Chapped Cheeks and Lips

They dryness could be caused by a Vitamin A or Vitamin B2 deficiency. Some conditions cause people not to absorb their nutrients very well. Cold, dry weather also causes chapped lips. Your house does sound a little cold. Maybe that's just my opinion! :) It could also be a food allergy or intolerance. I get very chapped, cracked lips from wheat (gluten) and dairy.

Here is an article on food allergies to get you started: http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2007/11/most-common-food...

Take care!

M.,

Put a humidifier in his room-that will help with dry air and moisturize his skin a bit. Also, Aquaphor ointment helps for chapped lips and skin. I would offer him more water throughout the day-even if its just a few sips here and there, it will make a difference. Good luck!

Molly

The winter in general is tough on their little skin. I would make sure he is getting good fats to hydrate his skin from the inside, I put a little flax seed oil in fruit smoothies or in a chocolate protein/vitamin shake and it helps my son & me(my nostrils seem to crack in winter) or just good quality butter. I have food grade coconut oil, comes in a jar & is solid, (you can find it at a natural food place, nugget, whole foods even raleys.) I use it for cooking, diaper rashes, lips, chapped cheeks etc. It's so good for their skin and has health benefits, some people take it by the spoonful, so you can feel good about putting it on his lips even if he ingests it. I would try that and aquaphor as a last resort.

i was going to give the same advice as molly. humidifier and aquafore. our daughter had dry cheeks a few weeks back and is getter better now. good luck.

To take of the immediate symptoms, I would try Aquafor cream (in baby section or lotion sections at Target or pharmacy). Next, it he is not apparently sick, you might try to see if he is allregic. I know plenty of people would get that type of reaction with food allreagies, mostly gluten (found in foods containing flour). You could alway just not fee him anything containing gluten (wheat and white flour) for 4-5 days and see for yourself if it gets better.

Hope I have helped.
God bless

Try lip balm from Melaleuca, it works great!Sun Shades Lip Balm, with SPF 15 sun protection, help put an end to dryness, cracking, and peeling with a powerful combination of jojoba, beeswax, vitamin E, and cocoa butter.

Product Experiences

1-3 of 3
04/22/2006
I used to make my own lip balm because I didn´t like the greasiness of those I had tried, but this is the best lip balm I have ever used! It works immediately without that greasy feeling and tastes great! -- Joshua, Tennessee

12/31/2005
It keeps my lips and my children´s lips from cracking during the Minnesota winters and protects our lips in the hot summer sun. I keep some in the cars, my purse, my 9 year old´s school desk, coat pockets, and at my work! -- Heidi, Minnesota

11/13/2005
Sun Shades Lip Balm is the best there is. It is very soothing to winter-chapped lips, and the flavors all smell so good. -- Lynn, Ohio

It sounds like it may be eczema. Have you noticed them worsen after certain foods? For my son it was citrus that triggered flare ups; he doesn't get them any more. If it is eczema and is bleeding, sometimes cortizone cream helps, but not without your doctor's advice!

My daughter used to get the same thing when she was overheated/dehydrated, and you've already gotten good advice for what to put on it.

PS To get your boys to drink more, try using different cups: sippies with straws instead of the spouts or little cups with no lids to practice "big boy" drinking. You can also sneak a little water into their food if you are feeding them (like a teaspoon or so mixed into applesauce). You can also dilute juice to give a sweet flavor to the water which might encourage more drinking... and, of course, there is the Popsicle option if you get desperate!

Have you tried putting a little Aquaphore on his cheeks to help seal out the moisture? And maybe some lite chapstick on his lips?

also try to get him to drink water only between meals, or maybe take out the juice for one and switch it with water.

I agree with all the suggestions to have a doctor check him out for allergies, a specific skin diagnosis possiblity, etc., but wanted to mention that you may want to look into what type of soap he is washing with too.
My son is fair and also has had very dry under lip redness/rash developments and the dry scaly rash on his kuckles - both different winter developments.
When we had a physician look and she had us stop all soap products - hand soaps, bubble baths, etc., and use Dove (sensitive skin) instead.
Of course, you have lots of good suggestions on ways to treat the current condition which sounds pretty inflammed at the moment, but maybe something milder that his skin is coming in contact with on a daily basis will help too.

Hi there!

It might just be the season. My son also has been getting very chapped lips and for that I keep carmex lip balm on hand. For you little guy's cheeks I recommend a little vaseline or baby oil gel. A lot of lotions are water based and therefore can dry out fairly quickly. During this cold season our skin needs to retain moisture and oil based products help with that. I hope this helps! Take care!

go to the doctor and also a dermatologist if the doctor's advice and medicine don't work.

