Red/raw Skin Around Lips

I'm going through this with my 6 yrs old as we "speak". I use bacitracin ointment on her and w/in a day the redness is gone and w/in a few days she's all healed. She's been putting it on a few times a day. We go through tubes of it all winter long, but it works.

Good luck:)

you should put a chap stick on her lips so she would not lick around. Try putting Eucerin on her skin.

I would give her her own chapstick or other lip balm and let her use it herself. She might appreciate that big girl task and be more inclined to do it herself.

Here is another product highly recommended:
Burt's Bees Lip Balm, my favorite is the Pomegranate Oil one.

I love it because it works and is natural. Natural oils soak into the skin making it moisturized down through the layers of skin. Mineral oil and petrolium based products stay on top of the skin and create no lasting change or effect and may cause lasting negative health effects over time. (I am cautious and opposed to using products used to fuel my car on my skin (ie-petrolatum or petroleum). ;-)

I would also recommend drinking more water for there is no substitute for water. She may be dehydrated as well. We need water in the colder months too since the air is dryer and strips moisture from the skin faster both in doors and outdoors.

try flavored chapstick or flavored petroleum based products also maybe she needs to drink more water, my sons lips get dry during the winter months it gets so hot in the house I have to open the windows.

When my daughter had a rash from drool I used some of the lanolin cream I had left from breastfeeding. i figured it would be safe if she licked it. Also the aquafore as mentioned many times already was recommended by our ped. One thing that is important is to be sure the skin is dry before applying any petroleum based product or it will trap in the moisture and make it worse.

good luck.

My 3 yo is driving me insane with this!! I found a lip balm made from beeswax (Beacon Bees is the name of the one I use - made in Beacon, NY - but any one made from beeswax & ALL NATURAL should help - I'd avoid any chemical anything as it could be irritating her more). It helps tremendously and is SO mild that she doesn't even feel it. At night if she's had a really 'licky' day - I will put neosporin around her mouth - between the two, I'm keeping the skin breakdown at bay for the most part. I tell her to lick her teeth instead... LOL!

I had a huge problem with this when i was young. My lips and the surrounding skin would be raw literally from the bottom of my nose to the top of my chin. I looked like i have clown makeup on. It was totally ugly, affected my self-esteem, and i am convinced that it has set me up for cronic dry lips as an adult. But who knows. I could have cronicly dry lips and that's why i had so many problems as a kid. Who knows.
Regardless, i have tried every product under the sun. Only plain vaseline i think really works for prevention and mild cases. I use Clinique makeup and skin care and i have been known to put their face moisturizer or even their eye cream on my lips and seal it with vaseline before bed. It's pricey, but i have them around all the time. However that seriously burns.
When i was young and had the chapped skin, carmex worked but my favorite was always the medicated vaseline. I don't see it too often in stores so i don't know if they still make it. The ones that work all burn, but at least they work.
Eventually she'll grow out of this though. I think the licking of the chapped skin is an absent-minded childhood behavior. Within a couple of seasons i would notice the signs that it was coming again and i would use the carmex before it got too bad. But i looked unsightly and it really affected me. So i wouldn't hesitate to really be firm with her using the products, because other kids teased me about my chapped lips. I hope your daughter's case is not as bad as mine was.
My 2 year old son this year started licking his lips and i put on the carmex right away. I do not want him to deal with it!
Best of luck!

I am also prone to dry lips and skin and for me I like Carmex (I always have some kind of lip balm in my pocket)but it does sting a bit on really dry, cracked skin. I also like Burt's Bee Balm. I also have used Nipple Nurture cream on my baby (it is a plant based alternative to Lanolin for nursing). I also like the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream for for hands, feet and even lips in the winter. I would let your daughter get one (or a few) to carry with her and hopefully she can change her habit to putting on lip balm instead of liking her lips.

I had a friend who's daughter did the same thing. She would also use her sleeve to wipe her lips which made it so raw to the point of bleeding. I gave her some of my L'Occtaine shea butter and it worked wonders. I am not sure if I spelled it correctly. It seems to work better then everything else she tried. I use it on for the dry skin on my heals and it works wonders. I got mine on QVC but I know the mall has a store. Good luck!

You could try putting it on her at night after she is asleep. That way she won't even know it is on and it has a good few hours to work.

Dear E., Years ago my daughter had this problem, now her 10 year old son has the same. Back then my dentist gave me pure glycerine, it worked like magic, overnight. I'm not sure if you can get this now but you could ask at the pharmacy. You could also try zinc oxide at night and the petroleum base in the day. Hope this helps, Grandma Mary

My wife & I use Blistex lip ointment in the squeeze tube on our 6 year old girl. After only 2 days, the redness is completely gone, & doesn't mind the taste. Be careful if trying any of the flavored twist tubes like Chapstick. Many of them have colored waxes that can make the redness look even worse. They can also stain clothes like lipstick.

My mom took my son to the doctor, he prescribed Hydrocortisone 10 Gel. The important part of this is it has to be the gel, not the cream for some reason. The gel is more expensive, but doesn't burn the child. Almost ALL chapsticks, creams, neosporin, etc. burned him, except this gel, and the first remedy that I tried before the doctor visit, Nivea's lip chapstick- comes in a blue tube and you can also get it in a 2 for 1- it works, and doesn't burn. The hard part is getting him to stop licking his lip, we tried video game rewards, but it only works temporarily. He started this 2 weeks after kindergarted started.

My 7 yr old son has the same problem and I use hydrocortizone anti-itch cream 1%. They sell it at any pharmacy and you don't need prescription it really helps to heal the skin and he uses once a day before bed. I hope it helps.

