Toothpaste allergy???

Are your lips always dry and peeling? Even after using tons of lip balm?

Are the corners of your mouth dark, dry, peeling and itcy? Does it burn slightly after you brush your teeth?

Is the skin on your chin or below the lips dry, red and itchy? No matter how much of moisturizer you put on?

If you answered YES to all the above, then the culprit might be your...... toothpaste!

I myself had the above symptoms, for the past 3 years... and nothing I used seemed to help. My lip balms did help reduce the dryness and peeling, but my lips didn't heal and continued to peel (although not as bad as before).

The skin around my mouth was the dryest area on my otherwise wonderful skin, and not even slathering oil on it every night seemed to help......

It wasn't life threatening, but it was very unpleasant... so just a few days ago I decided to do a google on it and lo and behold...... never would I have suspected the culprit was my TOOTHPASTE!

So I checked the ingredients of my toothpaste and found out that it was high in flouride (most probably the main irritant), and even contained SLS, among other unfamiliar chemical names. Wow.... even the humble toothpaste can be full of harmful synthetic and chemical ingredients....

I immediately stopped using it, chucked it happily in the bin, and used baking soda instead to brush my teeth. And almost immediately after brushing with baking soda, my lips felt better, and have almost completely stopped peeling!!! (of course I'm over the moon!) And the dry area around my mouth is finally healing properly, although it's taking a bit if time to go back to normal. I may be over-reacting a bit, but I'm so glad I've found out the cause of my dry skin, and knowing that it is easily preventable...

Baking soda may not be your thing, but you can look out for toothpaste with no flouride and no synthetic chemicals. I am searching for one, but it's difficult to find an all natural toothpaste in normal pharmacies. Will keep you updated if I've found a good toothpaste...

For those suffering from eczema,or have children who suffer from it, you might be surprised to find out that Flouride in the tap water might be causing it. Try, for experimentation sake, using distilled water for your next shower (or for your child's bath) and see if the eczema symptoms are reduced.

Check out these sites for more info:

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4913979_causes-dry-skin-around-mouth.html

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/allergy/

http://www.ehow.com/about_5484448_fluoride-allergy-symptoms.html

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/fluoride.htm#eczema

http://allergy-diary.blogspot.com/2006/10/toothpaste-free.html

Now that's something to smile about...