Cures for 8Yr Olds Severe Chapped Lips (From Nervous Habit of Licking)

Hi! I have 3 children, 10, 7 & 5. I have the same problem with my two oldest and one thing I have done is put vaseline on their lips at bedtime-no odor, no taste. However, I have also used Neosporin's lip treatment, in a small tube-my husband uses it for cold sores also. This is not strong and also does not have an odor or taste. I put the neosporin on in the morning and after they eat (when they are home from school). Hope this helps!!Debbie

My granddaughter went to a specialist about her vision. He told me her skin was dry and therefore so was her eyes. He suggested we use cod liver oil. I said that I had to take that as a child and it was NASTY. He then said you can get it capsules now so you don't taste it. He said start out first week 1 in the am, second week 1 in am and 1 in pm. he said to take her up 1 a week till she was hydrated. When we got to 2 in am & 2 in pm, she quit scratching and as a side benefit she quit licking her lips and the chapping went away. I buy it at Walmart 1.97 for 100 capsules. It worked so well with her, I tried it for my dry skin from a thyroid disorder and it helps.

I don't know what to tell you to use, but I can tell you what NOT to use....anything containing Petrolytum! (sp?) Petrolytum is an added ingredient in MOST lip balm/chap stick/gloss etc. which dries out the lips more, so you will use more. (thus making more money for the company). I am a cosmetologist and I learned this at a professional conference in Orlando, Fl. on Stage makeup.

Hope that helps! I've been tempted to try and create something to help little ones with this problem, it seems to bother lots of little ones. Good luck!

If the vaseline is not doing the trick, try extra virgin olive oil. You will find it in the cooking oil section of most health food stores. This stuff is pretty versatile to have around. I use it in my hair, on my body, as a makeup remover (it melts mascara right off your face), and a personal lubricant (ooh la, la)... it also fries up a nice piece of halibit.

Also, consider getting more healthy fats in her diet if she isn't already on some. Or up the dosage of how much she is getting. Healthy fats include flax oil, fish oil, avocado, etc. Not only does it lubricate the skin internally and protect it, healthy fats also help the brain (which is 65% fat) and that can lessen ticks and nervous habits.

If she were my kid, she would be getting a tablespoon of flax oil every day... you can mix it in her yogurt, oatmeal, or put it on toast. You can add it to any food once it has come off its heat source. Smoothies hides it VERY well!

Finally, what ever you do, don't bug her about it...when you have a nervous tick, it is worse when you contiensly think about trying to stop it. Trust me, I know. Just let her be, she'll work her way out of it.

My son has this problem every now and then and my friend told me to put vasaline around his mouth at bedtime and it would take away the chapped raw area and I didnt have any but used bag balm and it worked like a charm. I dont know how to get him to stop licking his lips as its only when he is nervous or stressed at school but this solved it looking so bad !! Good luck

Hey E.,
I have the very thing that will help your 8yr old and your chapped lips. I am a Beauticontrol Rep and we have whats called Lip Apeel. It is a lip exfoliator and will take off a layer of dead skin while leaving them soft and smooth.

Its a two in one product. The lip apeel is a white cream that you allow to dry, then when it is dry you rub it off (exfoliate) then you would apply the lip balm that is on top of the container (was #1 in Allure Magazine).

A lot of chapsticks use wax in their formulas which tends to make the lips more dry-so that you will use more and more to what seems to be a non-ending cycle.....Our Lip Apeel will work......or your money back!

Check out my website at www.beautipage.com/michelewells

or contact me-I have some here at the house....retails at $19 but will last forever!

My daughter had this problem when she got her first set of braces. The dermatologist told us to use Aquaphor. You can buy it in tube or in tubs. I got mine at Walmart. I also bought some of those little tubs at JoAnn Fabrics that you put lipgloss in. I filled 8 of those little tubs so we can always have one in a pocket or on the counter. If you keep it on all the time it will start to clear. She just has to make that the habit and the redness will go away.

my grandson is now 11 and we have been fighting this for a while we took him to thedoctor and he said it was an infection or bacteria- and gave him some antibiotics it did clear up but later came back as soon as he licks try asking your dr or pharmacy for a antibiotic cream that might be safe if they lick

Sounds like a nervous habit to me.

Avon products had a moisture therapy lip conditioner in a tube that could be used which went on almost like a liquid, I know they still have it in a tube like chapstick that puts a protective coating on the lips that will help in the healing process as will any of the lip products with aloe in them. I would try those at least to get the lips to heal from the chapped look.

Other than finding out why she is so nervous and trying to get the problem corrected I don't have much of an answer.

You would be amazed at how many times a day you lick your lips. I know I am.

P. R

I, too, was going to suggest lanolin. Just in case you don't know what it is, go to the breastfeeding section of any store like Meijer or Target. PurLan and Lasinoh are two brands I can think of.

I know how you feel. What I have found is that chapstick doesn't work, too waxy and they don't care for how it feels, vaseline is pure petroleum which aggravates the problem, but CARMEX actually has stuff in it to heal the chapping! I've used it for years!

Good luck!

