Dry, Irritated, Red Patch of Skin Between the Chin and the Bottom Lip?

Updated on January 22, 2009
D.F. asks from Schenectady, NY
27 answers

Hi there, My 3 1/2 year old son has a dry, red patch of skin just above his chin.
It seems to be getting worse and he is complaining that it hurts.
Any ideas of what this could be or how I could relieve his pain?
(I would take him to his Doc, but don't want to be one of those Mom's who run to the Doc every little thing)
Thanks, D.

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So What Happened?

Thank you all soooooo much ! I put Vaseline on it last night before bed and today it seems to be drying up.
It's not red anymore and seems to be much better. I will keep my eye on it and see how it goes.
Thanks everyone for your responses !

Featured Answers

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S.L.

answers from Binghamton on

Try some rosehip seed oil. It's great for excema (any skin irritation really) and is safe in case he ingests it.

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N.M.

answers from New York on

I try Aquaphor first, then bag balm. Winter is drying, coats rub up against skin, some kids lick their lips and it makes their skin dry.

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A.G.

answers from New York on

Does he suck or lick his lower lip a lot? I has 1 nephew that licked and sucked his lower lip and thats how it looked. I would try a topical ointment and see how that works. A.

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L.M.

answers from New York on

It could be chapped skin. Does he lick his lips alot? My doctor recommended hydrocortizone cream.

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J.H.

answers from New York on

When I don't want to go to the doctor, I usually just call and ask to speak to the nurse who usually provides good advice about little things like that. I use Cetaphil to keep my son's skin moist, but if it is eczema, he might need hydrocortisone cream and I usually only put that on if I've spoken to the doctor or nurse first. Good luck!

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K.D.

answers from New York on

Hey!

It sounds very similar to what my 4 year old girl had. Hers was right below her mouth. It would not go away. We used Aquafor for awhile and that helped at first. Then we saw the pediatrician. He noticed right away that she had licked her mouth and surrounding area several times while we were in the room. So she was creating an irritated patch of skin from her saliva. He recommended Aveeno with 1% Hydrocortisone anti-itch cream. It worked! It took a couple weeks, but after three months of rash, it finally went away.

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M.L.

answers from New York on

Hi D.,
I agree with the other Mom's...my daughter is constantly licking her top and bottom lips...so each night before bed I lather her up with vaseline...usually works until she starts licking again.
Meg

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M.P.

answers from Albany on

My youngest has dry patches all around his mouth...related to excema. We use Bagbalm...the stuff they use to relieve chapped cows udders! It comes in a little green tin and you can get it at most drug stores. we put it on him every night before bed and usually by the morning it is reduced. If that doesn't take care of it though I would definitely go to the dr because, like some of the other woman said, it could be something contagious!!

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M.G.

answers from New York on

I agree, my sons both are very sensitive and in the cold, the get red and irritated patches on their faces, I use Eucerin on it, it helps if I can at least slather it on at bedtime and I try to before going out. Now I put it on to prevent it, you can put it on as often as needed to treat it.

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B.C.

answers from New York on

Could be the beginning of baby eczema. It usually starts on the face/chin and spreads down. Rub in vaseline on that spot multiple times a day. It's the best thing for that. You can use Acquaphor but that's only 41% petroleum jelly while vaseline is 100% petroleum jelly so it works better.

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S.D.

answers from New York on

My pediatrician recommended Aquafor for my daughter who experienced similar red dry patch and it worked like magic.

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K.Y.

answers from New York on

Hi,
Maybe it's from licking in this cold weather. I know a few kids at my daughter's school that do this. My daughter gets it under her nose. I put a big lather of Aquaphor on it every night and it controls it. GL!

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J.G.

answers from Buffalo on

You should probably take your son to the pediatrician. Don't worry about beong a "worrywart." Better to have it checked out, in case it requires treatment. My friend at work's daughter had a skin rash that ended up being impetigo. Which can be contagious. Good luck!

