dry lips

[PMRfacebook]

diagnosed PMR Feb 2019 and now on 10 steroids. Experiencing frequent dry lips - not sore or chapped just annoyingly dry - constantly putting on lip balm. Don't have dry mouth , tongue or difficulty swallowing. This started before went on steroids so assume PMR related. anyone else suffer and any tips for dealing

[Hidden]

I have used a soft toothbrush with coconut oil to gently brush my lips then put carmex or something on them. This is the NHS suggestions. Do you think you might be dehydrated?

nhs.uk/conditions/sore-or-d...

[PMRfacebook in reply to Hidden]

thank you - will give that a go.

[Blearyeyed]

If it started before your steroids , it may be PMR related , in terms of inflammation affecting your body as a whole , but it may be non PMR and because of hormones or a nutrient deficiency instead.

If you haven't got dry mouth issues it does sound like the later is more likely.

Taking a vitamin / mineral supplement and Omega 3 in the morning , mid breakfast might help.

Increasing how much you drink each day helps too , even if you think you drink alot , when you have something like PMR , the internal inflammation can make you more dehydrated and now you are on steroids it shows its impact in your skin and lips.

Steroids will have increased the dry lips because they also affect your skin quality and often it's the most sensitive skin that it effects most.

The suggestion of coconut oil for lip balm is a good one , a few times a day , but oddly not all the time , sometimes too much lip balm can prevent the lips from producing their own lubrication. Adding a few drops of Manuka honey to the oil is good too as it is healing for skin. Put on a good layer at night when they have time to heal.

Using the more natural toothpaste and keeping mouthwash away from your lips is also a good plan , as dental products are drying .

Try to avoid foods with caffeine or pepper and too many spices until they improve. Things like chilli, paprika or ginger can irritate the skin.

Avoid licking them as much as possible.

Also sucking the odd sharp , sugar free sweet in the day will stimulate your salivary glands and oil creating glands in the lips and mouth and improve their moisture content.

Hope they are improved soon.

[SnazzyD]

Yes, I got that too and also needed so much more water than now even without feeling dry. Do you have cracked corners of the mouth? That is supposed to indicate possible deficiency of certain B vitamins, iron and zinc. Good advice from others already.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Don't use too much lip balm - apparently that can make it worse, according to German dermatologists at least!

[Soraya_PMR in reply to PMRpro]

Really? How so? A rebound effect?

Have to say I’m better when using a cream that sinks in rather than gloop which just covers. My favourite is Paul Mitchell hair conditioner, works on dry skin and as an after sun with great effect. Last summer on ‘the girls holiday’ my girlfriends ditched their aftersun lotions in favour of PMitchell hair conditioner such is it’s efficaciousness (is that a word?)

Many years ago a derm told us trainee nurses that dry skin should be treated with 1. Thin cream 2. Thick cream 3. Vaseline type, one on top of the other.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Soraya_PMR]

BEE mentions it too - the lips stop producing their own lubricant and it also depends on the ingredients of some of them:

livescience.com/64128-does-...

I know some work for me and some don't - my favourite is Blistex which has menthol in it but I only use it about once or twice in a week and then not for months. A friend has his in his hand constantly - and it probably creates the need. Good marketing I suppose!!

[OutdoorsyGal in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Efficacy?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to OutdoorsyGal]

Nowt wrong with efficaciousness, even Merriam-Webster says so ;

merriam-webster.com/thesaur...

[Soraya_PMR in reply to PMRpro]

Snap! We even looked in the same thesaurus, how efficacious of us 😉

Do you remember a pop group called Scaffold? ‘Medicinal compound, most efficacious in every way’ re Lydia Pinkham’s Women's Tonic

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Soraya_PMR]

I do!

[Soraya_PMR in reply to OutdoorsyGal]

Ha, yes that’s better.

But efficaciousness also exists merriam-webster.com/thesaur...

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Great minds ...

[stellafmdm]

I also have dry lips, and keep them lubricated with Vaseline which also shields them from UV rays, often a cause of dry lips.

[OutdoorsyGal]

My poor husband complained wistfully that I didn’t seem to want to kiss him anymore, and I realized that dry lips were making it less pleasurable. Since they weren’t chapped I hadn’t worried about it till then.

I’ll have to try the Paul Mitchell conditioner. I’ve used it on my hair for years - until I recently switched to Viviscal thickening hair products for my PMR-pred hair loss ,- so I have a lot of it on hand!

[GOOD_GRIEF]

Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm.

Works like lip balm. Gives a little fresh and natural color, leaving a finished look. Not as heavy as lipstick and not a gloppy as gloss. Pricey, but one tube lasts 6 months.