By Dr Neil Persadsingh,
Skin Specialist
Janet looked in the mirror; her lips were swollen, crusted, fissured and dry. Gingerly she touched them with her fingers. She wondered how she would face the world.
Cheilitis refers to an inflammation of the lips. The lips do not have any sweat glands nor any oil glands. And saliva is very irritant to the human skin.
The most common cause of a cheilitis (inflammation of the lips) is the habit of licking the lips.
When we lick our lips we find some temporary relief, but this soon fades as the water in the saliva evaporates and the concentrated saliva irritates the lips. We lick the lips again and again, and more saliva is deposited on the lips. This leads to an irritant type of dermatitis.
The cure consists of treating the patient with steroids in a special base, such as Kenalog in Orabase, and we must insist that the patient stop licking her lips. A lip balm should also be applied to the lips.