2 year old sore red upper lip

[Kerry86]

Hi, my just turned two year old has had a red rash above her top lip for weeks now.

I’ve tried everything on it and now I’m just leaving it as nothing seems to be working.

She doesn’t lick it or touch it so I don’t think it bothers her too much! She never licked for it to be there in the first place, it just appeared over afew days.

It looks so sore and red and flaky? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Kerry

[Ell17]

It could be nutrient deficiencies, particularly b vitamins and iron, which can affect the lips. Possibly zinc, as well. Food sensitivities could be a culprit. Dairy and gluten can affect skin adversely. There are a myriad of possibilities which can make it difficult to pin point. And overall low levels of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, which are sadly quite common, can cause any number of issues.

I would start with a good multivitamin that is gluten and dairy free for children which has the methyl forms of the b vitamins with folate (not folic acid which is synthetic and unusable by the body.) Give it a few weeks to see if there is any improvement. If not, the next step would be eliminating either dairy or gluten for 4-6 weeks noting any changes in a food diary. If no improvement then reintroduce while eliminating the other for the same amount of time. [Make sure to continue with the vitamins the whole time. By making sure they are gluten/ dairy free you ensure that there will not be a reaction to them should there be a sensitivity to either dairy or gluten. Taking a good multivitamin is a necessity for everyone nowadays, in my opinion, especially growing children.]

It's a slow process, but it works if food sensitivities are involved. There are many of us that have had to do this. And it is worth the effort when you are able to find some relief. Make sure to keep the area moisturized with a hypoallergenic balm. Dry and inflamed skin, especially around the mouth, is quite painful. A balm that has numbing and healing ingredients can be quite soothing.

Also, allergy testing ,including foods sensitivities, before you start elimination diet is also an option. [You could go ahead and start her on the vitamins, which wouldn't interfere with the testing, and keep her diet the same until the testing is done and you get the results.]

All the best to your daughter and you. Hope some of the suggestions prove useful.😊

[Kerry86]

Aw thank you! I wouldn’t of even thought Of doing what you say in the response! I’ll give it a go and see what happens! Thanks again!!

[Maudkate]

My daughter used to have a very red sore looking mouth which ceased when I stopped giving her cheese. Maybe worth a try? A smear of Vaseline at night also maybe worth a try.