Eczema on Lips

By Kalpana Kumari

 
Eczema is one of the most common skin disorders. It can start at any stage of life, even in infancy. According to general observation, once eczema gets underway, it does not get treated easily. In medicine, eczema is described as a kind of inflammatory reaction of the skin that involves formation of very small blisters that are a bit raised from the level of the skin surrounding them. Eczema takes place in stages. These are successively, reddening of the skin, swelling, formation of papules, crusting of the affected skin, thickening and scaling of the skin. There are numerous types of eczema. Some examples are atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic eczema, stasis dermatitis, etc. Eczema can literally occur at any part of the body. Here in this article, the discussion is restricted to eczema on lips. The most common eczema on lips symptoms are itching and inflammation of the skin. Let's learn more about eczema on lips.

What Causes Eczema on Lips?
The foremost cause of eczema on lips is dry skin. Many people have natural dry skin. Their skin becomes dryer as they grow old. Environmental conditions play a great role in drying up of the skin. This particularly happens in the winter season when humidity is low. Frequent use of heaters, blowers, and taking hot baths for a long time period leads to loss of moisture from the lip. This further worsens the condition of dry skin. There are many other things that can make your lips lose moisture. These include the habit of licking your lips, allergies to cosmetics or skin care products, dehydration, exposure to sun, smoking, certain medicines such as the ones that are used to cure acne, etc.

How to Treat Eczema on Lips
Avoid all those substances that tend to irritate your lips. This is the most effective treatment for eczema on lips. Some examples of such substances are food or drink which is acidic in nature, a particular brand of cosmetics, hand wash and items containing sodium laurel sulfate. In addition to this, there are several home remedies for eczema on lips. These are mentioned here.

• Apply petroleum jelly or another lip moisturizing agent to your lips 3-4 times a day. This will moisturize your lips as well as protect them from infection and further damage.
• Essential oils like lavender and chamomile are known to accelerate the process of eczema on lips treatment. Consult an aromatherapist to learn about the correct dosage.
• Shea butter is an excellent moisturizing agent. It assists a lot in treating eczema on lips. Use it in the balm form whenever you feel dryness on your lips.
• Use a non-prescription cream containing hydrocortisone for treating eczema on lips. It will reduce redness, itching and inflammation to a great extent.
• Take an oatmeal bath 3 times a week to treat eczema on lips. To make an oatmeal bath, mix 2-3 cups of grounded oats with a tub of water. Soak yourself in it for 10 minutes.
• Eczema with open blisters is vulnerable to bacterial infection. To prevent worsening of the condition, take over-the-counter antibiotics.
• Take an over-the-counter antihistamine medication to subside the symptoms of eczema on lips such as inflammation, itching and scratching.

The aforementioned ways on how to cure eczema on lips are highly efficacious and sure-to-deliver results. Try them for 7-10 days. If you find satisfactory improvement in the condition of eczema on your lips, continue with the same till you achieve complete cure. In case, there is no improvement, pay a visit to a dermatologist. Effective medical treatment is available for eczema on lips. Take help of it to restore the healthy state of your lips.

Article Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/eczema-on-lips.html