Of moisturizer: The story of a miraculous recovery.

I recovered miraculously from a severe condition of dry lips.

Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. My dry lips was so severe that people can notice from few feets away. Those who knows me are mostly aware of my problem. They're accustomed to me lathering vaseline on my lips every few seconds and peeling dry skin of. They're not bothered anymore at the sight of me rubbing vigorously the flakes of dry, itchy lips. Not to mention the bloody red and inflamed look of my lips when the dryness is at its worst. I suffered, really really suffered.

The problem started like 5 years back. At first I wasn't aware. I've just started working and makeup was still a too 'womanly' thing to me. I used lip balm since student days and that's it. It was by Banana Boat. I couldn't remember which type but the stick label was green in colour. I'm not the kind who owned a few types of lip balm or a few flavors of lip gloss. I always stick to the product that I like and usually it's one at a time. Maybe I was saving on money too at that time. Anyway, the lip balm works charm and the only reason I used it in the first place was vanity.

I was tempted to put on lipstick when I finally have my own paycheck. As a girl, who doesn't. Till today, I believe it was what trigger the terrible dry lips problem of mine. I won't mention the brand here but it was one of the famous multilevel marketing brand. I still remember the feeling of putting it on the first time. It was quite a dry stick, not the kind of moist, water lipstick and I was pouting and smacking my lips the whole day. Within a week, I noticed my lips getting so dry but I didn't think of anything worse. I just apply more lip balm.

However, it keeps getting worse. This time, lip balm doesn't help anymore. The dryness was so bad that my lips get very chapped and cracking and it splits painfully at the corner of my mouth. Many time I was stung with tears just to open my mouth for eating. Talking was hard enough too, not to mention laughing. Sometimes I had to hold my mouth together when I couldn't hold the laugh because otherwise I would simply tear my mouth further. I tried every brand of lip balm and every kind of cream too in the hope that it'll work. Yet it doesn't. You name it, I have so many good as new lip balm because I used it once or twice and it only exaggerate the problem. Lipstick became a no no. It's like an allergy to my lips.

Then I was introduced to vaseline. For a time, it was my savior. It effectively relieved if not healed my dry lips. I carry it around everywhere I go. To not have it around is like a disaster. Like the time I lost it during a two weeks course in quite a remote area. I was ready to cry at the end of one week for the suffering and knowing I have to endure it for another one week.

Years went by and vaseline is still my best friend. I am so troubled by this neverending dry lips and at times I feel like this is how it's going to be for the rest of my life. Everyday peeling of dry skin from my lips and once a week suffering deep bleeding cuts at the corner of my mouth. Sometimes the skin around my mouth is so dry it looks like crust. It's like I have a disease and I was so embarassed when people stare. It's gross, I know.

When I have better access to internet, I started to read more on dry lips since nobody seems to have the answer to my problem. I've also started wondering that maybe this dry lips is telling me something. Maybe it's not just merely dry lips. The worse that came to my mind was lip cancer. Then I came across angular cheilitis and was surprised to read the signs and symptoms. This is it! This is what exactly happened to me! Now I just have to find out the cause. I contemplated going to the dermatologist to rule out any infection but then I thought if it's infection surely it wouldn't just affect the lips. It would be all over my face. Maybe it is an internal problem. So, like a miss-know-it-all I took the nearest possible cause which is nutritional deficiencies. I monitor my diet, take less fat, go easy on spicy foods and drink more water. I took B complex supplement and I drink soya milk everyday. I choose Homesoy because it contains the highest protein. I started to exercise more and regularly. The dryness did slow down but still it is not fully resolved.

My colleague sometimes makes fun of me when she sees my dry lips. She would say, 'Did you forgot your B complex today?'. Until one day she said, 'I think you need to wear moisturizer'. That really got me thinking again. I've forgotten about moisturizing. Indeed, I might already resolved the internal problem but still I worked everyday in aircond condition. I need external care besides vaseline. Before you judge me for not thinking about it earlier, I do have moisturizer. I'm just plain lazy sometimes. Plus I've wear it before and it doesn't seem to help. But maybe that time it was because of the nutritional problem.

So the next day, when getting ready for work, I apply my moisturizer especially on the skin around my mouth area before anything else. I did so the next few days without fail and praying, 'Please dear god, help me. Let this be the final solution to my problem'. To my amazement, it did. It's like magic and it didn't take long. Just one week the dryness and swollen lip is gone. It has been 2 months since and now I'm so blessed that my lips are back to normal. As supple and soft as one could imagine!

What moisturizer that I use? It's Organic Aid Vitamin E Moisturizing Cream. It's in a brown container and reasonably priced too. Until now, I am a faithful user and I will continue to do so. I've done so much that I'm not sure what I did right but whatever I'm doing now, I'm doing it for the rest of my life. Yey! Thank you o Allah.