My lips - documented with pictures 
ryan34
12 y
3,161
edit: i posted this on daniels blog but i will copy it here too i guess, i encourage everyone to post on daniels blog
http://danielcmiller.com/?page_id=2540
As for current treatment, for over a month I have not applied anything to my lips, however i trim them at every opportunity I get. Many times I have accidentally trimmed too much which is something I have to work on, although recently I began to force off the top layers of the scab, its "risky" because I may end up peeling off all of it but I have gotten quite good at being able to tell which layers are "removable." Basically, if the scab is already thick and has been on for some time, I will use a blade (combination of knife, scissors and tweezers) and carefully pry it off. Underneath (usually) is a hard but thinner layer of scab which is much less yellow. It sounds a bit ridiculous and it probably doesn't contribute to healing, but it certainly helps in terms of appearance and I don't think it will contribute negatively as all you are doing is thinning a thick patch of dead skin (assuming that's all you are doing). I have not messed up doing this at all after the first few days. If you want to see an example, look at my picture from July 16th - look at the strip on the lower right side. Compare that to July 17th.
Another think I just started to notice today is it seems like in my more recent pictures, the ride side of my lower lip slightly protrudes more than the left. Could be nothing, but I read that can happen in cases of Cheilitis Gladularis. However, its probably just that the scab on the right is pulling the lip in tighter.
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- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,809
MoreThis is a reply to # 1,968,747Yours doesnt seem to get as thick and yellow as mine and others on here. Yours doesnt seem as severe. But honestly I dont really see any progress, although I guess it hasnt even been a month.
In the next few days I think I am going to stop this leave it alone method, because the more I think about it, it is ridiculous. I mean there is really no proof it works, and nobody who is doing it is seeing any significant progress. And even if we do see progress, others in the past have seen progress but in the end still have EC.
This is not just a wound, and this leave it alone treatment is treating it like a wound. There is definitely something else going on here, so for me its time to start treating it as such.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Vunk
12 y
2,853
MoreThis is a reply to # 1,968,747Can you tell us again what may have triggered your EC?
By the way, according to me, the only good progress I could share with you guys would be the complete stop of this irregular desquamation. Otherwise, it doesn't be worth it.
Of course I'm talking for my case, and I think the only progress this condition could have would be, and it doesn't depend of much, simply get normal lips back, which would involve the correction of our desquamation, which is just the point.- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... ryan34
12 y
3,046
This is a reply to # 1,968,775history of lip pikcing/biting, extreme overuse of lip ointments (primarily blistex lib medex), excessive sun exposure while using a non-spf lib balm
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,819
This is a reply to # 1,968,782The main thing to look at is what the lips look like after each peel. (If your lips are getting worse when they peel then something is causing them to peel too early and we need to figure out exactly what that is. And also if you aren't taking pictures each week then you can't sit there and say they haven't gotten better when you have no idea what they used to look like...I have doubted myself MANY times only to look back at a month or two previous and see that I have actually been making slow but steady progress) I have documented progress that each peel my lips look better, sometimes considerably better. If you download all of my pictures where the lips have peeled and click through them as I have done before you will no doubt realize that my lips are getting better.
Not only do they feel better, but they are more mobile as well...I still can't smile of course, but yawning and other things that used to break the crusts no longer do.
Also as I have said plenty of times before you are welcome to watch me cure myself before attempting this and going through the embarrassment, I only put my blog live so that people could follow me and watch me do it; if you are skeptical on the entire theory then I would suggest you try something else and see if it makes your lips better.
As for me, my lips are better. And they are not getting worse...so I know this is working and it is my commitment to myself and everyone else struggling with this condition to prove that there is at least one way to cure this.
And thanks for posting the pictures Ryan! I love seeing what everyone else's lips look like, and what method they are using to try to heal themselves. I personally can see a slight improvement from your first peel to your second peel. Keep us posted!
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,819
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... longterm
12 y
2,738
This is a reply to # 1,968,775How many of you are mouth breathers? I am a mouth breather. Since I have a blockage in my nose, I will always be a mouth breather.
"Mouth breathing can result in dehydration and subsequent desquamation of the lips."- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,817
This is a reply to # 1,968,791Daniel,
Yeah you have clearly had some progress over the past few weeks, but it is still VERY small. Yes you may think it is a massive improvement because any improvement seems great, but when you really think about it just that much improvement in 5 months? Its insane. If it were a wound it would have healed 10 times over by now. Theres no way this is just a wound. I mean, if I heard even ONE reasonable explanation as to why a wound would take this long to heal then I would feel better.
The reason for my recent doubt about this method is that my a small portion of my top lip peeled and it was as red and tender as ever. Yes it was a bit early but even so, after 2 1/2 months even if it peels a bit early it should look somewhat improved. That and the fact that I have recently read about so many people who did this method, saw progress, but never healed.
