Took my 3 year old to the Ped earlier this morning because her lips are so chapped, that they are cracked and constantly bleeding. The ped just told me to put on Chapstick (like I hadn't already been doing this!) My normal Dr. couldn't see us, since it was a same day appt. I have bought everything I can think of, and nothing seems to be helping, and she isn't wanting to eat or drink because they hurt so bad.......

any ideas would be so super appreciated.......

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This is just me--but I get so frustrated when Drs. can't tell me WHY something is going on!

I wonder if you could use the Triple antibiotice ointment that has the pain relief stuff in it??? I know that you can use some antibiotic ointments on animals and it's ok for them to lick it--so, just wondering if there's any that would be ok for a child to ingest a small amount of?

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We use carmex, which works a little better for us than chapstick.
I agree with marilynk tho, why is this happening? How can it be prevented in the future?
I wonder if teething medicine might help? It would be safe for her mouth area and might help with the pain enough for her to eat.

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We have tried the Carmex and chapstick, and the neosporinLP, I think I will try some anbesol so she can eat......poor thing was trying chicken soup through the straw, pulled the straw out to soon, and ended dripping on her lips, and was crying for a quite a while, and with the crying, more bleeding since she was moving the lips....I feel so bad for her

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My mother used to take a vitamin E pill, poke it open, and smear it on chapped lips, sunburn, bug bites...anything we had go wrong. I thought she was nuts, but now in my adult life, its my go to...

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Lansinoh maybe? Kind of expensive... I used it when I couldn't find any chapstick in the house but my lips weren't that bad.

my son always had the worst chapped lips (he's now 6) but i never found out why! anyway, i'm super dilligent about putting vaseline on his lips twice a day after he brushes his teeth. when dad is on duty and forgets the vaseline, it never fails that his lips start to get dry. a good question for the next doctor visit when we go!

Aquaphor is great stuff, thicker so it will stay on and protect. Lansinoh too, both thick and protective.

Blistex makes a blue tub of cream for chapped lips. Dh found about it when he was in CA during training. Some Navy Seals recommended it to him.

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Campho Phenique

Could be something as simple as her being dehydrated, especially with your last sentence. Is her urine output mostly clear? If it's concentrated or heavy yellow, get her drinking much more.

dl

edited to add, another thought for liquids would be a straw to make it easier at this time for her.

This is what I was going to suggest - Vitamin E!!!! The stuff is GREAT

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a few years ago my mother suffered severe wind burn/chapped lips. Her dermatologist actually wanted to peel the damaged layer of skin off her lips! She said no. She bought Elizabeth Arden lip fix cream that you use under your lipstick. It is not cheap, but in 2 days a remarkable difference in her lips and in a week, totally healed.

Another vote for the Vitamin E here.

Poor baby-I hope it gets better soon.

I've used Aquaphor ointment and it works great. Not only does is moisturize, but it’ll add a little layer to help keep them from burning when he eats or drinks something. I've used it for diaper rash, chapped lips and cheeks. Works great for dry chapped cracked hands and feet, just slather it on and then put socks on and leave it on over night, even just an hour helps a lot.
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Thanks for all the tips, going to run out in a little bit, and pick some of it up......Waiting till the Peds office opens and I'm going to see if I can get her in with her normal doc today, because she's going to end up dehydrated if she keeps going this way. She could barely sleep. I feel so bad for her, I have had what I thought was pretty bad chapped lips and they hurt so I can only imagine what she must be feeling.....

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

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We used to use petroleum jellly as kids, but, now I use an Aveeno lip moisturizer. Some of them have medicine in them, too. I would defiinitely get in her to the Dr. They may want/need to give her IV hydration.

once this clears up, you may want to get some Lip Smackers for her, in her favorite flavor, so she can keep her lips moist. The colder weather chaps my lips all the time, that , and this stinking head cold I have.

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During the day I would try Pedialyte popsicles so it helps to hydrate her (plus numbs her lips) and put the ointments (whatever kind) on after she falls asleep so she won't be inclined to lick it off. My kids used to get chapped lips if the heater was on at night. So I made sure they had their bed away from the vent. Our Pediatrician used to tell us that once they get chapped lips it would get worse because kids keep wanting to lick there lips for the moisture. But it is actually the opposite. It takes the moisture out of their lips which creates a vicious cycle.
Also ask your doc if you can mix mylanta and benedryl to put on her lips. It numbs them and reduces swelling long enough to eat. You just have to make sure you dont apply to often for dosing reasons.
Good luck.

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I guess I may be missing something here. Why would you take a child to the doctor for severely chapped lips?
There have been some wonderful suggestions here to help you out. The popsicles sounds like a great start. Are you using plain Chapstick lip balm? It does practically nothing for a severe case of dry lips. You need something that's going to heal, not just protect. Do not use Anbesol as it will further dry out her lips. Same thing with Benadryl.
Is her mouth swollen or puffy? If so, she could be reacting to something in the lip balm. I remember using Blistex lip balm in the small pot like Carmex comes in. Big mistake. My mouth puffed up and was an awful mess.
Campho works like a charm when I have chapped lips. However, it is going to burn a bit when first applied.
The Aquaphor and Vitamin E sounds like good suggestions. Although I'm curious why the Vitamin E works.
Are you running the heat yet? If so, you may need a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
Is she breathing through her mouth because of a stopped up nose?

I'm taking her back to the Doc, because they are so severly chapped that they pretty much won't stop bleeding, and she's not eating and drinking now because of it......

We're not running heat...still in the 80's here....tried offering her drinks and soups through straws and it still hurts to the point she won't drink or eat, and she has never never liked posicles or ice cream....I just don't want chapped lips to turn into dehydration......

