heh, not really in sunlight but..

It sure does look a lot different in different types of light. Like ya wake up one day and look in the mirror going "=/, it looks horrible". then afterwards you happen to pass by another and there it looks great...kinda O_o

i came on here becuase i had just started realizing the same thing, after be stuck in my own ways for 7 years. I know i did try everything i could think of, i guess somtimes you just gotta give it up and start being normal again if you know what i mean. im lips are flawless again but im gonna work on it, without really working on it.

You know jp20 I do actually somewhat agree with you on this one.
I have had ex.cheilitis now for almost 4 years. I started with dryness which was unmanageable with any lip balm so I went to my GP who diagnosed a fungal infection. I was given antifungal meds - no joy. I went back again and was given a steroid with Antibiotic cream - no joy.I have had blood tests, allergy patch tests, tried homeopathic stuff, had oral and dental checks in a top London Hospital, been to oral surgeons, dermatologists.Basically, u name it i tried it. Due to my condition I have suffered panic attacks, clinical Depression and a complete nervous breakdown following which I was on anti depressants for 18 months and had 18 weeks of counselling.I was out of work for 14 months because of this and unable to leave my bedroom at my worst point.
Bottom line is that after a long period of time I am back at work now as a Paediatric Nurse, trying to carry on with life and be as 'normal' as I can with this ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE that is ex.cheilitis. I finally reached a point of clarity the middle of last year where I thought 'well I have tried everything and nothing changes' so I resolved that I was just going to give up on all the picking, poking, examining,lip balming, and most crucially LIP ANALYSIS IN THE MIRROR.And you know something....it worked!! For around August 2006 until June this year my lips were as good as they have been in years. I initially started with nothing at all.No treatment, NO LOOKING IN THE MIRROR at them, normal eating/drinking/tooth brushing etc. until eventually they reached a stage where they had become less swollen, less patchy and red and I tentatively started with a little blistex at night before bed until I could progress to lipstick for the first time in years. It was like a miracle for me after so long.HOWEVER......mid June my lips started to relapse and yes, u guessed it , the mirror came out and all the old insecurities and I am truly more convinced than ever that this condition is at least PARTIALLY exacerbated by our own habits developed as we have had the condition.My own belief is that it is like a vicious cycle that we get caught up in that we just have to find a way to break.
Believe me, I would never pour scorn on anyone who disagrees with this as I KNOW what it is like to 100% believe there has GOT to be an underlying cause and treatment for this.Being a medical person I have NEVER believed any of the doctors I have seen who essentially told me to go home as there is nothing wrong and it will sort itself out in time.I was convinced they were missing something - and somewhat still am - and that there is some trigger to this condition but I agree strongly with jp20 that the mind is a powerful thing and we can not necessarily cure ourselves but at least HELP OURSELVES with this mentally.
God knows, I KNOW how hard it is to hear someone say LEAVE YOUR LIPS AND DO NOTHING when you have dry, red hard crusty lips and you have to face the world with work and everything else.For me this is a BIG ISSUE as I deal with the public in a close social seeting of a hospital.My job is to be up close and personal, asking questions and talking to people about their health probs and it is SO HARD sometimes when u notice their eyes drifting to my lips, but I just feel it is worth the embarassment if I can at least reach a manageable stage again with this CURSE OF A CONDITION.
Anyway everybody, I wish you all much luck with this condition and hope that we can all find our own 'cure' sometime soon.xxxxxxxxx