I shouldn’t have to tell you that I have a thing for lip balm… must I bring out my stash again?
(Amazingly, my collection has grown since that photo was taken. Time to purge again.)
Now as much as I love slathering on a delicious-smelling, sparkly or delicately shaded lip balm, often I need a little TLC in the form of repairing, re-balancing moisture and restoring comfort to my lips. And that’s when I reach for CERALIP by La Roche-Posay.
Before I go about pitching the product to you, I want to share my history of use with this lip balm. It’s a personal story about depression, anxiety and self-loathing. Sounds cheery, no?
Here goes: Just over 10 years ago, I woke up one morning to feel my lips red, burning and horribly chapped. Thinking it had something to do with the grapefruit I ate the night before, I chalked it up to citrus irritation and slapped on a generic lip balm. However, even after multiple applications throughout the day, I felt no relief. Within days, my lips were constantly crusting over and were an angry, blistering red.
It took about two weeks of intense discomfort for me to pop in to see my doctor. He shrugged off my concerns, claiming it was simply chapped lips, and told me to smear on some petroleum jelly a few times per day. I left his office feeling a little better about my condition, but it only took about two days for me to realize that the petroleum jelly was making my mouth worse.
To give you a visual, it basically looked like I had small cornflakes on top of my lips. Gross, huh? And if I tried to exfoliate the crusty, scaly pieces, my lips would swell to an ugly crimson shade… making me look like Jessica Simpson after her brief affair with Restylane.
(Full, pouty lips – a woman’s dream, right? Not so much. Not only did I look like someone had hit me in the mouth; I constantly felt the need to touch, pick at and bite the tiny scabs, making the condition worse.)
It took about three more weeks for me to become officially depressed about my appearance. I was a 22-year old woman; hence, I was intensely concerned about my looks and suffered at the thought of having “disfigured” lips. Dramatic, I know, but I truly believed I was a freak! Adding insult to injury, everyone I chatted with gave me the good ol’ advice to “just use Chapstick.”
Newsflash: Chapstick is NOT a cure all!
I finally made an appointment with my dentist (lips… mouth… that’s gotta be his territory, no?) based on a suggestion that I may have developed an allergy to a tooth filling. My dentist scratched his head in confusion (which strangely, I could deal with – had he prescribed petroleum jelly I would have hit the roof!) but did refer me to a dermatologist.
My appointment was another five weeks away. I hated my reflection, and myself.
(Of course, back in 2001 the Internet had about a tenth of the information it has today; rendering me frustrated after continuously searching for clues and coming up with nothing. Today, when I input “chapped, peeling lips” into Google, it instantly returns pages and pages of information about my condition – oops, more about that now.)
Finally, meeting the dermatologist. Thank goodness for professionals who know their sh*t.
She thoroughly examined my lips, and after pulling, prodding and even taking a small biopsy, she declared that I was suffering from a condition called exfoliative cheilitis – a disorder characterized by an endless cycle of inflammation, crusting over and peeling of the lips. It is considered an autoimmune disease and at the time, had not been studied intensively by the medical community. There is no cure for exfoliative cheilitis, but through proper management and good diet, the condition can be suppressed.
And THAT’s when I was prescribed CERALIP by La Roche-Posay.
CERALIP LIPID-REPLENISHING LIP CREAM is a fragrance-free, paraben-free lip salve that reconstitutes severely dry, chapped lips. Sounds like your average lip treatment? It’s not.
For the case of cheilitis: “Curative, preventive efficacy on 61 patients undergoing retinoic treatment (preventing cheilitis at the start of treatment in 100% of patients; improvement in cheilitis in 90% of patients in the week after the start of treatment).”
Within days of using CERALIP faithfully, my lips began to return to normal. The inflammation subsided, the peeling/crusting cycles calmed down, and my lips regained their natural pink hue. Within weeks, there was very little evidence that I had experienced any severe discomfort at all; I almost questioned if the previous three months were just a bad dream.
Today, I do suffer relapses when I’m stressed or under the weather, but I always have a tube of CERALIP nearby. Retailing for just $13.50, it has a buttery texture that you’ll love to apply – though a little certainly goes a long, long way.
So why is it a Best Beauty Bet? Ladies – the stuff heals and repairs medical conditions caused by autoimmune disease. I think you can trust it for your dry, chapped lips :)
I’m SO thankful you wrote this. My daughter (aged 5) has exactly what you described!! I too was told to put Vasoline on it which only made it worse. I went the the drugstore on the weekend and talked to the pharmacist and he recommended Ceralip. We’ve been using it a few days now and it seems to be getting better. My child constantly picks at her lip, so we need to get her to stop doing that so her lips can heal. How often do you apply throughout the day?