I would take him to the dr to see if it was is a reaction or some type of skin thing. Try a cool humidifier at night to keep the room moist. Dry air does things like that to kids. Just a thought. Good luck

I think (I'm not a doctor) that some kids just have dry skin. My daughter still does and she is 7. When she was a baby I took her to the doctor and she recommended using Aquaphor. It is a healing ointment and you can find it in the lotion aisle usually by the Eucerin. It works beautifully for her skin. It looks a little greasy when I put it on her face, but after 5 minutes her skin is no longer dry/red and the greasy appearance is no longer there.
As for my daughters chapped lips, I simply use lip balm.
Hope this helps you...

He needs more water! Quit the juice altogether - offer only milk and water. I know it will create havoc for awhile but if he's thirsty he'll drink. Use vaseline on his lips and face at night. Use Blistex on his lips during the day. If it perisists, have his doctor check him for any medical conditions that can cause this.

Hydration is key in the winter and he doesn't sound like he is getting enough water. If he doesn't like water, try high water-content foods like watermelon or celery and watch his sodium intake too. He needs good fats in his diet to hydrate his skin - avocado, nuts, etc.
Until the issue is resolved, you can try Aquaphor ointment or Eucerin cream on his cheeks - lotions are too watery. Try a dap of vaseline on his lips as well. The bleeding lips at night indicate dehydration as well.

Good Luck

Hello M.,
I don't know what the symptoms mean, especially if they're not caused by dehydration.....however I wanted to tell you that I keep an aloe vera plant in my kitchen and have used it for dry lips. It is very soothing and healing and works better than all other remedies. Just break off part of a leaf, scoop out the pulp and apply gently as needed. Works like a miracle.
Cracked lips are so painful, good luck.
Tori

Hi M.,
Perhaps your son is a mouth-breather at night and that is what is causing the chapped lips.

My son licks his lips and the skin around them. When they get chapped, I use plain ol' chapstick. I put it all over his lips and skin. Within a day or two, no more redness or bleeding.

Good luck.

look to treating from inside out. Get him on some fish oils. Nordic Naturals (Whole Foods) as a liquid one that tastes like strawberry. I use a Motrin dropper to measure out 1/2 a tsp for my 19 month old. If it's for your 3.5 yr old you could do one teaspoon.

Hi there, Don't know if anyone has mentioned this. Don't run the heater at night, it makes the air too dry. Sounds like he needs moisture inside and outside of his body. It could be the season changing too, the weather has been so weird. My fruit trees have already bloomed because they thought it was spring awhile back when it was 70 in winter. And many of the answers seemed worth a try, natural things and good products. Good Luck

On extremely challenging skin, I always use Aquaphor. It works really, really well, when nothing else seems too. A doctor recommended it years ago for my newborn, and although I was hesitant to put anything on his skin, I used it, and it worked wonderfully. 3 kids later, and we are still using it.

Dry skin and chapped lips are a sign of dehydration. Get your son to drink more water.

Does he grit his teeth? Some people, kids & adults, grind their teeth when they sleep. It is h*** o* the teeth. He may even chew his lips while sleeping. You may want to check it out. L.

M.,

My son had the same thing and he drinks lot of water, milk etc...

He is fair and has sensitive skin and every time we are out in the cold or if ti is windy he gets the same skin rash. My doctor actually suggested putting a very thin layer of vaseline on his cheeks and chin. She said part of it has to do with drooling and breathing through their mouths if they are congested. This causes moisture that when mixed with cold causes chaffing.

We use the vaseline and then at night put on Burts Bees lotion and then a little vaseline on tip to create a barrier between the moisture and his skin.

It has worked amazingly well and his skin cleared up quicky. I would not put the vaseline on his lips though without checking with the doctor to make sure it is safe. There might be somthing else natural that you could use for his lips that would be safe if he licks them.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Seasonal allergies are starting and my son has been "slightly" congested. Due to this he tends to breathe through his mouth and has developed chapped lips. He licks them and licks them which actually makes it worse. When he is asleep I slather Vaseline on his lips. Usually this helps. I've done this over the years. I bought him some flavored chapstick to use during the day. He doesn't mind using it, but Vaseline works best.

When my son's cheeks and lips get chapped, I use Blistex medicated chapstick. I also use a cool mist humidifier in his room because not running the heat at night is not an option for us (too cold!). He drinks plenty of water, and I haven't seen a difference.

Try Lanolin, like you would use for chapped nipples when breastfeeding...it is okay to ingest small amounts and really works.

Try using coconut oil on his skin? Is he getting enough fat/omega 3's/vitamin E in his diet?