I still havent decided whether I will stop this but I am hoping that I will begin this systemic medication for Psoriasis as soon as Monday, if my father approves. Even if it doesnt treat this I will at least be able to rule out Psoriasis and lichen planus, which I think are the two most reasonable diagnoses thus far.
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- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,761
This is a reply to # 1,968,803I get what you're saying...but this is something I've been inflicting on myself since I was a kid...about 15 years ago I started using chapstick all of the time. So if you think about it that way it's not just a normal wound, it's been a consistent wound only getting worse over time. It seems very logical to think that a wound of this magnitude would take several months to heal. Even a broken bone can take 4 to 6 months to heal, and that's just from one impact, think if you were constantly breaking your bone in the same place for 15 years, it would take a lot longer than the normal 4-6 months to heal. I know it's a bad comparison because bones aren't the same thing as skin, but you get my idea.
And I've been having progress since the beginning...Just because the scabs didn't look better doesn't mean the skin underneath wasn't getting better...like I've said a million times over you need to focus on the skin after it peels. Of course the scabs will always look horrible. Each week though the skin underneath has shown more improvement compared to the peeling cycle before it. However in the last few weeks the crusts haven't been building up as much so it seems like they are healing better than they were before, when in reality they are still healing at the same rate as they have always been.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,722
This is a reply to # 1,968,830The only problem with your comparison is that skin is NOT bone. I know you mentioned that, but that kind of disproves your comparison because bone takes a lot longer to heal than skin. But I do understand that you have been using chapstick for a long time, but theres still no indication that using chapstick can do this much damage. Also why it wouldnt affect our whole lip (I know your kind of does but it seems like most peoples' only affects about 2/3 of the bottom and half the top).
Anyways I have seen a little progress, which is the only reason I continue. I guess as soon as I stop seeing progress over a period of time I will have to move on.
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- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... ryan34
12 y
3,024
This is a reply to # 1,968,836skin damage can take months to heal too. use sunburns for example, which is actually a decent comparison.
"Ultimately, the one thing that will heal your sunburn is time, says Robertson. No product can speed up the process. Even when your sunburn is healed, be careful in the sun, because it will take several months for your damaged skin to return to normal. If you overdo it in the sun while your skin is still healing, your skin will burn faster and be more damaged than before."
http://www.phcsicare.com/blog/tag/it-takes-time-for-sunburn-to-heal/
just an example- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,725
This is a reply to # 1,968,840Maybe I missed it, but I didnt see in there that it can take 6 months to heal a sunburn.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,905
This is a reply to # 1,968,853The end says, "Even when your sunburn is healed, be careful in the sun, because it will take several months for your damaged skin to return to normal."
It doesn't say six months, but that is just one example of skin taking months to heal from one sunburn. I also believe it's important to note that our lips aren't just skin, they are a mucous membrane, which is more delicate than regular skin and takes longer to heal.- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... sirpreis
12 y
2,725
This is a reply to # 1,968,929I don't know how every elses EC started, but mine started out of nowhere with a small line on my bottom lip, which eventually grew to almost my whole bottom lip and big parts of my top lip. It just doesn't make sense to be any kind of wound. If the lip skin was damaged in any way, I would have noticed it earlier. My lip skin was always fine, no flakes, no peeling, no pain, no inflammation, just feeling a little dry, which is why I used chapstick and other things. And then from one day to the next, EC came out of the blue and then kept spreading over 3-4 months, even with me leaving them alone and not putting anything on them. If it was a wound if should have eventually stopped spreading. But it just went its way without me being able to do anything about it.
Well, I guess I forgot what I was trying to say... :-D I will probably keep leaving them alone for another 7 weeks or so (I'm already 4 months into it and seem to have no sign of progress whatsoever). If I don't notice improvement by then, I will probably stop and start treating it (with my derm) as atopic eczema or psoriasis.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... jsl123
12 y
2,731
This is a reply to # 1,968,935mine was similar i just had dry lips for about 6 months so i started putting abit of chapsticks maybe a few times a day. prior to this never ever had dry lips or anything then my top lip in the middle the triangular part started to peel abit so i use to bit it off this lasted about 1 month but then went away!
then 6 months later out of no were bang ec all over my lips one day when i got out of shower worse day of my lifeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
i cry every time i think of that day!- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,809
This is a reply to # 1,968,945I don't claim to know the answers of how EC starts for everyone...and I can only think of theories of how mine started...that's the best we can all do. But I do know every condition in life is cureable. That's what I intend to find for this.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,927
This is a reply to # 1,968,955Yeah but it says "after it heals" you should stay out of the sun because its sensitive for months. AFTER it heals. And actually mucous membranes heal faster than regular skin.
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,927
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,809
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... jsl123
12 y
2,731
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... sirpreis
12 y
2,725
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,905
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,725
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... ryan34
12 y
3,024
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,722
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... danielxmiller
12 y
2,761
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... soilwork
12 y
2,765
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,817
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... ryan34
12 y
3,046
- Re: My lips - documented with pictur... Healing2021
12 y
2,809
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