Are you suffering from chapped lips? Do you have difficulty eating, drinking and even speaking due to sore mouth corners? It is likely that you have the condition called cheilitis. Excess moisture that builds up at the corners of your mouth is the favorite breeding ground of fungus and bacteria that may lead to inflammation, soreness and cracking of your lips and corners of your mouth.
The good news is, there are home remedies that can help provide immediate relief, if not totally treat, mouth soreness and lip chapping.
- Lip Balm in Lieu of Licking:
The continuous exposure to water robs moisture from your lips which may lead to dryness. Frequent lip licking only aggravates the problem of dry lips. To remedy, use a lip balm. Many lip balm products are greasy or waxy. They work by sealing in the moisture and acting as protective barrier. Another option is to use the plain old petroleum jelly. However, refrain from applying lip balm or petroleum jelly on your lips if you noticed any sign of inflammation on the corners of your mouth. This is to prevent the infection from spreading on other areas of your mouth.
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Sun Protection:
The ultraviolet rays of the sun can damage and dry your lips and mouth. In fact, the mouth and lips are the common sites of skin cancer. This is because your lips do not contain the pigment or coloring called melanin that can help protect your skin from the sun. If you plan to expose yourself to the sun, use a lip balm product that contains sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen product that has a sun protection factor (SPF) rate of not less than 15.
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Check Out Your Toothpaste:
An allergy to your mouthwash or toothpaste may also cause redness or soreness at your mouth and lips. Try switching brands to determine if your toothpaste or mouthwash is causing cheilitis. Remember to always rinse thoroughly after brushing your teeth.
Cheilitis home remedy is recommended only for mild cases of inflammation. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
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Dealing with Cheilitis |
Children are most likely to suffer from cheilitis. This is a condition characterize by dryness in the lips and corners of the mouth which can be painful and uncomfortable. The condition also causes cracking, chapping and lesions on the lips and mouths of children.
Some of the common causes of angular cheilitis in children are sensitivity to substances they often come in contact with such as food and toys. Children who have the habit of sucking their thumbs are very prone to cheilitis. The sun’s ultraviolet rays, cold weather, drying wind and constant licking of the lips are more factors contributing to cheilitis in children.
Treatment Tips:
As soon as you observe dryness on the lips and corners of the mouth of your child, take some measures to prevent aggravating the condition. Cheilitis, if left untreated, can be painful, uncomfortable and embarrassing.
For starters, tell your child to avoid moistening his or her lips by licking them. Wetting the lips through licking can provide temporary relief to dryness but it will only aggravate the condition.
- Apply a good lip balm or petroleum jelly on your child’s lips. This will seal in the moisture and treat dryness. Just make sure that there are no lesions on the corners of your child’s mouth before you apply a lip balm or petroleum jelly as doing so would only spread the infection.
- Keep your child away from the sun’s harmful rays. If sun exposure could not be avoided, make sure that you apply a lip balm or sunscreen with a high sun protection factor on your child’s lips before going out to the sun. Also, keep your child property hydrated by making him drink at least 8 glasses of water daily.
These treatment tips are also preventive measures that would come a long way in keeping your child cheilitis-free.
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If you are suffering from inflammation at the corners of your mouth, this can lead to cracking and infection. Such condition is called cheilosis or more commonly known as cheilitis. Severe manifestation of cheilitis is characterized by ulcers, bleeding and crusting. This fungal infection is caused by a type of yeast that flourishes in moisture and accumulates at the corners of your mouth. This inflammation is more common among older people with ill-fitting dentures or those who have the habit of drooling during sleep.
There are some home remedies that can provide relief for cheilitis.
• Lip licking – frequent licking of your lips or the corners of your mouth can cause collection of moisture that can lead to infection. If you have dry lips, consider applying a lip balm regularly. However, avoid applying a lip balm in the corners of your mouth if infection is starting to manifest to prevent spreading it further.
• Fungal or bacteria infection – to prevent a minor bacterial infection, try to disinfect the sore area on your mouth by applying a rubbing alcohol using a cotton swab. Do not re-use the cotton swab if you need to treat more than one sore area. Do this process at least four times a day. You may also apply an anti-fungal gel or cream on the sore area. These products are formulated to eradicate the fungus that causes cheilitis.
• Poorly-fitting dentures – ill-fitting dentures can cause moisture to collect in the corners of your mouth or even drooling. Visit your dentist to correct your denture problem. And clean your dentures more often to prevent the growth of bacteria and yeast.
If these home remedies fail to eliminate inflammation, you will need to visit your doctor. He will likely prescribe you with anti-fungal treatment for cheilitis.
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Angular Cheilitis
Cheilitis is more commonly referred to as angular cheilitis and it involves small splits or sores near the corner of the mouth. The position of this sore on the mouth can mean that is particularly annoying, but it usually isn’t too painful. It is almost always possible to go about life without too much disruption.
The main concern with this type of condition is that it can allow opportunistic bacteria or a yeast/fungal infection to cause problems in a person’s mouth. The fact that an individual has developed chelitis in the first place could also indicate that they have something else wrong with them.
Amazing Angular Cheilitis Cure
Having to deal with chelitis can make it difficult to eat and even to smile. In extreme cases these sores can become quite large and infected. It is usual for the area around the sore to be swollen and red, and it can sometimes be quite noticeable. These sores can also bleed and there can be scabs during the period when the angular cheilitis is healing. The fact that these scabs are in such a busy area means that they are frequently being reopened; this can make the healing process quite slow. If the condition lasts for a long time it may make people a bit miserable.