My son has had the same problem over the years. Last year it got so bad that his chapped lips bled! I tried some A&D Ointment, and put it on his lips every night before he went to bed (so he slept with it on and didn't notice it or complain about it) and it really worked! Another option would be Aquaphor ointment. You can also try putting the ointment on her before she goes to school in the morning, but she will probably lick it off during the day. But if you are diligent and put it on every night too, it should eventually clear things up.

Good luck!

S. R.

Aquaphor for any skin issues and works fast.

Hi E.,
Oh boy, am I in the same boat as you. My son is almost 4 and when the weather turns cold, the licking begins. What I do is put Aquaphor on his lips and around his mouth each night after bath, right before bed. Typically, the dryness is a thousand times better by morning. Aquaphor is made for lips, face, etc. so no worries about some getting into the mouth. It still hurts her because it's so dry. A couple nights in a row and it won't hurt anymore. Carmex is good, but it can burn on really dry lips. Good luck and know you're not alone :o)

we have the same issue! i have used calendula oil, vitamin E and aloe. when we went to the dermatologist, she recommended CeraVe moisturizer.

When her lips are that chapped, anything will burn, but petroleum based is probably the least offensive. Try getting her one with a really nice scent. Maybe she'll enjoy that more. And make sure to slobber it on before bedtime, when she won't be licking them. Skin does most of its healing overnight anyway.

My now 14 year old son has struggled with this since he is little - I would often describe him as having a "clown mouth" when it was in full red bloom. When he was in grade school I would sneak in after he went to sleep and put Neosporin around his lips which was magical. During his waking hours, aquaphor was (and is) fabulous. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to give all of my kids lip balm of assorted types but they quickly lose them.

You could buy your daughter one of those lip balms that I have seen recently that comes on a key chain so it can attach to her back pack. I would advise you to stay away from the little pot versions because of the potential "dipping" of dirty little fingers.

try calendul can get at health food store or pharmacy and put on when sleeping. did wonders for sons diaper rash adn it is healing not just a barrier aslo dant hurt to try pure aloe vera sell leaf at shop rite for 2 dollars and lasts forever. seems to help and heal a ton of things and if she licks it in sleep it is safe. buy together fancy girl lip balm in maybe acute container at claires that she can apply like mommy to help keep moist during day and tell her if she lick it it wil come off. good luck!

Hi E.,

I had/have the same problem with 2 of my children; daughter, 16, though not as much lately, and my son almost 9.

I used to use vaseline to keep it moist. It worked well, but my daughter likes some 'flavor' to her chapstick. I have been using Carmex since I was a teen and began buying her some of her own. She uses it a couple times a day to keep from getting that bad anymore - she hasnt had it that bad in about 3 years. Sometimes it has to burn a little, but only because of how sore it gets - you need to do something to make it better, unfortunately, some remedies may be uncomfortable.

My son, however, never remembers to use his Carmex until its too late. Then I have to remind him a couple times a night; before school, after school, after dinner and before bed.

I try to be sure all of my kids have their own chapstick - and at least 2 to each of them; one in every coat and 1 in their book bag/purse. And remind them not to share with their friends.

I also started using it on my little ones cheeks when they go outside. It keeps them from getting chapped also.

Chapstick brand also works, but seems a bit 'waxy' and nobody in my home likes it. Blistex is strong so we dont use it often. Carmex comes in a little canister, a squeeze tube and a twist up tube. Its not too strong, has a nice scent/'flavor' - its our favorite and it doesnt hurt.

Hope you can find something that works well for your daughter.

try organic rose hip seed oil. It is a miracle for things like eczema, diaper rash and severe dry skin. It's ok for your daughter to ingest it if she keeps licking. I get mine at norabloom.com. Don't balk at the price, it is well worth it and it only takes a drop or 2 so it lasts for a long time. Seriously, it is amazing how well it works.

Would she feel like a 'grown up big girl' if she applied her own tube(s) of CHAP STICK, in the different flavors available?

We are having this problem with our three-year-old, although it hasn't gotten infected (yet). She also says that just about everything burns.

May sound terrible, I have basically started tricking her that I am cleaning her chin with a washcloth when what I am actually doing is using the washcloth to apply some Aquaphor ointment (comes in a tub, consistency is a lot like Vaseline). She didn't like the Vaseline (or at least she said she didn't), but she hasn't complained about the Aquaphor yet.

It's not cheap, but if your daughter hates it, you can always use it on your own chapped winter skin (hands, even lips).

Also, as a distraction (I don't know if it would work with an 8-year-old, but my 3-year-old likes it), make a little ice pack to apply immediately after applying whatever ointment/medicine you put on her chin. It will take some of the sting out and keep her occupied.

Good luck!

I love Melaleuca's Renew lotion. I usually use it on my hands and legs and haven't had my fingers crack from dry skin in many years.

My neighbor's little girl had a rash on her cheeks that would sting all lotions and creams. I gave her the Renew and the kid said, "Can I have more?"

Melaleuca is a mail-order company, and I was a member for YEARS strictly because of the Renew. (They also make household cleaning products w/o phosphates or harsh chemicals, from Windex to Scrubbing Bubbles to Tide alternatives.)

Good luck!

Use plain vasoline during the day and at night AFTER she is asleep apply zinc oxide ointment gently on the chapped skin. She wont realize its there and it will NOT burn. You cant use it during the day because it stays white. Does your daughter lick her lips when stressed? Its a habit like nail biting and hard to break. Perhaps give her an alternative, like a stress ball.