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A.S.

answers from New York on

Last year my sons turned out to be a strep infection. YOu never know!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.S.

answers from New York on

It is probably chapped from the cold weather. I notice children constantly licking their lips when they are dry and sometimes it creates really bad chapped lips. I would try Aquaphor (sp) it really works wonders.

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S.W.

answers from Elmira on

D., its probably chapped - try coating with vasline for a few days.
Good luck - and if you want to see the doctor call - who cares what they think you're pying them. Besides your son comes first.

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J.I.

answers from New York on

Hi D., I could have written that request yesterday. I called my sister who is a R.N. and she told me to put a very light coating of A&D on it. My daughter woke up this morning with it still a bit dry, but the redness is totally gone. It worked for us.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.B.

answers from New York on

Aquaphor is a great suggestion for maintenece, but if it doesn't heal with that, i would use hydracortisone cream. I had the same type of thing on my hand and with hydracortisone it went away in 2 days. My daughter has this behind her ears. We use aquaphore daily, but if it gets really rough and red, i use hydracortisone for a day or 2 to heal it quick and then go back to the aquaphore.

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T.W.

answers from New York on

D.,
My son was and still is the same way as yours. I was one of those moms who took my son to the doctors and honestly all the prescription creams did nothing for him. What I did find that works is using Aveeno Body Wash and Lotion all the time. A couple of years ago I was at the dermatologist for myself and mentioned Derek's dry skin to him, he is the one who told me to use only Aveeno products for both of us or better yet for the rest of our family. It is winter so I bought the cream for severe dry skin and after we are done washing I use the oil that you put on and rinse off. Every time we wash our hands he uses the cream (unless he is at school). Since we started doing this I have seen a drastic improvement. Another thing, I take oatmeal and grind it up into a powder in the blender and put it in the water whenever he takes a bath. It is cheaper than buying the Aveeno Bath and my doctor said it is the same thing. I have a container that I keep filled at all times with it. Let me know how it works for you and your son.

Hugs,
T.

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K.R.

answers from New York on

The same thing happens to my son, especially when he has a cold...to try and prevent the dry,red patches from starting at all, I use Aquaphor, just like all the other Moms have suggested. However, if I don't catch it in time, sometimes it turns into a fungal infection, just from being constantly moist. When it got to that point, the Dr. recommended Lotramin and it worked like a charm! Hope this helped!

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T.M.

answers from Utica on

if you get sweet almond oil in your local natural food store, or even on line, it is very good for your skin. i have had a rash under my breasts that i have would not go away from using a laundry detergent that i am allergic too. nothing was working, i got this sweet almond oil and not only did it clear the rash, with in a few hours the pain went away, and it did not stain my clothes. the biggest plus for you is it is edible. it can be used as salad dressing if you choose. i get it made by the company NOW. a little goes a very long way. also used it on the dog for hot spots and don't have to worry about him licking it off.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.O.

answers from New York on

Is it possible that your son is licking that spot when he goes outside into the cold?
I've seen many kids with red patches from doing this, often just above their upper lip.

Good luck

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H.M.

answers from New York on

It could be a "drool rash" or, at this time of year, just very dry skin that would do well with some aquafor or some kind of rich cream. But if your poor son is so bothered by it he says it hurts, it sounds like it's really your job to at least call your Dr. if not take him in and not really worry about being "one of those moms" who go to the Dr too much. Hope that helps and good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.H.

answers from New York on

My daughter often licks or bites on her lips in cold weather and causes irritations around the mouth area. Sometimes these irritations develop quickly into impetigo which requires an antibiotic cream to heal. If you've tried aquaphor or something like that and the red patch is not going away, you might consider calling your pediatrician.

Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from New York on

I would recommend Aquaphor it is the best for stuff like that.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.A.

answers from Buffalo on

it could be impetigo.. if it is spreading..you should see the dr just in case..it could be a simple yeast infection on the skin..dont hurt to have it checked out in case it is contagious. good luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from New York on

Try the Aquaphor the stuff is fabulous. Both my pediatrician recommended it and I was recently at the dermatologist and they recommend it too.

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