Red irritation around lips

[tonant]

Hi every one

I am new to this forum

Basically my girlfriend 26 years old has crhons for these last 4 years

Mediacation: mesalazine azathioprine infliximab

for these last 3 months shes having this big red irritation around her lips such as clown lips! even on her eyebrows very itching. she tried all type of medications such as steroid creams etc but nothing is really helping this situation it calms down for 3 days and then again the irritation comes out. we are now waiting for an app to make a patch test!

could this be crohns related please?

thanks
good day

 

[Lady Organic]

Hi, this sounds like a form of dermatitis.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dermatitis-eczema/basics/definition/con-20032183

I get that around my scalp and eyebrows too. very itchy and flaky (the skin peels off everyday very easily as it generates too fast) sometimes few spots on forehead or cheeks. Steroid creams help but just like in the case of your girlfriend, after a few days, it comes back. this is seasonal for me and as summer will comeback, its going to resume.

As for lips, I do have irritation too, but this is sun related, its called photosensitivity, but only to UVB in my case. If I protect the lips and area around it, I dont get any irritation. Ive been investigated by dermatologist for the lip sensitivity and nothing can be done except protecting my lips with sunscreen.

ive undergone patch testing too when i was younger (and later sun patch testing too for my lip problem), as i suffred from eczema all my childhood. It revealed I had the possibility to be allergic to some chemicals found in beauty products, but even without using these ingredients on my skin, issues have remained.

Infliximab (remicade) can also cause skin issues, psoriasis or dermatitis type. Ive read that several times in the forum.

 

[Tuff]

It could be a side effect from azathioprine. I'm very sun sensitive on it as well, burn very easily.

 

[BuzzyBee]

I second the idea that the flaking of the brows is related to the Azathioprine, which suppresses the production of melatonin, the body's normal defence against sunburn. Your girlfriend would have been warned to protect herself from the sun when she was first prescribed this drug. She needs to wear a hat with a brim whenever she is outdoors.

The mouth inflammation is most likely from the Crohns, but exacerbated by sun exposure. If it's Crohns-related, the patch test won't reveal anything, as Crohns inflammation is not caused by allergies. If it's any help, I get good relief from Crohns lip sores using a balm made from beeswax and manuka honey. But that will not provide any sun protection for the skin of her lips.