trying to heal lips - help!!!

[lippicker]

Hi, as a kid I picked my lips all the time. Well, Now, I have stopped the picking, but now as I am giving my lips a chance to heal, I am having problems. here's what happens:

A scab-like thing begins to grow over the affected areas. On my bottom lip it basically covers a good portion. I feel like this would heal on its own if left alone, but it seems like something always disrupts it, whether it be by simply talking, or brushing teeth, eating, drinkning, or whatever else. Something nicks it and then the scab breaks and the ends start to flare up and before long its an unsightly mess of dead skin and scab and I have to pick it off.

Any tips on how to keep from bothering the scab as it heals? I have been through the cycle about 5 times now, where the scab grows, something nicks it, it begins to break apart, and eventually it either falls off, or it is hanging on by a thread and I have to pull it off.

I need help. Anyone? Thanks so much!

[lippicker]

Is anyone out there willing to help me?

[scarreddaisy]

hmm that is a touch place for one to try to heal... I am not a lip picker but I can understand your delima.. you need something that will preevnt nicking and will be flexible enough to handle everyday actions.. I would suggest a liquid bandaid... that will prevent it from getting reopened and will allow it time to heal

[petunia]

for about ten years i had a split in my lower lip that would never heal. every time it got close, i would end up peeling and biting at it and it would start all over.
what finally worked was petroleum jelly plus sheer willpower.
you have to keep petroleum jelly on your lips ALL THE TIME, this will keep the scabs soft so that they dont get all hard and split and tempt you to pick at them. when you are at home, you can really slather it on thick, esp. at bedtime (it is a big difference the next morning!), and during the day apply it a little more thinly, and it looks like lip gloss. if you keep it covered in petroleum jelly, and refrain from picking at all for at least a week or so, it should heal up enough that it wont even scab up anymore, and there wont be anything to pick.
once its healed, just make sure you always keep your lips moisturized (i wear lip balm every day and petroleum jelly every night).
i healed my lips almost ten years ago. this is the one thing as far as picking goes that i have been able to overcome, so i know if i can do it anyone can!

[hush]

I know that I was having a really hard time letting my lips heal- they'd form an aweful painful scab as well. I was using Crest Rejuvinating Effects toothpaste, and it turns out that it was the problem! I switched to regular old paste and it was much better. So, maybe switch to a really plain toothpaste or natural like Toms of Maine if you don't already use it.

[lippicker]

hey, thanks everyone! Keep the suggestions coming!

[Hush]

Okay, one more idea....Philosophy "Kiss me" lip balm is great. Pretty expensive at $10 per jar, and I'm not sure what sex you are but its probably too shiny for a guy's taste. Anyway its really thick and emolliant. I don't know about you but the thicker & longer it stays on, the more I ignore the little flakes or scabs on my lips. With the balm, my lips just glide past eachother and I'm less likely to pick.

[LFo]

I used to get *incredibly* sore lips as a child, from excessive licking of them (beyond the lips themselves, so the skin surrounding became inflamed and scabby). I used to compulsively open my mouth wide several times a minute (must have looked VERY strange ) to see how wide I could open it without cracking the healing corners of the mouth, which of course re-split them and made me lick them even more in a vain attempt to re-moisturise.... Petroleum jelly (vaseline) is what worked for me - huge slatherings of it all over. I did find myself ftarting to eat it though, so try not to get into THAT habit. As an adult, I never go ANYWHERE without a lipsalve now. If I accidentally find myself without one I have to be very careful to not lick my lips because the saliva dries them and then the whole cycle of lick-dry-lick-get inflamed would start again. If I AM "caught short" I just get a glass of water and let it wash over my lips (as if drinking) to keep them cool and moist without having to lick them. Now I only need to get my nailbiting and spot-squeezing sorted.... Good Luck

[PickFreakFem24Can]

TEXT Like oh my god i do the same dam thing eh. Im sandra ,,,im from canada.That sounds like me to a T in the winter timebecause they get really really chapped,,,,,the summer time Its good. But i still have the scabs that need to be picked. Like i think that picking the scab with my fingernails will make it go away or sumthing. Well,,u know what I use ,,im just wondering were your from because I dont know if they have this in the states >>> its called blistex and its medicated ,,,its in a small bdark blue container.Put that on if you want to pick at it,,and out alot on before bed and you will wake up ( hopefully fully healed ) and start the day fresh and ready to have sum control over your picking. That what I do. Im sick of bleeding and not being able to eat sallt and vinagar chips Well,,i also chew on my insides of my cheeks ,,,feel free to email me and letme know how you are doing [e-mail]

[scarreddaisy]

if your like me and you tend to bite/peel those strips of skin on your lips when they get all dried out i found that to prevent that from happening if you use a bit of sugar on the end of your toothbrush and brush your lips it keeps them nice and smooth... then you can cover them with chapstick or lipgloss ( i find the gloss is better cuz it keeps my lips slippery and smooth feeling)

[catalinablue]

the petroleum idea (vaseline) was very good...however- recent studies have shown that petroleum s actrually addictive to the skin and lips which is why many people are constantly re-applying chapstick. Shea butter is a much better alternative to ur dried out scabs on ur lips. I pick my lips as well as other parts of my body to the point where I am bloody. Sometimes, at the dinner table I have to pick up my glass of ice water and put it against my lips to soothe them from the food i am eating. My mother thinks it is terribly rude but I have gotten to a point where it hurts sometimes to move them to talk. The body shop is a wonderful place for skin and has organic based ingredients. There u will be able to find shea butter for ur lips as well as salt scrubs and sugar scrubs for ur skin.

[sagacious]

Yep Vaseline is the way to go and I agree with Catalina about the lips easily becoming addicted to moisture placed on them. Short term use shouldn't cause the rebound effect though. It is why so many products say do not use more then so many days or the rebounding effect will take hold,,,neosporin also has vaseline in it but it seals the wound instead of healing them. I use vaseline when I get my yearly cold sore and it shortens the healing time so much. Good luck!

[April]

I keep chap stik on my lips at all times. That helps keep them from drying out and cracking.

[bluemoon]

I have the EXACTLY same problem with trying to heal my lips - its been 6 months and nothing yet. I don't pick at them anymore, but the skin just keeps falling off as a new layer forms. Has anything worked for you yet?

[basementchick]

I used to pick at my lips quite badly. I still occasionally get the urge, especially in the winter when they get chapped (annoying!).

The good thing is that, unlike the skin on your face, the skin on your lips has a really fast turnover time. Even though I don't pick my lips, I notice that a new layer of skin forms every few days.

What I do is when I'm in the shower and the skin on my lips has softened, I rub them back and forth gently with my fingers to get rid of the dead skin. It only takes a few seconds.

Then I apply Vaseline and my lips are smooth, shiny, and naturally pink from the rubbing!