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Chronic lip peeling

Hello,

I am having a 2 month battle with drying and peeling lips. I've been to a dermatologist that has tried prescription strength antibiotic and antifungal ointments, aquafor (tons), hydrocortisone, candida dier, vitamins, etc. No luck. I'm seeing an allergist next week and am trying to prepare. I do get occasion itching around the mouth and a bitter taste that comes and goes. I tested negative for celiacs. My question is if anyone knows of a food allergy that causes chronic lip dryness and peeling? Thanks!!!
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Avatar universal
Yes, I found I have an allergy to all dairy.  If I eat dairy I get an almost a "fire" feeling in my mouth (as if the food is spicy), then within a few hours my lips are painful and throbbing so much it keeps me from sleeping, and often the edges of my lips are red.  By the next day, it's like the top layer of my skin has died--it is dry, like paper, and because it is inflexible, it cracks and bleeds.  Then it begins peeling, leaving painful, red skin underneath.  It takes a few days to totally heal up and return to normal.  When I eliminated all forms of dairy from my diet, the symptoms went away.  Hope this helps!
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That's really interesting. People only think of a dairy allergy as something like lactose intolerance where they have GI issues but you are dead on, dairy allergies affect our SKIN.  Glad you figured it out. Now the real question, how did you give up all dairy? That's really hard in our modern world of food!  How did you start it and how do you avoid any dairy as it is so often used in cooking.
681148 tn?1437661591
I am having the same problem.  It's true that metal allergies aggravate eczema, as my cousins can attest to from their growing up years, but different foods can aggravate the problem, too.  I looked online for foods to avoid with eczema and I was able to identify another culprit for me besides gluten.  The other common one is dairy.  Many sites also say to avoid the high glycemic grains and vegetables.  I am certain in my own case it must be dairy.

One thing you can do to figure out what your triggers are is to keep a food diary.  Realize, too, that people and pets both are often actually attracted to the foods they are actually allergic to.  My cat is for sure.  So, we can actually end up craving the very things we should be avoiding.

Something else to keep in mind is that you don't always test positive for all of your allergies or sensitivities.  I don't test positive for gluten or dairy either one, but they for sure irritate my digestive issues and they do aggravate the eczema.  One might even call these more of food sensitivities, which are essentially hidden food allergies.  Usually with food sensitivities there is a higher threshhold of how much a person can have before having an actual reaction than there might be if the person has what conventional allergists call a true allergy.  Usually, the true allergies are the things that might cause anaphylaxis of some sort.  Along these lines, too, food sensitivities can also have delayed reactions--sometimes as much as two or three days or even longer.

Anyway, the short answer is that gluten and dairy are out for me, and they are likely out for you, too, since what I've been reading is that these are the two biggest food problems for people with eczema.
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Avatar universal
Please, keep us posted.  Am glad you are seeing an allergist.  Am waiting, right along with you!
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Avatar universal
Thank you! I appreciate the advice and recommendations. I am curious to know if jewelry that is not in contact with the lips can cause an allergic reaction in the lips. For example, can wearing a silver necklace cause a referred reaction in the lips? I think identifying the allergen will be a process of elimination... I am seeing an allergist and a second dermatologist next week. I'm trying to cope with and approach this very uncomfortable and frustrating condition as a scientific experiment and challenge.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and hope you are doing well.

The symptoms described by you could be due a skin disorder called eczema. People who suffer from this disorder should avoid contact with triggering factors like soaps, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, and detergents. Sometimes sweat; changes in temperature and psychological stress are known to trigger these episodes. So, the best way to prevent attacks is to identify those substances which you are allergic to and avoid them. You can control the symptoms with prescription strength mild cortisone creams. Consult a dermatologist. Also, an allergy specialist can help to identify the allergens. Apply constantly plenty of good moisturizing creams and alternate with steroid creams. Use a humidifier in the rooms to avoid dryness.

The moisturizers need not be the expensive ones; even vegetable shortening is good enough, only it needs to be applied adequately and at frequent intervals.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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1694492 tn?1372902994
Did you go to your dentist to check for abscesses or periodontal disease? There are a lot of problems that can cause lip peeling like that. It could also be your toothpaste. Check to see if it contains sodium lauryl sulfate. That can cause chapped lips.

Um...do you take vitamin B12? You can get an allergy to colbalt from taking vitamin B12 supplements.

Are you on any blood pressure medication? There are side effects from that to cause chapped lips.

There is also snoring...lupus...a thryroid disease...too much vitamin A....Maybe you should go to your physician and discuss this issue with him/her.
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