Follow-Up:
Okay, I think I may have solved the riddle of the dry, cracked, burning Clown Lips Syndrome (CLS). Like some of you, I tried everything: the Suzy Chapstick, all the topicals and the vitamin and mineral supplements with all the lame results. What remained was the obvious fact that it was my own saliva that was causing the burning, which made me think that the culprit was stomach acid--as has been suggested in this forum. So, on a hunch, I took a triple dose of digestive enzymes called "Pancreatin" and within 20 minutes the burning stopped. Wow! That was about a week ago and my lips are almost completely back to normal now, after probably months of suffering. I continue to take the pancreatin. No more burning lips and the painful cracks are almost healed. I had a little bit of red rash around my lips and that is now completely healed also. I believe that rash was basically eczema (something I'm familiar with)--and that would have been caused by the acidic saliva, irritating the skin. Of course, the burning question now is, why did this happen in the first place. I'm not sure, but I have a theory. At the same time the CLS started for me, I also developed a stress-related, kidney and urinary tract infection. So, I guess the question is: could a bacterial infection somehow affect digestive enzymes that are normally produced by the body? Personally, I think the two conditions were connected. With that said, here's my extended recipe for clown lips be-gone: 400 mg of magnesium daily. 50 mg of B6 daily. Extra vitamin A is a very good idea, plus it will clear up those red mouth corners--if you get them. I get them from drinking too much coffee, since coffee destroys vitamin A. One level teaspoon of ascidophilus in water or yogurt daily. And the pancreatin as suggested by the manufacturer. And avoid antibiotics--if you can. They destroy friendly intestinal bacteria and will probably exasberate the dreaded CLS. In fact, I just read a testimonial on another site by a woman who was prescribed antibiotics for her CLS and she reported her condition worsening--so there ya go. I hope my solution works for you guys. Give the pancreatin a try. You've got nothing to lose, except those unsightly clown lips. See, I can make jokes 'cause my lips feel better. You can get pancreatin at any health food store--or supermarket if they carry vitamins.