Burning sensation in lips
 

Hi folks.
Do any of you have burning lips and if so do you know the reason? I've read that burning in hands and arms can be caused by cervical issues but I can't find anything about lips?

Sorry to hear you have this, if you do. I have mild burning in my lips from full-body SFN. Whenever I get it, I use Burt's Bees, moisturizing my lips, and it goes away immediately. So it works for me. I'm not sure if there's a mechanical reason for mine though, which is why I said it's from my SFN. I do have a number of cervical issues though for what it's worth. Perhaps Glenn can speak to physical causes, if any.

I have burning lips, too. And my nose, face, basically everywhere at this point. I have small fiber, autoimmune mediated. I think it's just part of the small fiber fun. For me it is, at least. I feel like somedays it is worse than others, but they are burning up a storm right now. I use the sweet mint EOS chapstick and it does have a cooling effect that is a bit short lived, but better than nothing.

Biotin--- this may be very helpful for those with burning lips.

There are some studies on PubMed that discuss using high dose biotin for burning mouth syndrome. This would be 5 to 10mg doses. Our MS forum is discussing the use of extra high doses of biotin, up to 100mg/day! I am not suggesting anyone here use those super doses, but it illustrates, minimal or no side effects for biotin which is water soluble.

We use 10mg a day for our itchy dry eyes.

Over the past years I've had episodes of upper lip chapping/cracking mostly during winter. I haven't had this lately. We've been using the 10mg biotin for about 2 yrs.
I used a natural type lip balm with the best results. (don't laugh but it is "angry birds" flavored with natural oils.:o:o )

Biotin is pretty inexpensive. Puritan's has it up to 10mg and Amazon has Natrol brand in a two pack which we are using now. Biotin is prescribed by dermatologists for hair/nails and skin problems.

I think it is worth trying.

Other causes for burning lips are viral (typically Herpes) and allergic. Some foods cause burning and swelling of the lips, most notably shrimp and other shellfish.
Obviously, hot sauces and some spices may be problematic too for some people. For women, avoiding lipstick may help.
Lipsticks can get contaminated by bacteria quickly. So women may be applying bacteria using partially used lipsticks.

The nerves that go to the mouth and lips are mostly trigeminal ones with some coming up from the lower neck.

If you Google "nerves going to the lips" you can find images on Google Images showing those distributions from both directions.

I had lip burning but I have SFN on my face and I also have some type of trigeminal nerve issues as well. My lip burning went away with Lyme treatment.

Generally, if you look at the dermatome maps
 

--the lips are considered to be part of the trigeminal nerve distribution, and therefore symptoms with them are more likely to be of the small-fiber rather than cervical compression variety.

Having said that, though, not everyone has the same dermatomal distribution as the maps. There is considerable variation, and not all follow the typical patterns. It's possible, for example, to get some sensation in the upper chest from the C6 and C7 levels, which you won't find on most dermatomal maps. This is due to some crossing of nerve pathways in the brachial plexus. And there have been reports of some people having upper cervical pathways--the C2/C3/C4 levels--into parts of the face as well as the more typical back of the head/ears distribution one sees on dermatomal images.

My neurologist even says that the dermatomal images are just a starting point; people are more varied in their nerve root patterns than the images portray.

Thanks David. I have that product and tried it. It seemed to take the burning away immediately but didn't last that long. I'm glad for the relief even temporarily. I can always keep applying!

That makes so much sense!
 

I wish the doctors I have seen would be more willing to consider that not everyone fits nicely into a little box. Not saying I don't fit; just keeping an open mind to outside possibilities would be so refreshing. My cervical spine is a hot mess but I'm not thinking of touching it unless I start to have severe problems. Certainly not for lip burning.

It's definitely worth a try!
 

I just ordered some. I had been taking it but when I discontinued ALA I stopped taking the Biotin. My hair has been shedding badly since the surgery so it would be a good idea for that as well. Even if it doesn't help the lips I'll probably have improved hair and nails thanks to you as well as moisturized lips (thanks to David's tip :)

There's about 430 mcg in my B-vitamin, but I think I will try higher independent dosing. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, MrsD.