lips moisturized!!! You don''t want them getting hung on the braces. Have you tried putting wax on the metal to give you a little space?

oh, I did rubber band triangles for a few months... you have my sympathies!
Click to expand...
I second the Alum. I would dip a q-tip in water, then in the Alum and hold it on the sore. Yeah, it burns, but really speeds up the healing. I would do this several times a day, the sores healed in about 2 days for me.
 
Ok, and the winner to solve the chap lipped problem is.....

Jorman with her suggestion of Aquaphor. Thank you so much. That stuff is amazing. I still can''t figure out why it is different than the regular vaseline I''d been using but it works. I will definitely be asking my dermatologist for some samples that are more purse size than the big tube but at least my lips aren''t killing me.

Also, exfoliating with the toothbrush has helped too..thanks diamondfan.
 
Hurray!
I am so glad you found something that works!
Your dermatologist should have some small sample sizes for sure!
I don''t know why it works either, but it rocks!
 
Ugh, I remember having a hard time with braces too. I''m glad you found something that works for you! I had a lipbalm I adored, but for some reason I can''t remember the name right now...
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Yay! I''m glad something worked for your hurting lips ID! What I learned from a nursing student/friend is that Aquafor is basically vaseline with some aloe in it.
 
Date: 10/28/2006 6:42:52 PM
Author: JCJD
Yay! I''m glad something worked for your hurting lips ID! What I learned from a nursing student/friend is that Aquafor is basically vaseline with some aloe in it.
Click to expand...
Sort of -it does have petroleum in it like vaseline petroleum jelly. No aloe though. Does have lanolin.
 
Ok, this stuff is a bit embarassing to buy.. but I swear it''ll help. It''s this purple tube of nipple cream in the baby section for nursing mothers. The main and pretty much only ingredient is pure, medical grade lanolin. Also I''ve found that putting lip balm (or nipple cream in this case
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) on my lips as the very last thing before I turn out my lights to sleep really helps with the healing process.
 
vaseline seals, so it helps if you put on moisture and then seal it with vaseline. Vaseline does not moisturize in and of itself...but aquaphor seems to do more than just plain vaseline.
 
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