Hi doctor, I am a 27-year-old, 5 foot, and relatively an athletic female. I have been suffering from some pretty severe chapped lips. I realized this was common because of the cold weather and dry heat from the furnace, so I was treating them with a two-step process with intensive lip moistener. About a month ago, I realized my lips started to feel different. It feels like there is just a very thin layer of skin on them. They feel odd or numb when I touch them, and they are extremely chapped. After looking online, I put Aquaphor during the day and Hydrocortisone cream at night. I stopped that last week because my lips seem worse. They are not peeling at all, but they look cracked and get very dry. They also throb throughout the entire day and are swollen. Nothing has helped, and I am starting to get concerned. I worry that I possibly over-treated and burnt the first layer of skin of my lips (if that is possible). I started running around the time my lips got chapped but I have taken a week off, and nothing changed with my lips. My diet has not changed. I try to stay hydrated (I drink around 50-60 ounces per day). I am on 10 mg Adderal once daily. Please help.
Hi. Chapped or cracked lips is usually a common complaint in winters. From your clinical image (attachment removed to protect patient identity), your lip cracking does appear significant. Applying Vaseline and moisturizer are good remedy options. But given recurrences, you need to consider food allergies and repeated lip licking. Kindly mention if you have a habit repeated lip licking, have been noting an exacerbation following intake of certain foods, and if you have been applying any other creams. Continue Vaseline and intensive moisturiser as previous.