Chapped Lips Soothe That Kisser
CHAPPED LIPS Soothe That Kisser
It's one thing to watch your child lick her lips in anticipation of eating a yummy ice cream cone. It's quite another to watch her lick her lips over and over--trying without success to ease the irritation that comes from chapped lips. Fortunately, your child needn't suffer if you use these tips from our experts.
Slather on petroleum jelly. '' Wet your child's chapped lips 10 to 20 times a day with cool water for about 30 seconds and then slather on a thick coating of Vaseline petroleum jelly,'' says Paul Rehder, M.D., a pediatric dermatologist in private practice in Oxnard, California. ''The Vaseline doesn't taste that good, but even when habitual lip-lickers lick their lips, the saliva won't get through the Vaseline.''
Keep a lip balm in your kid's pocket. Any readily available lip balm such as ChapStick is suitable for use by kids with chapped lips, says Rodney S. W. Basler, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. But it has to be reapplied every time your child eats or drinks anything. Otherwise it won't work.
Don't go for flavored lip balms. Ignore the pleas of your child for such exotic lip-balm flavors as Mucho Mocha or Torrid Tangelo, suggests Dr. Rehder. ''Some kids like to eat the flavored kinds right off their lips, causing even worse chapping. Stick with the unflavored lip balms instead. They're more likely to stay where they're needed,'' he says.
Go for the sunscreen combo. ''It's a good idea to protect your children's lips from cancer as well as from chapping,'' says Dr. Basler. Regularly apply a lip balm that contains sunscreen whenever your child goes outdoors.
Borrow from the bees. Carmex, an over-the-counter product that comes in a little tin and is made of beeswax and phenol, is better than any prescription medicine for chapped lips, says Dr. Basler. If regular lip balm isn't strong enough to help your child, Carmex might do the trick.
Heal with hydrocortisone. For chapping that refuses to yield to either lip balm or Carmex, try an over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone ointment, says Dr. Basler.
Encourage less licking. Chapping is caused by dehydration. So if your child's lips feel dry, she'll automatically lick them to restore moisture. Unfortunately, as soon as the moisture from licking evaporates, her lips will be drier than ever.
With older children, you should discuss what's causing their lips to be chapped, suggests Dr. Basler. They may not understand how evaporation causes the problem, but they can certainly understand how licking the lips can make them hurt even more. With a few reminders, your child can become aware of this habit--and stop herself from doing it.
