Problem: For some time now I have had a strange red, dry irritation, just along the skin around my mouth. Moisturizers don’t seem to help and I don’t know what else to do!
Solutions: One of the first things you can do is determine whether you’ve developed an allergic reaction to fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride can cause irritation around the mouth. Try a fluoride-free toothpaste for a while and see what happens. If that seems to be the solution, check with your dentist to see how this will affect your dental health.
The dryness and irritation around your mouth could also be caused by a significant other who happens to have a rough beard. There isn’t much you can do about that, but occasionally using a little cortisone cream around the area can help minimize the irritation from almost any source. Another possibility is frequent, unconscious licking of the lips. Saliva can be an irritant for the lips, causing flaking and dryness. Lip balm won’t be able to keep up with this bad habit.
If the area around the mouth is dry and irritated, that can also affect the lips. What’s important here is to treat the root of the problem, which in this situation may require using an emollient moisturizer around the edge of the mouth as well as a lip exfoliant and lip balm for the lip area.