I'm new here.
I'm 25. 20 months ago, my lips started peeling badly. Large chunks of skin were coming off almost daily. I train horses and I am in the sun/wind/weather a lot. At first, I thought they were just chapped and treated them that way. There was no success with anything I tried. I had gotten so used to them being that way that I lost track of how long it had been going on until I went back to work (nurse) after taking a long leave of absense. I cannot wear lipstick/lipgloss because of the peeling and it was driving me crazy at work. I realized it had been going on nearly a year a decided to see a Derm. this past January. He told me I was too young for skin cancer and my lips were just dry. He gave me the impression that he thought I was nuts. He did give me an rx for a steroid cream which did nothing for me. He also suggested I use Vaseline constantly (which I had already tried). Again, no luck. In April I saw a different dermatologist. I told him all the different treatments I had tried (chap sticks, lotions, steroids, oral thrush meds, changing soaps, etc) and he finally agreed with me that he suspected Actinic Cheilitis. Because of the weather here in Texas and the fact that I ride horses in the sun, he wants to wait until November or December to treat my lips. In the meantime, he prescribed Retin A Micro and Amlactin (a lotion OTC). He wants to use Efudex for treatment later. After reading about it here and elsewhere and asking a doctor I work for about it, I am TERRIFIED to try it. I cannot take off work during the treatment and I am afraid I will be miserable and look horrible.
I stopped using the Amlactin and Retin A after they made the peeling worsen, areas that previously weren't peeling - started peeling and it was burning like crazy when applied. I contacted the derm. office about this and they said it was expected. I asked if these things were to treat the AC or just to use until the Efudex. They said it wasn't a treatment (therefore not going to cure anything) so I stopped using them. No point (in my opinion) to subject myself to any more torture than necessary.
Over the last few weeks, the peeling on my lips has worsened even more. It is more painful, the chunks of skin that are peeling off are deeper than before and my lips are frequently raw due to this. I cannot smile because my lips are dry (even though I do use chapstick constantly) and they have deep cracks in addition to the raw areas.
Do you think this is still just Actinic Cheilitis or do you think it may have progressed to SCC? Is a biopsy the only way to tell if it is SCC? If it is SCC, are there treatments available that aren't as severe, but still effective, as the Efudex?
I'm very frustrated, scared and hurting. Please help!!!