Recurring Lip Infection, not just chapped but worse

Thank you for posting that! I've wondered if it was fungal but my tried-true didn't work on it.. I will try that next time I have an outbreak though.I just got through another outbreak, but I am VERY happy to report I kicked it's butt with the little green Lysine tube! Sleep with it on and every morning you wake up feeling better.

This time, it started off with a little white , like dry skin, around my lip where the outbreak eventually occured a couple days later. The little tiny bumps started to get worse and go along my bottom lip line, and eventually I had a big spot of dark red.. IT ALWAYS ITCHES LIKE CRAZY. It spread to the tip of my nose, and that spot is still read, but it's going away. I chose a costume with heavy makeup for Halloween so I could cover up the red ugliness. But - I encourage EVERYONE to try the Lysine in the little green/white tube. It is incredible. I got to skip over the worst of the dry/flaky skin and tight burning lips, with cracks on the sides. THere was a hint of that, but because I kept the Lysine on it at all times, it REALLY cut back on the time of the outbreak. Now I'm in healing mode and I still keep it on every night, and every morning it's MUCH better! Almost back to normal now, and feeling good enough to kiss my man.

I used to think Herpecin L was where it was at, but now that stuff just stings and I think it has petroleum, so I only use that if I go out in the sun for sunscreen. TRY THE LYSINE. It's $6-$7 for a tiny tube, but you won't regret it. (and buy a couple bottles. They're little.) A little goes a long way.

I have a similar problem. For no discernable reason my lips will break out. Always begins with a small red spot on one small area of either top or bottom lip and gradually spreads to almost all over my lips. Itches like crazy, is crusty (yellow crust), a tad weepy (the weepiness hasn't been so bad lately), recently my lips also feel tight and hurt to smile. They will look pretty normal but feel awful. I've tried allergy tablets from the drug store, cortizone, muiprocin (from the doctor), and just this most recent time tried an antifungal called miconozole I think from a yeast infection treatment kit from the drugstore. I first had something like this at age 21, doctor had no idea but gave me cortisone cream for itching and Muiprocin. That seemed to work after a week or two. Didn't come back until summer aged 22, used same stuff and it went away after a week or two. Then this year, age 24, I've been having problems off and on for probably 6 months. In the beginning Carmex seemed to cure it overnight as soon as I noticed a spot. Doctor thought it was herpes (looks nothing like herpes pics tho) and when she saw me again during an outbreak this month she didn't think it was herpes but had no idea what it was and prescribed not affordable herpes cream just to see if it helped but I couldn't afford it. I tried the antifungal cream which seemed to make a difference almost immediately with it all being gone after about a week of use. I had two weeks or normal lips and it's back again :'(. Used antifungal cream immediately but it's still progressing to almost all over my lips. Have a dermatologist appointment next week but not feeling too hopeful since no one can ever get a straight answer and definite diagnosis. I can't believe how often it happens now. I've had no diet changes, only known food allergy is to bananas but i can use latex just fine, i never use any lip product but carmex or aquaphor (any other lip product seems to make this begin, like its an allergy), this happens in times of stress or complete calm, summer and winter, and I am indoors 97% of the time. Someone please help :'(. It feels awful and is so annoying. My doctor says all my blood tests show I am the picture of good health, healthy weight, I could do better at eating fruit and vegetables but I don't eat fast food much. I just don't understand why this happens or how to cure it. I don't think it's a toothpaste allergy. Someone help me?

It is a staph infection of the lips. I had the same problem a few years ago with swollen, cracked lips, sometimes weeping, sometimes yellow and crusty, and all the Doctors said it was nothing and just to use lanolin etc... I finally had a doctor who did a swab and scraping of my lips and it came back positive with a staph infection. Antibiotics cleared it up. My recommendation is to make your Doctor do a swab for staph infection (or scaping or both). My Doctors tried to tell me I was Vitamin B deficient initially, but it never went away.

I have experienced something similar, but on my fingers and wrists. Little bubbles would form on the outside of my thumbs. When I would pop them, there was nothing in them, just air it seems, but then they would turn into dry, cracked, itchy patches of skin that no lotion would help. Personally, I found that this was a direct result of my sugar consumption. When I would cut off the sugary stuff completely, then it would finally start to heal. I figure it has something to do with a fungal infection, because fungus lives on sugar, or maybe it's a hormonal imbalance agitated by the sugar. I also get the itchy dry lips in December every year, which I never got until I shared a chapstick a few years ago with my niece, who also had the red, cracked, itchy lips. This all leads me to believe it's some kind of fungal or bacterial infection.

As an update: I had a regular dentist appointment and the dentist didn't know what it was. She got me an appt with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who didn't know what it was but gave me a steroid cream. He even consulted with other doctors in the office and medical books and nobody knew what it was. Steroid cream seemed to help and my lips were better about 2 days later but I'm not positive they didn't just clear up on their own and steroid cream was just used at the same time. Saw a dermatologist but by that time my lips were healthy and she told me to come back when they're bad. Gave me a list of possible food allergy causes, one of which is wintergreen gum and I did eat a lot of gum this summer. Curious but worried to try gum again. She also said a steroid cream is what she would've prescribed and that it sounds like an allergy. I've also wondered if it is caused or at least made worse by sugar. For no definite reason I've had healthy lips for about 3 weeks or so now.

