Psoriasis on Lips: Symptoms, Treatment, Other Rashes – Greatist

Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Is it the doctor I should call?

If your lips are looking flaky, it might just be a case of chapped lips. Its pretty rare for psoriasis to break out on your lips. But if you have the signs of a psoriasis rash (scaly plaque or a burning sensation) its a good idea to get it checked out by a doctor or dermatologist.

Heres what you need to know about psoriasis on your lips.

Not just lip service: Psoriasis on lips

Psoriasis is a chronic medical condition that causes red, sometimes itchy or burning patches covered by silver, scaly plaques. During a flare-up you might even find these spots on your lips.

Theres no cure for psoriasis, but your doctor can prescribe effective treatments (like steroids) that can ease your symptoms.

You can also help prevent future by trying to avoid any of your personal triggers. (These might include stress, sudden weather changes, or spicy foods.)

FYI: If youre dealing with a psoriasis rash, exfoliators or makeup could irritate it. Please, step away from the lipstick and let yourself heal.

Although its rare, its possible to get a psoriasis rash on your lips.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that affects 7.5 million people in the U.S. alone. Theres no proven cause, but your immune system and your genetics both seem to have something to do with psoriasis. It often shows up as red, scaly plaques on your skin.

Usually, those plaques show up on your knees, elbows, or chest. But no part of your body is truly immune. That includes the area around your eyes, your cheeks, your genitals, and yep, even your lips.

The rashes are usually thick and whitish-silver, but can come with thick red patches as well. On darker skin, it can appear more purple in color. Sometimes, those patches can crack and bleed.

Psoriasis can be uncomfortable anywhere on your body. When its on your lips, it may affect the way you talk or eat.

How does psoriasis work?

If you have psoriasis, your immune system attacks your own healthy skin cells. Your body hurries to make more skin cells in response, but that leads to overproduction.

When you have so many new skin cells that they dont have time to fall off, these extra cells build up on each other. This causes those flaky scales that can show up across your body and on your lips.

Whats the deal with the redness underneath? The friendly-fire from your white blood cells (the misplaced immune response) can cause inflammation.

First, the bad news: Theres no cure for psoriasis.

Now, the good news: There are effective and safe treatments for managing your symptoms.

There are a few different treatments your doctor might explore with you, according to Dr. Orit Markowitz, Board-Certified Dermatologist.

For example, they may explore topical anti-inflammatory creams, such as corticosteroids. Corticosteroids control the inflammatory responses in the body, she explains. Steroids come in different strengths from strong and super-potent to weak and less potent. Your doctor will decide what kind you need.

If you have psoriasis, you might also be prescribed systemic immunossupressants. These lower the immune response that is telling your system to attack the skin, Markowitz says, and they work on the entire body.

Other treatments could include:

There are also some home remedies that can help you manage the appearance of your symptoms.

Psoriasis PSA

At-home remedies should never replace medical treatments prescribed by your doctor. You should also check in with your doc before starting a new DIY remedy for psoriasis to make sure it wont interfere with your treatment plan.

The best remedies for chronically psoriatic lips are over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone ointment and [hydrating] ointments, Markowitz says.

In addition, youll want to avoid using any scrubs (like a sugar scrub) on your face because these could aggravate your skin. And unhappy skin would make your symptoms worse.

Psoriatic patients are tempted to use scrubs and exfoliants, says Markowitz, but this will further damage their already damaged skin and irritate their psoriasis, possibly causing a flare-up.

You should also avoid most things that cover up your psoriatic lips. Makeup or lipstick arent great ideas at least not every day while youre experiencing a flare-up.

Lips are sensitive, just like most of the skin in and around the face, so its important to treat it carefully, Markowitz says.

Markowitz also recommends using moisturizing products that have SPF. Its important to keep the affected lip area protected from the sun, she says. Look for OTC products with the National Psoriasis Foundations Seal of Recognition program.

If you do use makeup, do so sparingly, so as to not further irritate or infect the lips, Markowitz says. I always recommend keeping the lips moist, especially under makeup.

If you must use a coverup, she continues, try to avoid cosmetics that contain fragrance and drying ingredients. Makeup that is not easily absorbed into the skin, such as water or sweat resistant ones, will most likely work better here.

A psoriasis flare-up can usually be traced to a specific trigger. If you can figure out whats setting off your rashes, it might be possible to avoid it.

Here are some of the most common triggers for psoriasis:

If youre not sure whats triggering your psoriasis, you can try keeping a log of your symptoms to see if you can make any connections.

In general, if this is the first time youre noticing red, flaky lips, give your doc a call. Theyll be able to diagnose whether its a psoriasis rash. Its also important to reach out if your symptoms are getting worse.

If you start to notice symptoms such as pain, swelling, tenderness, stiff muscles and joints, or a noticeable change in the appearance of your nails, says Markowitz, call your doctor.

Never try a new treatment including OTC ones without checking with your doctor either.

The short answer: Yes.

Psoriasis on lips is pretty rare. Here are some more common things that can cause a rash on your lips:

Here are a few examples of what psoriasis and other causes may look like on lips.

Remember, its always best to see a doctor for a diagnosis. That way youll know what kinds of treatments will work best for you.

Psoriasis on your lips is possible but its rare. If you do have psoriasis on your lips, theyll likely be red, inflamed, cracked, or covered in whitish scales.

Just remember that theres other conditions that could be causing your cracked lips. Your doctor is the one who can truly diagnose psoriasis. Theyll also be able to recommend the most effective, safe treatments for you.

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Psoriasis on Lips: Symptoms, Treatment, Other Rashes - Greatist