Thanks Lena. xoxo
Hi Lisa,
I can certainly relate – I’ve had episodes of cheilitis since I was six or seven years old, but it didn’t become unmanageable until that brief (but very memorable) flare-up in my twenties. As a child, I picked my lips (constantly) which likely exacerbated the condition, which you’ve already discovered.
Good news first? CERALIP works well to absorb into the lips, allowing the healing ingredients to penetrate (vs Vaseline which just floats on top of the skin).
Bad news? That means that the flakes are more “pickable”, because there’s no greasy feeling standing in the way of your daughter’s roaming fingers.
So, to let the balm do it’s job, it’s gotta be a hands off at all times. I wish I had some sage advice for how to relate this to your DD, but I don’t. In fact, I’m currently trying to keep my 2 year old from obsessively sucking his thumb… and failing miserably.
I’d apply as often as needed throughout the day – even once an hour if needed. If you do notice DD pick off a scab, apply the CERALIP immediately – it will help the new skin grow in softer.
Good luck! Sending healthy, lippy vibes her way!
Oooh! I love this post! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m going to have to check that product out next time! I’m in need of a salve like that!
You’ll love it Christine!
Adore La Roche Posay, and their Cicaplast has healed all kinds of nastiness on my skin. I am TOTALLY trying this!
Ooooh, I will definitely take a look at that product next time I’m at the La Roche Posay counter! I’m all for healing all kinds of skin nastiness :)
Do you think this product would work for preventing cold sores?
Hmmm… I don’t have any experience with cold sores so it’s hard to say – but I can tell you that CERALIP does not have any “active” (medicinal) ingredients.
Thank you for the review. I’m very depressed by my lips. I’ve tried a tons of chapstick and they dont work at all. My lips all cracked up and it hurts like a mofo ! I just bought Ceralip and i hoooope that is gonna work !
Thanks for the story though.
I hope it works for you too, Kim! Good luck!
Hi Lena,
I know this post is old, but was wondering how long you used ceralip for before your EC was cured? Did you also have burning pain around your lips when it was happening? did you also make lifestyle changes, like de-stressing and changing your eating? I’m going through the same story right now for over a month now and am happy to read that the ceralip worked for you!
Hi DR,
My EC has never been cured, it only goes into remission. And it is always directly related to my anxiety and stress. When I am more anxious, the condition is more likely to be painful and yes, I feel a burning pain. The most important thing I’ve ever done is just get busy with other things and stop stressing about it. When my mind is off it, the peeling subsides and the lips begin to heal… but they’re never completely cured. Good luck!
Hi Lena,
Thanks for your response and encouragement! When you have an episode do you have crusts on both your bottom and top lips? I have been trying to leave the lips alone for the most part and been using ceralips at the most 3 times a day. On week two of this and I think the skin underneath is getting stronger after each peel off. Does the skin eventually stop encrusting so severely and do the crusts get smaller and smaller? How long would you say this takes? I tried to consult a dermatologist about the actual healing process but she was not helpful and said I had oral thrush and a bacterial infection, even though I just had a mouth swab done that came back negative from my GP a week and half ago.
I have been doing yoga and going for runs almost daily and keeping a strong mind and staying positive! Thanks again for your words!
I happened to come across this post while searching for reviews on CERALIP. CERALIP is on Groupon right now for $9.99 and I needed something to add to my set of Julie G Cruise nail polishes to get free shipping. ;D
I couldn’t help it – tears filled my eyes while reading your story. Thank you so, so much for sharing it. (((hugs))) I have suffered horrifically from autoimmune problems/diseases. I am so, so happy that you have found something that helps. (((more hugs))) Thank you so much again for sharing your story and your thoughts on CERALIP. I’m definitely going to get it along with those pretty polishes. :) Hope you are doing well!
Hi Tara – thanks for stopping by. I too have autoimmune disease and go through periods of flare/ remission. The good news – my lips are currently fine :) Go on and grab CERALIP – you’ll be glad you did!
Hi Lena,
Thanks for this info, Ceralip seems appropriate to my condition, at least I hope,..
While I have had problems with my lips since my youth (dry and chapped lips for as long as I can remember, I became an avid user of blistex), I was recently diagnosed with “lichen plan buccal” (in french), another autoimmune disease that affects my lips and I have had a cortisone treatment for the last 2 weeks.
As my doctor told me to avoid lesions on my lips (risk of cancer) or any vaseline related or medicamented lip balm, I am now looking for a alternative that will keep my lips smooth. My pharmacist told me about Ceralip as a product often prescribed by doctors for conditions that make the lips dry, I just started to use it, so I dont know if it will work yet.
Have you heard anything about this autoimmune desease and the use of Ceralip?
Thanks
Most lip balms can’t handle serious flakes or dryness. This one is great for when you need to pull out the big guns on your lips! :)