I am responding to my own post because I really want all suffering from this to know that I have not been bothered by this condition since I posted this 10 months ago! APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!! That along with an external yeast cream at night. Please try it!

Please try apple cider vinegar. Put it on a cotton ball and rub it on your lips when they are weeping. Yes, it burns briefly but its tolerable. it also feels kind of good as it dries the weeping. Do this about 3 times a day and use your external anti fungal, especially at bedtime. Do this every time you have a breakout with your lips and you will see that they break out less and less often and the breakouts will be less severe. Eventually, they will cease altogether. I had the breakouts for about a year and they were miserable! they were coming more & more often and becoming more severe. I found this forum and after reading some responses i treated my breakouts as yeast and did the regimen I am giving you. I've been 10 months with no problems, other than everyday average dry lips. Try the regimen. It certainly can't hurt! Good luck.

Can you please update us with how your meds worked.... Thanks :)

I see that most of these post are a little older, but am having the same problem as most of you and wanted to share/get advice. I have been dealing with this issue for 3 months now. The red, swollen, sometimes bumpy, sometimes wet/weeping lips are always sore, always very chapped feeling. At times all symptoms will go away for a 2-3 days other than the very chapped feeling, and people will say they think I am crazy because at that time my lips may look totally normal. Since the middle of October my lips have not been normal at all. I have gone to the doctor twice now, and am returning for a 3rd visit this afternoon. My doctor said there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with my lips but did a few allergy tests, and ran something to see if I was lacking any vitamins. I am allergic to garlic, which I already knew and does not seem to bother my lips and I have a B-12 deficiency. I have started a new regimen including heavy B-12 supplements but I do not personally believe this has anything to do with an allergy or vitamin issue. Benedryll and cortisone cream do not help at all. Recently I have started wiping my lips with a cotton ball soaked in apple cider vinegar as it kills fungus spores and bacteria. At the time I started this my lips were in a weeping stage and it cleared it up within a few hours. It hurt very badly at first, but kind of in a good way as you can tell the vinegar was “eating” something away. I also started using a triple antibiotic ointment applied heavily, mixed with a few dabs of aquaphor and the redness is almost totally gone – however I cannot go more than an hour without re-applying aquaphor as the dryness is still insane and my lips still are still very tight. I think the issue could have something to do with a fungus and am going to ask the doctor today to give me Nystatin cream. Also, I have thrown away all lip balms and chap stick that I have used at all during this process and am only applying aquaphor with a clean q-tip each time – to eliminate the chance of bringing in old bacteria or fungus. Crossing my fingers and will post an update soon.

I am replying to my own post from yesterday. I went to the doctor yesterday and saw a random GP since my regular had no appointments available and said my lips “looked fine” the first time I saw her for the condition. This doctor listened and looked baffled as I explained the rollercoaster I have been on due to my lips for the last 3 months. She read over all of the documents I had taken in showing posts from others dealing with the same issue. She said she was not exactly sure what the deal was, but that the symptoms could be a result from fungus infection or a staph infection (impetigo), both of which are common in the mouth however not necessarily on your lips. The doctor gave me medicine to treat both in the event that one didn’t work. She advised to use the medication for a fungal infection first, as it would be more common and mentioned that I would have probably had a sore throat if there was a staph infection. I was prescribed a topical Nystatin Gel to be used 2-3 times a day for 3 weeks and Muprocin for Impetigo.
I have used the Nystatin gel 3 times now (which feels just like vasaline or aquaphor and is moisturizing) and I can already feel a huge difference! I will continue Nystatin for the next 3 weeks, and plan to start a regimen of probiotics to get rid of as many other fungi as possible. My advice to all is to stop trying to fight this on your own with natural products. Go to the doctor! Print copies of these posts to show your doctor that there are several others with the same condition – you didn’t make it up. Ask for Nystatin! Good luck.

Wondering if your doctor figured out the correct medication?

I had the exact same symptoms and the first thing my doctor did was a heroines test but it came back negative from what I have been ready it sounds like we all have a type of staph infection

Thank goodness others have this problem!

After reading all the replys I raided the medicine cabinet and found some old Nystatin Oral Suspension, applied the liquid with a q-tip & instantly it felt better.  I can't believe I suffered for weeks!

I am going through the same. Its been almost three weeks and I am still feeling the burning g sensation on my lips. Also I can see a few small white spots. No blisters on my lips but my tongue also is burning and I think I see small blisters on the sides. I have been to the e.r. three times and to my doctor. They don't think is herpes. I took a blood test 5 days ago and I'm still waiting on the results.

Where can I buy that?