My wife has an uncomfortable lip condition that we can't get any advice or help with

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Over the past couple of years, my wife -- who is 48 -- has developed a sometimes painful and often uncomfortable condition on her lower lip. She describes it as dry and irritated, both on the inside of her lip and on the outside. Sometimes the skin around her lip is visibly reddened and she often chews at it involuntarily in an attempt to ease the discomfort. Sometimes it is worse than others, but it is always there and has become a big source of stress and unhappiness for her.

Not sure if it could be related somehow -- but she has a port wine birthmark on her lower jaw and cheek. She has seen a dermatologist and an NP specializing in dermatology. The dermatologist's advice was to evaluate all her creams and makeup in case they were causing the problem, but that turned out not to be the case. The NP she saw tried a few different approaches, including prescribing a steroid -- which actually relieves the symptoms, but she was cautioned to use the cream very infrequently because of negative side effects. It was posited that the condition could be a form of eczema or possibly an auto immune deficiency.

Both health care professionals were unable to solve the problem, or offer any other possibilities. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any suggestions. Should she get a third opinion? Has anyone else encountered a condition like this or know of a meaningful treatment?

I appreciate any feedback.

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2 Replies

  • Edited

    I can only offer one thing ; change her toothpaste to something very mild. There have been several instances of toothpaste causing problems like this. In the mean time get her to smother her lips in vaseline every night. If you see her chewing her lip gently stop her.

  • Posted

    dont give up keep searching for answers from doctors. sometimes it takes time to evaluate skin conditions . steroid made for the face are less potent than others for other ateas on the body. take time and patience you will find the answers once all the information from treatments have helped to evaluate this complicated condition.

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