Hello everybody, I'm here to share with you my ongoing battle with EC/AC (sorry for my English)It's a long post but I hope to help someone and get some of your opinions as well. I'm a 30 old male from Italy.
Everything started in september 2008. I remember I was going to university and while on the train I noticed something strange goin on with my lips. Peeling appeared on the middle of the top lip and on one of the corners, in a matter of days it was spreading on both corners and all my lips started peeling. At first I didn't care that much, bought a simple lipstick for dry lips and made everything worse, so I simply started removing the skin handly or biting them, result: costantly shiny/burning red lips, I was so embarassed.
On May 2009 I went to the fisrt dermatologist and her diagnosis was: CONTACT DERMATISIS and she told me to go and make patch tests. I didn't go because I was going to have my university graduation in a week. Then I moved to Egypt (where I still live 7-8 months per year) and decided to ignore my problem, hoping in a naturaland spontaneous healing. I was heavily, I mean heavily smoking at that time, that's the only thing I can remember.
I didn't visit another doctor until 2012, when I came back to Italy for summer holidays, I went to another dermatologist and that's what she told me: VITAMINE B DEFICIENCY, and gave me vit B supplements and two ointments to mix togheter, but I can't remember what they were. She told me to stay away from acid foods and no to touch them or peeling them. I had slight improvement but it didn't last long. I also had white tongue (not an heavy coating) but my doctor told me more than once that it was not thrush.

Nothing changed until last Christman when I tried different methods cause my lips problem really destroyed me psychologically, that's what I did:
1) stoped using commercial toothpaste and I stopped smoking: the cuts on the corners went away, although soreness remained. Lips kept peeling but flakes weren't thick as before, no more bleeding when flakes were detatching from my lips.
2) Went gluten/milk free: one day I had an huge yellowish/hard skin shredding like a snake and after that my condition has improved, let's say 70%
3) The only product that doesn't irritates my lips is called Vea Lipstick, is vitamine E. I use it when I have to go somewhere cause it really helps my lips and makes them almost pink for a while.
4) I felt probiotic (called ProLife, they also have vitamine b) helped me.
5) I used to suffer occasionally with stomach pain/diarreha especially at night, It didn't happened anymore until today (it's been 9 months now)since I went gluten/lactose free.

Last March I had to take Antibiotics for an unrelated problem, bad peeling again, Had to start again from zero. However cuts never returned but sometimes redness appears like if they are "trying" to come back, especially when I go out from home. When I'm at home my peeling lips are not as severe as when I go out.

One month ago (August 2015) I had a very bad flu, everyone got it at home, we call it "summer flu" very contagious, my doctor gave me a gluten/lactose free antibiotic: my lips didn't get worse, my tongue was almost completely pink like never before (that makes me think that It wasn't a fungus?any suggestion??). At the moment my lips aren't cured but not bad as before, I noticed that they get better when I ignore them. Cuts didn't return but I get sometimes redness when I go out. I'm still gluten/lactose free and I don't eat artificial sugar, only fruit.

Other information you may find useful

Every 6 months I have a comprehensive blood test: not a single thing out of place, except a slight vit D deficiency.

Went to the gastroenterologist one month ago (here in Italy) he told me that I have Irritable Bowel but that I'm too anxious and nervous and that I'm healthy and that I don't have to stop my life because of that. In his opinion my lips condition is not related to bowel (mmmm, he sad dehydration.

Stool Test/Parasite/candida: nothing

Genital swab for candida: negative

Looking at my old pre-EC photos I always had white sking and red lips and when I was a child a doctor diagnosed my with geographical/fissured tongue.

I wasn't practicing any sport when my condition started and I was an heavy smoker.

Always had dandruff and sometimes itchy scalp, since schooldays.

Yes, my lips get white when wet and sometimes the typical "white line" appears.

I can manage/control this condition at the moment, especially with a more healthy diet, but is not cured and I live in costant fear.

I can send you pictures if you want I don't have any problem. Waiting for your replies and I hope you also can benefit from my story.