Lip licker's dermatitis

Diagnosis: Lip licker's dermatitis

Case submitted by Shahbaz A. Janjua to the dermRounds community.

Clinical Presentation

Clinical photograph(s) submitted for peer review and discussion.

Clinical History

Submitted by Shahbaz A. Janjua. Originally posted March 10, 2010.

Treatment

See case discussion.

Differential Diagnosis

• Perioral dermatitis • Contact dermatitis (allergic) • Atopic dermatitis • Angular cheilitis • Actinic cheilitis • Impetigo (perioral)

Key Learnings

• Irritant contact dermatitis from habitual lip licking — common in children • Sharp, well-demarcated border corresponding to area reached by tongue • Saliva's digestive enzymes damage the lip and perioral skin barrier • Results in dryness, erythema, scaling, and sometimes fissuring • Lip balm/emollient use and behavior modification are key treatments • Rule out atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis (fragrance in lip balm)

Tags: lip, licker039s, dermatitis, shahbaz a. janjua