The Body Shop has several products that may help. The first thing that comes to mind is their hemp hand protector. I know it is for the hands. My lips get very chapped and no chapstick helps after a certain point. I started using this on my lips and it helps a lot. It is edible. It has a bit of a sweet taste but doesn't taste good so it may help to control the licking. It is wonderful for all kinds of things. I keep it in the kitchen and it helps burns not blister and hurt. You can look at some of the products at www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/aoaks. This is my website (I am a consultant for the Body Shop at Home). If you find anything you would like to try I would love to send you some samples. There is also a hemp face protector which might help. Don't worry that it is hemp. There are over 350 different types of hemp plants and this is not the one that you would smoke. There is no funny after effect, just great moisturizing and protection for the skin. The products are all edible. My kids actually tried it out (I didn't know this at first so when they ate some I had to check).
Good luck

Bigelow's Rose Salve will take care of it. My daughter is now 11, still occasionally gets the red line/rash, but not anything like when she was younger. We tried everything. The Rose Salve was the only thing that ever cleared it up. It used to be carried at Bath and Body Works, but they didn't carry it the last time I checked. I'm sure it'll be easy to find online. You'll love it!

lanolin is a great moisturizer for these types of things.

My 8 yr. old daughter has the same problem! If you get any good advice please let me know. Iy looks so terrible in pics. I am constantly getting on her to stop licking and keep tons of lip stuff around, but it just on't stop.

I had a nephew who had that problem. He was alot older, but his doctor put him on medication.

I did the EXACT same thing when I was her age. I still ahve no idea why I did it really. My parents tried everything too. They would spackle vasoline on me, but I would just lick it off. It looked like I drank Koolaid all the time because I had big red marks around my lips. Honestly I just ended up growing out of it. I really wish I could be more help, but I don't think anything could've stopped me from doing it and I have no idea why! Good luck to you!! I'm sure she'll grow out of it too.

Try Aquafor. My sister uses it for her son. It helps him.

I don't have any good advice but I would love to know if you get some. My daughter, who is also 8, sticks her tongue over her lower lip when she concentrates at school. We have the same issue with a red ring under her lower lip that is both painful and terrible looking. They are not allowed to take chapstick to school so we put it on before she gets on the bus and then again before bedtime. That seems to at least keep things a little in control but not completely gone. The most I've been able to do is remind her while she is working on her homework. Hopefully that will carry into her work efforts at school. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone with this problem.

My 7 yr old son does the same thing. First thing - I always point out when he licks his lips - I tell him to stop it - it annoys him for me to say something but it makes him aware of the behavior. What worked for us was Aquafina lip stuff it has something in it that makes it tingley and it cleared his red chapped (we called it a mustache) I got it at Walmart. I also used petroleum jelly- however I got the nursery scented kind so it's way to gross to lick and that gets them to not do it too because it tastes so nasty.

Rejuvenating Cream from Arbonne. We had the same issue w/ my daughter. I'm an Arbonne Consultant, so I thought, what might help...nothing else has. This cream works well for chapped, rough, skin. Even abrasions, so I got desperate and in tried it. 2 days later, gone. One of the girls from preschool had the problem, but worse, so I gave her some to try on it for the weekend, gone by monday.

Just wondering - have you considered the slightest chance that she might have an allergy to something she's using or eating?

One of my 3 children has always been a lip licker, but he becomes extremely cracked after exposure to an allergen.

To help lips heal...I've used two things alternatively ....

(1) nighttime: Diaper ointment that is zinc-oxide based. It provides for quick healing. Drawback: The white mess. Just use a dab & rub it in well.

(2) daytime: Lanolin...the good stuff! It is water proof ... so even licking won't make it come off. I buy Lansinoh at Target in the infant clothing/diaper/nursing area. It is packaged in a purple tube for nursing mothers...but no one needs to know that but you! :) It is amazing. It leaves lips shiny, as if lip gloss was applied. Use it sparingly, because too much...is too much!

You'll find these solutions are pretty natural and work for cracked finger tips and all sorts of boo-boos. I happened upon them years ago & use them for myself, too! (My kids are now 7 yrs & up....and I still keep these on hand!)

For one thing.........make SURE she's hydrated. You can also add a little cayenne pepper (unbenown to her) to the vaseline or chapstick. Won't hurt her, cayenne is a blood purifier and maybe she'll stop just so she won't have to taste the cayenne. People do this with thumb sucking, too. Lemon, garlic, any taste that would NOT be appealing to the child, but won't harm them.

I swear by Auqafor.
You can get it at Target or Walmart.
It is the best!! My 8 year old son is the
same way!

Hi E.! I am going through the samething right now. I asked for others mothers help and to be honest bagbalm in the green can has been the only thing that has helped. My daughter has had this dark red ring around her lips and it really looked like she had an over dose of botox. Bagbalm has helped it so much and she is licking her lips alot less. I wish you the best.
H.

My brother had this as a kid every winter for about 6 years. Now my middle daughter has it, too. And her hands are like a scullery maid's, they're so red and chapped. The best thing for her is Aquaphor. We put it on at night, both on lips and hands. She also has a small tube for her school bag. It doesn't have a smell or taste or feel like anything is there, so there's no desire to remove it. Other than that, maybe visit the doctor to see if it's more than a regular urge and more like a compulsion.
Good luck.