I've avoided using lip products most of my life, but about 5 years ago I had a prolonged bout of chapped lips and gave in and started using chapstick. Since it only provided temporary relief, I eventually moved on to petroleum products.

Vasoline or aquafor applied 2-3 times a day makes my lips look normal, and they don't peel at all, but they feel tender. After prolonged usage the soreness becomes hard to take. Stopping at that point they become awful, very sore, peel like crazy, and the first time I stopped they were almost completely black with dried blood for about 2 weeks. They eventually returned to a semi-normal state, but the were still worse than they were before I started using lip products.

After seeing no further healing for a few months, I went to my doctor and he prescribed triamcinalone dental paste, which I used for about a week and they actually stayed healed for a few months. They eventually started peeling again, however, and this time the relief from the paste ended when I stopped using it and were actually got worse after I stopped.

I got a referral for a dermatologist who wanted me to use an Antibiotic ointment followed by a steroid ointment, and to use vasoline liberally. She dismissed my concerns about lip soreness with continuous usage of petroleum jelly. I was reluctant to do this because of how bad my first experience with having to stop using petroleum products was, but I went along, and as soon as I got passed the phase of using the steroid ointment and only vasoline, things went back to how they had been before with my lips looking fine but feeling tender. When I shared this with the dermatologist during a follow up, her reply was a very disappointing "I don't know what else to tell you." I continued with the three times a day vasoline application for a couple of months before a period of greater soreness made me decide I had to stop.

I haven't used any lip products for a week, and its similar to the first time I quit. My lips aren't splitting and nearly as much, but the peeling may actually be worse, and they're very inflamed and sore. Hopefully they will return to a semi normal state within a couple of weeks.

Has anyone else had an similar issues with soreness while using petroleum products? They actually do work for me to control the peeling and cracking with what I consider to be a reasonable 2-3 times a day usage, but clearly they're doing something else. I've had a patch test and I don't appear to be allergic to petroleum. Any similar experiences?