Stresses of Lip Licking: A Curious Dermatitis

One of the more curious conditions dermatologists have the opportunity to encounter and treat, especially in children, is so-called lip-licker’s dermatitis. The behavior of repeatedly using the tongue to lick not only the lips but more importantly also the area around the mouth comes up not only as a response to dry, chapped lips, but also out of nervous habit. It seems paradoxical that wet saliva from the tongue which serves a moisturizing function in the mouth could lead to irritation of the skin—but saliva contains digestive enzymes which can be highly irritating to the skin. Not only that, repeated cycles of wetting with the tongue followed by drying leads to excessive water loss via evaporation and also contributes to the breakdown of the skin’s barrier function. In addition to counseling the patient to exercise increased self-awareness in modifying such lip licking behavior, protecting the skin around the mouth is essential to prevent not only this irritating rash but also potential development of a secondary skin infection.

Posted March 8, 2026.