ECParent, thanks for updating us, and I hope this may be the key for your son returning to normal life. Has the dermatologist said what bacteria and yeast is present? These details are crucial for all of us.

I took a Z-Pak (zithromax) Antibiotic not long before my condition started. I also tested positive 2 years later for an intestinal overgrowth of Candida parapsilosis to a large extent and Staph aureus to a lesser extent, and after 6 months on the Candida diet, months taking Fluconazole, Caprylic acid and Grapefruit Seed Extract, and a month applying Nystatin, my microbe levels went back to normal. That was 3 years ago now that I got retested, and I'm still not cured, though certainly better off. So either it was just a coincidence, or the microbes resurged in spite of my diet, or perhaps it was an exacerbating factor that flipped some switch in my immune system and cell-signaling to keep the lips shedding even when the fungus and bacteria were kept at bay.

I'm getting closer to wanting a biopsy these days. ECParent, do you know, or does anyone else know the rough cost for someone non-insured? If it's prohibitively expensive to get a full test performed on a biopsy, I may consider getting treated in a country with cheap socialized healthcare next year.

Peace,
C.S.

So, maybe inflammation in your intestines is related to lips as I also have inflammation in intestines. I guess the key is how to safely relieve inflammation in intestines if this could be the cause.