“Atopic labyrinthitis is rarely described in textbooks, but it is not uncommon among patients with atopic dermatitis/eczema, often manifesting itself as a chronic process with recurrent lip fissures, peeling, and severe pain when eating and drinking or even speaking, and also affecting the appearance.
Many patients have sought treatment everywhere, using various hormonal or non-hormonal ointments and trying various small remedies, but always failing to cure. Today I’m going to tell you a little trick to treat atopic labyrinthitis.
The characteristics of atopic labyrinthitis 1, mostly seen in older children, adolescents and adults; 2, manifested by dry, cracked and peeling skin on the lips, corners of the mouth and around the mouth, which repeatedly does not heal; 3, accompanied by pain, burning or pins and needles-like sensations, occasionally itching; 4, can be accompanied by eczema on other parts of the body such as hands, feet, breasts or vulva; 5, most patients have a history of eczema in early childhood or with other allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma Most of the patients have dry skin.
Reasons for the occurrence of atopic labyrinthitis Since most patients with atopic dermatitis/eczema have defects in skin barrier function, this can cause increased loss of skin moisture, which can manifest as dry, flaky skin on the extremities and trunk, coarse and increased texture on the palms of the hands, increased dandruff on the scalp, and dry, cracked and peeling skin on the lips. This is one of the reasons why atopic labyrinthitis occurs: congenital abnormalities in the skin barrier function cause dry skin on the lips.
The lips are a special part of the body, and what we eat and drink every day has to enter the body through the door of the mouth and lips, so many kinds of substances come into contact with the lip skin every day, and when the lip skin is consistently dry and cracked, these substances are more likely to enter the skin and come into contact with various immune cells, thus inducing inflammation. Of course, exposure of the lips to dry air, wind, ultraviolet light, and cosmetics applied to the lips may also cause irritation and trigger inflammation. Patients often lick their lips because of dry lips, and the enzymes in saliva can also cause irritation to the lip skin. This is another major cause of atopic labyrinthitis: irritation from multiple substances.
Treatment of Atopic Lipitis Once you understand why atopic lipitis occurs, you would guess that the secret to treating atopic lipitis is “protection”. To relieve dry skin, you need a moisturizing moisturizer, and to relieve dry lips, you should use a lip balm. There are many types of lip balms on the market to choose from, but it is best to choose a medical moisturizing lip balm that is free of colors and fragrances for people with atopic lip infections.
The number of applications and dosage should also be enough. It is generally recommended to apply it before each drink and meal, so as to reduce the stimulation of water and food; it should also be applied in time after eating and drinking, or anytime when the lips feel dry; a thick layer can be applied at night before going to bed to promote skin barrier repair. In this way, you may have to apply more than dozens of times a day, so remember to carry lip balm with you and apply it whenever you want.
Of course, when lip inflammation is obvious, you can also use anti-inflammatory creams for a short period of time, such as medium- or weak-acting hormonal creams, or non-hormonal tacrolimus or pimecrolimus ointments. The inflammation can usually be controlled with topical application for 1-2 weeks. However, it is important to remember that it is impossible to completely control atopic lip inflammation with only medication and no added protection.