Frequent dry, chapped and peeling lips are a chronic non-specific inflammatory disease of the lips called chronic labyrinthitis. According to the characteristics of clinical manifestations, it can be divided into chronic desquamative labyrinthitis, which is mainly desquamation, and chronic vesicular labyrinthitis, which is mainly exudative erosion.
Chronic desquamative labyrinthitis is mostly seen in women before the age of 30 and often involves the upper and lower red lips, but the lower lip is the most important. The red part of the lips is dry and cracked with yellowish-white or brown flaking, peeling or fine scaling. In mild cases, there is a single layer of scattered flaking, while in severe cases, the scales overlap and form dense patches, which can be easily torn off painlessly to expose the bright red “skinless” tissue below the scales. The adjacent skin and cheek mucosa are often not involved. In the presence of secondary infection, the skin is mildly edematous and congested, with localized dryness, itching, tingling, or burning pain. The disease is recurrent and can last for months or even years. The onset of chronic labyrinthitis is mostly related to various chronic long-term persistent stimuli, such as dryness, cold, especially with bad habits such as lip licking and lip biting, addiction to tobacco, alcohol and hot food. Certain people may also experience dry, peeling lips in dry, hot seasons or environments. As long as appropriate protective agents are applied and the lips are kept moist, they can return to normal without further development.
Chronic vesicular labyrinthitis has repeated vesicles on the red part of the upper and lower lips, with significant exudation and crusting and peeling. When there is inflammatory exudate, a thin yellow scab is formed, and when there is bleeding, a blood scab is coagulated, and when there is secondary infection, a pus scab is formed. Patients often unconsciously bite their lips, lick their tongues or rub them with their hands to cause chapping and pain in the damaged area, and the exudation becomes more obvious, followed by crusting, resulting in crust on crust, swelling of the red part of the lips or chronic mild hyperplasia. This type requires a visit to the mucous membrane department of a dental hospital or the dermatology department of a general hospital, and medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.