What does it look like? Solar cheilitis predominantly affects the lower lip because it tends to be more prominent. The homogenous pink color of the healthy lip (Figure A) is replaced with non-homogenous white/gray, pink, red, or brown areas and the normally sharp vermillion/skin border becomes less distinct (Figure B).
Angular cheilitis is a common inflammatory skin condition. It affects one or both corners of your mouth and causes irritated, cracked sores. Although painful, angular cheilitis usually isn't serious.
If angular cheilitis is caused by a yeast infection, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal medication that you'll apply to the affected area of your mouth. If the underlying cause is a bacterial infection, your doctor will likely recommend a topical antibiotic ointment or cream.
It's usually caused by a fungal or yeast infection. Eczematous cheilitis is eczema (atopic dermatitis) on your lips. It can develop if someone has eczema elsewhere on their body, or if they have an allergic reaction to something.
Actinic Cheilitis After Treatment
Wounds produced by cryosurgery and laser therapy heal within a period of 7–14 days, while it takes two to four months for those caused by vermilionectomy.
What is the treatment for angular cheilitis? In many cases, no treatment is needed and angular cheilitis resolves by itself.
Cheilitis can also be very painful, and just like cold sores, it can form in the corners of your mouth. It may affect one or both sides of your mouth, and it can take two to three weeks or longer to heal, depending on the treatment.
Most cases of angular cheilitis are the result of excess saliva at the corners of the mouth. People who wear dentures, who wear a mask at work, or children who suck their thumb or use a pacifier may be especially at risk.
If it appears that the corners of the mouth have become infected (if there is redness, increased cracking and resistance to healing), we recommend using an over-the-counter broad spectrum antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin. This ointment should be applied with a cotton applicator (Q-tip) four to five times per day.
Treatment of angular cheilitis is usually undertaken with topical antifungals such as nystatin, clotrimazole, or econazole. Combinations of a topical antifungal and a topical steroid – such as Mycostatin® and triamcinolone or iodoquinol and hydrocortisone – may also be prescribed.
Angular cheilitis is often caused by a fungal infection from Candida albicans, also called a yeast infection. This fungus may begin growing when excess saliva gathers where the lips meet. This may be the result of poor oral hygiene, improperly fitted dentures, a loss of teeth, or other causes.
While it may be painful and uncomfortable, the condition is not contagious and is usually not serious. Factors that predispose an individual to angular cheilitis include eczema, allergic reactions of the skin, fungal infections, and excess skin around the mouth.
Factitial cheilitis stands out as a distinct subtype of contact cheilitis, usually triggered by a stressful event (possible self-damaging behavior). Use of the patch test is important to determine these cheilitis causing allergens and to identify the etiologic allergen (7).
You should see a medical professional if your angular cheilitis is especially painful or starts to spread to the lips. Because angular cheilitis can resemble other medical conditions, such as cold sores or a Crohn's disease-related infection, a medical professional can help you determine the precise underlying cause.
Nutritional deficiencies, especially of iron and B vitamins, are important in the development of angular cheilitis.
Cheilitis is an inflammation of the lips. It may be acute or chronic, involving the vermilion and/or surrounding skin of one or both lips.
To prevent further cracking and fissuring of the lips it is often advised to keep the lips moist with Vaseline or Aquaphor to promote elasticity of the skin as well as creating a protective barrier. Angular cheilitis can take a few weeks to resolve with prescription medications.
There are many treatment options that you can use at home to treat this condition. Chapstick, baking soda, carmex, Neosporin, antibiotics, Abreva, anti-fungal cream and vitamin B supplements are some of the thing that you can use at home. You can also rub alcohol on the affected areas.
Severe angular cheilitis causes pain and discomfort with talking, eating, and anything that requires you to open your mouth. You may also notice lesions at the corners of your mouth that will not heal using ointments like Neosporin or a Chapstick balm.
Therefore, angular cheilitis is a warning symptom of celiac diseases. Dehydration is another leading causative factor of cheilitis. The absence of enough liquids in the body could reflect in the mouth as dry and cracked corners. We know that saliva is a warehouse of bacteria and viruses.
Angular cheilitis begins as a red dry patch at the corners of the lips. One or both sides may be affected. It is associated with discomfort, cracking of the skin to form the characteristic fissures of the skin, bleeding and ulceration. The skin at the angles takes on a scaly appearance.
Toothpaste contains a common surfactant and detergent called Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), which aids in toothpaste's foaming. This ingredient may aggravate and sensitize the cheilitis that you are suffering from. Apart from toothpaste, other oral hygiene products can also be the cause of cheilitis.
Cheilitis can be cured in most cases, but the treatment of cheilitis depends on the underlying cause.
“If you develop angular cheilitis, keep the inflamed area clean and dry to prevent the infection from worsening,” Batra says. “Your doctor may also prescribe a topical steroid cream to promote healing." For more serious cases, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or antifungal medication.
Vitamin deficiency is the most common cause of cheilitis. The absence of vitamin B2 in the body slows down the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and decreases energy production. Thus, increasing the intake of B2 and eating foods like eggs, milk, and lean meat may help reverse the problem of cheilitis.