It may begin almost immediately. Your lips may become tight and dry, and then they will begin to peel. You use lip balm to moisturize and to alleviate the discomfort. Just when the process seems to be coming to an end, your lips tighten and begin peeling, again. The corners of your mouth may get crusty and your lips may crack and bleed. It is a process that keeps repeating itself, and it can happen several times in one month.
If you switched to a new kind of toothpaste around the time that your lips started significantly chapping, then your new toothpaste may be to blame. Two ingredients in toothpaste can cause chronic cheilitis.
Irritants
"Your toothpaste may be to blame if it contains guaiazulene," say Audrey Kunin, M.D. in the DERMAdoctor article "Chapped Lips." "Check out the ingredient label on your toothpaste. If it contains sodium lauryl sulfate, this may be a concern as well. Blamed for chapped lips, skin irritation and even perioral dermatitis, avoidance of sodium lauryl sulfate can be helpful."
Guaiazulene is a color additive that is used in cosmetics and toothpaste. It can be found in essential oils such as chamomile oil, which is a natural occurrence.
Sodium lauryl sulfate is another ingredient that may cause cheilitis. "SLS is a coarse powder that is often used as a foaming agent or detergent in soaps," says Jeremy Elton Jacquot in the Tree Hugger article "Common Eco-Myth: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)." It has been shown to cause contact dermatitis, a rash that can last for several weeks. It is a known skin and eye irritant.
Claims have been made that sodium lauryl sulfate is also carcinogenic, but this is not true. It is used as a preparatory chemical for cancer experiments, but it is not the cause of cancerous processes.
Treatment
Dr. Kunin suggests that lip balms are best when used as a preventative measure against chapped lips. For patients with chronic cheilitis, she may prescribe a steroid ointment that can be applied several times per day over a period of a couple of weeks.
Removing the cause of chapped lips is the most important step for healing because the use of lip balm may not prevent irritation caused by toothpaste. Try different toothpastes to see which work best for you. If your toothpaste is the cause, you may see improvement in as little as one day.
If cheilitis persists, consultation with a physician may be necessary.
Diane Ursu - Diane Ursu joined Suite101 as a contributing writer in August 2009 and became a Feature Writer in January 2010. She is a freelance writer ...
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