📝 Editor's Note: This post was written back in August 2025, so some details (products, clinic info, treatment protocol) may be outdated. That said, I'm sharing it anyway because I think the experience and the Q&A with my dermatologist might still be useful for anyone going through something similar. Take it as a personal diary entry, not medical advice!
Today is Saturday, August 16th, 2025.
I'm writing this at Starbucks after doing an early morning run to my neighborhood dermatology clinic and putting my name on the waitlist. The clinic opens at 9:30 AM, but I showed up at 8:00 AM — coffee in hand — and there was already a line forming on the 4th floor. That's just how it is with Yedam Dermatology in Yongsan. The doctor there is incredibly well-known, not for aesthetics, but for actual skin conditions. In a world where most dermatology clinics have gone full beauty-treatment mode, finding somewhere that treats real skin issues has become genuinely hard — and Yedam is exactly that kind of place. Which is why the wait is always insane, and getting in feels like a whole mission.
But I had a reason to be there.
About a month ago, I started noticing something strange with my lips. Anything that touched them — food, a drink, even just the air — would cause this stinging sensation I'd never felt before. And every single morning I'd wake up with my lips and the inside of my mouth feeling unbearably, almost aggressively dry.
Visually though? Nothing. No flaking, no obvious inflammation. So I figured it would just go away on its own. A week passed. Still hurting. I finally went to the clinic and casually mentioned it:
"My lips have been kind of stinging lately…"
The doctor looked at them, didn't see anything alarming on the surface, and didn't actually use the word "cheilitis" — he just told me to apply a lot of Vaseline. So from that day on, Vaseline became my constant companion. Tinted Vaseline, obviously. I wasn't about to give up lip color entirely.
Slathering it on before bed did help with the morning dryness, and the stinging felt a little better… but only temporarily.
So on August 14th (roughly a month after symptoms started), I went back. This time, the doctor officially said it: cheilitis. She told me to switch to plain, unfragranced Vaseline, avoid getting saliva on my lips, and make sure toothpaste doesn't touch them. She also prescribed Advantan ointment.
I got home, looked it up, saw the word "steroid," and promptly could not bring myself to apply it. So two days later — today — I came back with a written list of questions.
Here's the full Q&A:
Q. Should I apply Vaseline thickly, like I have been? Are other moisturizers like Bepanthen okay? → Don't apply it too thick — thin layers, but frequently. Other moisturizers can help too, but for now just stick with Vaseline.
Q. How do I use the steroid ointment? Are there side effects? → Long-term use (2+ weeks) can cause issues, but relieving discomfort comes first. Since you're only on day 3, apply a small, thin amount. Come back after about a week.
Q. There's some inflammation — can I get a cortisone shot? → Better not to inject directly into the lips. Let's try the Advantan first and see.
Q. Sunscreen and skincare keep irritating my lips when they make contact — any recommendations? → Honestly just try not to let them touch your lips. Or try something formulated for children, like Atobarrier. But really — anything touching your lips will irritate them right now, so keeping products away is the priority.
Q. You said no saliva on my lips — does water count? → Water is fine, but don't get complacent. If water touches your lips, reapply Vaseline.
Q. What if I use natural toothpaste — would that be okay? → Doesn't matter what kind. Toothpaste touching your lips is just not good, period.
Q. Any foods to avoid? → Absolutely no spicy food.
Q. Can I get oral medication to speed up recovery? → I can prescribe it, but it also contains steroids. Let's try Advantan first, and if things don't improve, we'll revisit. Not recommending it for now.
Q. I read that high-dose Vitamin B helps with cheilitis — is that true? → gives a little laugh …just keep applying the Vaseline and the ointment.
Q. Can I use Advantan on the eczema on my arms too? → Yes.
After some gentle persistence, I also got a prescription for Aestura Atobarrier 365 Lotion — win. And for lip products, after going through a bunch of cheilitis recovery posts online, Natural Shine kept coming up as a recommendation, so I went ahead and ordered some.
A little background on me: I have atopic skin, and whenever my immune system takes a hit or I run low on sleep, inflammation shows up on my lips or skin almost immediately. Ten years ago I was drinking heavily, eating red meat, white flour, basically living on all the worst things — and I developed this horrible rash-like inflammation all over my legs that lasted for months. I treated it at a Korean medicine clinic in Seocho and fully recovered. The doctor told me in no uncertain terms: alcohol, red meat, dairy, and flour — all completely off the table.
And I was absolutely, 100% committed to never eating those things again.
…That lasted a few days.
People forget. I forgot. And here we are.
(I think the immediate trigger was experimenting with a bunch of new lip products from Olive Young recently — but the root cause? A weakened immune system, without a doubt.)
So. Starting now, here's my plan:
- Clean eating — no alcohol, no flour, no delivery food, no caffeine, absolutely no spicy food
- Skincare base: prescribed Aestura Atobarrier 365 Lotion
- Sunscreen: still figuring this out
- Lips: plain Vaseline (trying Natural Shine too)
- Drink lots of water (through a straw)
- Try the Advantan ointment for about a week — scary, but necessary
- Exercise consistently
- Get proper sleep
- High-dose Vitamin B supplement — believe it or not, worth trying!!!
This is a battle with myself. Let's see how it goes.
→ Next up: My Cheilitis Diary #2 — The Treatment Begins