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Goodness, you should not have to justify your decision to take your daughter to the doctor. Keeping going with your instinct and experience!

cj/

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Have the doctor prescribe her what my dh (a pharmacist) calls "Magic Mouthwash". It is a mixture of maalox, benadryl, and lidocaine. You can use it on her lips as well as the inside of her mouth if she develops sores there. DH has mixed up a bit of this lately as the cooler weather is setting in and people tend to get chapped lips and cold sores. Just dap the mix on with a q-tip right before eating or drinking and it will numb and soothe the area.

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We were actually given this.......Poor thing was a real trooper, they stripped off the top layer of the lips, and sent some samples to the lab.....Her lips were so bad, that the ped called a couple other docs to come look at them too. They also prescribed hydrocortisone 2.5%. Right now she could give Angelina Jolie a run for her money....they way they look. They also ran an IV, and we are to go back in tommorow.....

Thanks for all the ideas......

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

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Is there another name that this may go by? I want to ask my local pharmacist about the mix you mentioned, but I don't want to get the "Huh??" look (usually followed by the one-step-back-up!! ). And our doctor's English...well it lacks in the translation dept.! Nice guy, but the nurse usually has to translate! So if there's another name for it, I'd greatly appreciate it!

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Vitamin e is good because it helps speed up healing, but any oily product is going to help more if it's applied to damp skin. In other words, smearing on vaseline or something heavy after she's had a bath will keep the bit of moisture she has in her lips there. At other times, I've found that thinner products work better than really greasy ones, because they sink in more. Right now, I use Burt's Bees Honey balm, but it's a maintenance product, rather than a heavy duty one.

I have hands that dry out and crack in the winter, and have ever since I was tiny. The best thing I've found yet is Aveeno Skin Relief lotion, which I didn't know existed until Target had it on clearance. Google says there's a lip version, and it's well rated (Buy Aveeno Lip Protectant, Intense Relief Medicated Therapy Online at drugstore.com. If you find it, I'd say it's worth trying. If nothing else, your daughter's going to need to learn to use a lip balm regularly, since problems like this tend to recur.

Other than the usual, allergies can manifest themselves this way. One substance in particular can cause it; caffeine. Does your daughter drink soda by any chance? Except for the ones marked "caffeine free", they're loaded with caffeine.

I use the cocoa butter for lips from Walgreens -- bright yellow Chapstick shaped tube. Vitamin E sounds like another good one to try for healing. I've also heard good things about Burt's Bees and Badger brands but never tried.

I find that almost everything else (ie chapstick, Carmex, etc.) will relieve my lips in the beginning but then they get MORE chapped once they wear off.

I think that I'm allergic to something in some of those products. Maybe she is too?

I don't know of another name for it, I checked out the bottle that we have and it just says "Maalox-Benadryl-Lidocaine Mix" and 800 1400 2000 200--Maal-Ben-Lido. I don't think there is a specific name for it, it is just three medications mixed together in liquid form. Maybe if you just write down maalox, benadryl, and lidocaine oral medication on a piece of paper and give it to your doctor he could figure it out, and if he doesn't understand, have your pharmacist call him and get a script for you. Hope to help!

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I've had a Foreman Grill for about six years. I've done about 85% of my cooking on it, but I've never burnt myself. Probably because I don't use it as a pillow.

The Pharmacist we went to called it "Wonder Goop!" Lovely name, but we put it on last night and then she got something to drink, and actually didn't cry. I was so HAPPY!

At 3 years old, she doesn't drink soda..... she has enough energy on her own without the caffeine and sugar!

I have picked up several items to use once they have healed up to try and prevent it.....Doc recommend something with Beeswax, and absolutely nothing flavored or scented....

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O

This is exactly what I was going to say! I have been having the same problem over the past month (lips swelling, chapping, stinging, burning, bleeding) and I am finally beginning to believe that I'm allergic to the fluoride that's in toothpaste. The same thing happened to my grandmother and she was told by her doctor that she had a fluoride allergy.

I've also heard that some people can be allergic to the ingredient in toothpaste that makes it "foamy".

I can switch toothpaste, my lips will heal in four or five days and then start all over again (like this morning). All I can say is that it's incredibly uncomfortable and quickly turns painful once your lips start cracking and bleeding.

OP, you might want to check for allergies just to be on the safe side!

The magic mouthwash is actually used by Chemo patients for the sores that can develop inside the mouth. Any pharmacist should be familiar with it.

Could it be a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' type thing (dry lips/dehydration)?

Let us know what the doctor finds. Poor little girl.

I use the magic mouthwash and have for years but I dont have the pharmacy mix it for me because it becomes unstable over time. I just get a prescription for the licocaine and mix it myself. I do equal parts of each. I use it for canker sores now but originally got it because I had a reaction to antibiotics and ended up with third degree burns in my mouth and throat. It's great. I have a mouth full of sores now and I am living off the stuff. I wouldn't be able to go to work if I didn't have it.
I hope your daughter is doing better.

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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"
---Ralph Waldo Emerson---

We use the Vitamin E and Beauticontrols Lip Apeel. The lip apeel works wonders. It is one of those at home party things which I usually absolutely hate going to but have learned to swear by this stuff, and it is worth every penny. My DS age 11 licks his lips constantly (gets what looks like a second lip above this lips) and I won a sample of this stuff at a party. I have since bought this on my own as it completely heals his lips by the next morning if we use it at night before bed. I have had my lips crack and bleed on me and it also fixes that.

I will have to look into this....I haven't heard of it before. Thanks for the tip.


They gave DD a second IV, this time more to be safe, then because she absolutely needed it. She is drinking again, eating just a little bit. I'm also supposed to keep a journal, of what she eats, drinks, and anything that comes in contact with her lips. Hopefully we can figure out what caused them to get so severe so it doesn't happen again......

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O