Overview
Lip conditions can prevent infants from eating regularly or thoroughly, attempting to communicate or simply being able to relax. Consider the onset and duration of infant lip conditions to determine specific lifestyle causes and obtain guidance, as needed. Fortunately, infants respond rapidly to change, which in turn enables parents to quickly restore healthy lips.
About Lip Skin
Lip skin is thin, contains no protective hair or sweat glands, and loses moisture more rapidly than any other part of your body. Dry skin cells are less flexible, so dry lips may crack or peel. Licking lips only worsens the situation, because saliva contains acids that help food digestion in the mouth but can irritate the skin. Factors in lip health are environmental conditions such as dry air or sunlight, lifestyle choices such as foods or home care products and contagious disease such as herpes.
Dry or Chapped Lips
Due to extremes in air temperature, strong wind or the presence of saliva (drool), lip skin can become dry and chapped. Parents can introduce humidifiers at night (keeping them out of reach of young children) and apply a small drop of lanolin to clean, dry lips. Also use lanolin to condition dry nipples on nursing mothers. Alternatively, you may use a small amount of petroleum jelly, which can seal in moisture.
Cracked or Peeling Lips
In extreme cases, chapped lips may crack or begin to peel, making way for healthier and stronger tissue. While this condition may be harmless, open skin is at greater risk for the introduction of infection. Apply a drop of Vitamin E oil, squeezed out of a capsule, directly to the lips. Vitamin E capsules have a long shelf life but should be obtained at a low strength (low quantity of vitamin per capsule) to prevent toxic reactions.
Red or Irritated Lips
Reactions to soap and laundry products as well as ingredients in formula and breast milk can lead to red or irritated lips. Discover any food allergies (i.e., to soy, milk, etc.) and switch to dye- and fragrance-free home-care products. Since lingering food can irritate inflamed lips, wipe and dry baby’s lips thoroughly between meals.
Cold Sores
Infants may have cold sores on or outside of the lips, indicating the presence of the herpes virus. According to the New York State Department of Health, newborns with HSV require hospitalization with intravenous medication. While infant cold sores may recede on their own, parents should err on the side of caution and obtain medical guidance.
Cleft Lip
Infants may be born with a condition known as cleft lip, whereby there is at least one split in the upper lip. This condition is generally acknowledged during the baby’s first examination, though the process of rehabilitation (which may involve surgery, speech therapy and other support services) can take some time.
Lip Precautions
Abrupt lip swelling, lip discomfort with the presence of a fever, white patches on the inside of the mouth or throat, or additional sores inside the cheeks, tongue or elsewhere on the body may be the signs of a serious medical condition and should be referred to a health care practitioner. Children whose lips and tongue are severely swollen or whose lips appear blue may need immediate medical attention.