When it comes to dealing with angular cheilitis it is a good idea to go see a doctor. If the sore is infected with a fungus or bacteria then this will needed to be treated before the condition can improve. In most instances the doctor will prescribe an anti-fungal tropical cream or a steroidal cream. It may also be necessary to take some oral medications. It is believed that petroleum jelly can make the sores less painful. In many instances the condition will pass within a couple of days. It is a good idea to stop making the chelitis sores any worse by trying to avoid too much movement in that area; this can be a lot easier said than done. It is also important that people avoid touching the sore because not only will it slow down healing, but it could also spread infection.
There is usually and underlying reason as to why people have developed angular cheilitis and it is worth considering what this could be. It may be that they person is lacking in certain vitamins or minerals or something else that can be affecting the immune system. If the cause is not determined and treated then in all likelihood the condition will keep on returning. If this warning from the body is observed properly then it may help people detect a problem that they did not even know existed previously.
Angular cheilitis is a common condition that will usually pass without too much interruption in a person’s life. If people are regularly needing to deal with this problem they should not just ignore it, but instead seek medical help to get to whatever is causing it. In fact it is always ways to see a doctor about these troublesome sores in order to get the correct treatment.
Amazing Angular Cheilitis Cure
It is easy for people to mistake cheilitis for a cold sore. These two conditions are different though so it is important to be able to distinguish them from one another. It is the purpose of this article to allow people to be able to do this.
What is a cold sore?
A cold sore is known in the medical world as herpes labialis. As the name suggests it is caused by the herpes virus. A cold sore appears on the lips as a blister or sore which is on or around the mouth area. A cold sore can be quite painful and is quite noticeable on the face. This blister usually bursts and a scab develops. A cold sore will usually disappear after about ten days.
What is cheilitis?
Cheilitis refers to inflammation of the lips (many people refer to it as chapped lips) and the most common form of this condition is angular cheilitis. This is inflammation at the corner of the mouth which commonly manifests as a sore or split. Experts are not completely sure about how this condition is caused but it is believed to be connected too much saliva on the area or from mechanical causes such as poorly fitting dentures. It is quite a common condition and in most instances will only last a few days. There is believed to be a link between this sore and vitamin deficiencies. More than half of these irritating openings will have a bacterial or fungal infection, and it can sometimes also lead to the development of oral thrush.
When chapped lips appears away from the corner of the mouth the usual cause is cold weather, dehydration, high fevers or a side-effect from certain drugs. It can also be caused by people licking their lips too frequently.
How to treat a cold sore
Cold sores will usually heal by themselves but there are also creams that people use to speed the process along. Aciclovir or acyclovir is an anti-viral cream that is frequently used to treat cold sores and has been proven to increase healing time. Cold sores are very contagious so people should avoid touching them or kissing other people while they have the problem.
How to treat cheilitis
The method used for treating angular cheilitis will very much depend on its cause. It is usually advisable to go and see a doctor because if the sore is infected then not taking the proper medication can slow down the healing process. Most doctors will prescribe a steroidal cream or an anti-fungal topical cream. One thing that may concern the doctor is the reason why the individual is having a problem with these types of sores as it can be the sign of poor eating habits. They may question the patient and make recommendations about possible improvements in nutrition. The condition can also be associated with other conditions such as diabetes and HIV.
If a person has ever experienced an annoying split at the corner of their mouth then there is a good chance that they have had angular cheilitis. This breakage can be quite small like a paper-cut or they may have an open sore which is referred to as an ulcer. In most cases they will not have any other symptoms, but it is possible that it could be accompanied by oral thrush which involves a coating on the tongue and an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
What causes Angular Cheilitis?
There are a few things which can contribute to angular cheilitis, but there is no definite agreement as to why it occurs. It is most often associated to diet problems where people are missing key vitamins and minerals. These deficiencies can include such things as;
- Zinc
- Iron
- Riboflavin
If any of these are lacking in the diet then it can mean the person is more likely to develop these splits to the corner of the mouth.
As well as nutritional deficiencies there is also a link between angular cheilitis and certain infections such as thrush. Bacteria or fungus can make use of the breakage in the mouth to cause infection. In rare instances these infections can become severe and medical treatment should be sought.
People who don’t have a proper oral hygiene routine or wear poorly fitting dentures are also at risk of developing the condition.
How is angular cheilitis treated?
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The good news is that the problem is in most instances quite easy to treat and will disappear in a few days. Many people use an anti-fungal cream or a hydrocortisone preparation which may have been prescribed by their doctor. The bad news is that they will need to deal with the irritation of the split at the side of their mouth for a day or two. This should not be too much of an ordeal, but the fact that it is in such an awkward position will mean that it will probably be a source of annoyance until it is fully healed. It is claimed that petroleum jelly can reduce the discomfort.
As well as the initial treatment the individual may want to consider some lifestyle changes. The fact that they have developed this problem indicates that they may have some underlying problem; their body is trying to tell them something. They will need to ensure that they are eating a balanced diet. If the problem continues people are urged to seek medical assistance because it can be associated with problems that can’t be rectified with diet changes.
Remember that prevention is always better than cure
The most usual cause of this problem is poor diet so if people want to prevent it then it will be here that they will need to pay attention. People should make sure that they are getting plenty of fruit and vegetables; green leafy vegetable are of particular importance. It may also be necessary for individuals to take some nutritional supplements at least in the short-term; they should always seek medical advice about this. Good oral hygiene is also important.