Atopic Cheilitis (Lick Cheilitis) - irritant dermatitis of the Lip area

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Hi,

There is a good chance I can help you since your wedding is [many months away] and we have time to work on it. Atopic means of unknown origin. So you have severe swollen lips of unknown origin and so far you have only really been treating the symptoms rather than eliminating the thing causing it. As you have had the problem for 1 year and not yet cleared it up we will need to work our way thru possible common causes and eliminate them until the problem is resolved. Fortunately this is a matter of elimination of suspect things until the problem clears up.

Step One. Protect and heal the lips.

I would use our hypo-allergenic face and body balm which is colorless and is applied as frequently as possible day and night. This will protect the lips and cheek to enable healing to speed up. The antiseptic chlorhexidine in it will prevent any lip infection. The second thing is nutrition. Zinc, vitamin B, and many other nutrients will cause your problem if they are lacking in the diet. To ensure that is not the problem you need to get a multivitamin with everything in it. I would recommend the Swisse Mens Formula Ultivite. Just take one a day.

Step Two. Find the cause and eliminate it.

Let me know of any medications you are taking either regular or herbal as some can cause Cheilitis. (oral anti-acne medications especially) If there is no improvement with the hypoallergenic balm and vitamins in 2 weeks then we need to find out if an external substance is causing the problem.

Many substances can trigger this problem such as tarter control toothpaste so change to plain old Colgate toothpaste. Mouthwashes also can cause the problem so stop using them, especially Listerine, also breath freshener sprays. Once you have eliminated these see what result happens over the next 2 weeks (continue with the balm on the lips and the vitamins)

I assume you do not play a wind instrument as occasionally sensitivity to the metal or the wood of the mouth piece can cause this problem. Please let me know if there is anything your mouth is exposed to that could trigger it. (it is not infectious or acquired from another person)

Frequent eating of oranges (not juice) or pineapples say 3 or more times a week is another possibility. These are a start so I would work thru these and most likely you will have success. There are more possible causes but these are the most common so try these first and let me know how you are going. Hopefully all will work out fine for [the end of the year].

Kind Regards,
David Hosking 23/02/09

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Introducing David's Hypoallergenic Face and Body Balm

We formulated the lavender -free balm (removed the lavender oil) for infants, babys and children with hypersensitivities. The hypoallergenic balm should work precisely the same as our Lavender Balm product, although, of course, it does not come with the lovely smell and color of the Lavender oil.

The hypo allergenic product without lavender oil conforms to the guidelines of Sue Dengate ( see; http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/) who is prominent in helping children with food additive sensitivities. These children also tend to have eczema and so the Hypoallergenic product without lavender was born after requests from a number of customers. Directions for use are exactly the same as for David's Soothing Lavender Face & Body Balm.