Dryness in winter is common, as when winter comes cracks appear on the skin when winter comes. The dryness of the skin in winter leads to the cracking of the skin which causes pain and even makes the condition worse. The most affected area of the body in the winter is the face, as it has direct contact with cold, dry air. Most of us in the winter season suffer from cracked lip corners which irritate us all the time because it hurts when we talk, laugh, smile or eat anything.
The proper treatment for the dryness should be taken in time because if it spreads, it reaches the corner of your lips. All those suffering from this problem must know what type of cure and measures they should take to avoid it. Find out in detail why you suffer from cracked lips and how to heal cracked lips corner fast at home?
Do you Know What Angular Cheilitis is
It is a skin inflammatory condition in which one of both sides of the mouth is affected. It results in irritation and cracked sores but is usually not serious. This skin condition is also known as perleche and angular stomatitis.
Difference Between Angular Cheilitis and Cold Sores
The angular cheilitis and cold sores are both different conditions as the herpes virus causes cold sores, and it is a contagious disease. Angular cheilitis is not a spreading disease; any virus does not cause it.
Symptoms of Angular Cheilitis
The symptoms vary from mild redness to bleeding blisters. In the initial condition, redness appears at the corner of the mouth with little roughness. If it is left untreated, tenderness in that particular area causes it to split up the corner of the mouth, also known as fissures. People suffer from swelling, cracking, blistering, itchy, painful, and crusty appearance. Severe conditions result in yeast infection, eczema, redness in the palate, especially for those who wear denture wearers, and saliva collected at the corner of their mouth.
Appearance of Signs and Symptoms
Most people suffer from these symptoms their whole life, but mostly it appears in the old people and the young, especially those who wear dental tools such as braces, etc., and wear masks mostly suffer from this skin condition. The aged people’s skin gets saggy with age or they mostly have dentures. The dryness at the corners of their mouth becomes the cause of this problem. In the case of infants, the drooling, thumb sucking, and use of pacifiers cause drying and cracking of lips and mouth corners.
Causes of Angular Cheilitis
There are many causes of Angular Cheilitis, such as infection (bacterial and yeast), cold weather, and deficiency of vitamins. In cold seasons when we drink less water and dryness on the lips causes lips to lick, resulting in infection and lips splitting. So drinking less water, smoking, lack of iron, and use of dental equipment are some of the major causes of this problem.
Saliva Accumulation and Lip Biting
Excess saliva due to old age and dental fixtures in youngsters provide a perfect environment for inflammation, bacterial and yeast infection, and cracking of lips and its corner. Some people have a habit of lip biting which can also cause this issue. As frequent lip biting makes the area tender, you face lip cracks.
Oral Thrush
Oral thrush is the fungal overgrowth that results in the redness and cracking of the corners of the mouth, such as the formation of white lesions in your mouth.
Nutritional Deficiency
When your diet lacks some essential nutrients, it affects the homeostasis of oral tissue and the growth of new cell in the oral cavity. It reduces the resistance against bacteria and fungal attacks and hampers tissue repair.
Vitamin B 12 deficiency negatively impacts the immune system and makes you susceptible to fungal infections.
Dental Issues
different dental issues raise this problem, such as improper teeth alignment and denture fitting. It leads to the development of Angular Cheilitis; in this case, you must consult your dentist.
Health Conditions
Different health conditions cause angular cheilitis, such as a weak immune system, abrupt loss of weight, use of antibiotics, retinoid products, Down syndrome, Diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Sjogren’s syndrome (inflammatory disease).
How to Heal the Angular Cheilitis?
For its healing and treatment, first, we should go to the root cause of cracked lips and corners. First, go for the blood test to check any nutritional deficiency, as it can cause this problem. The second thing is to consult your dentist because dental tools such as braces, floss, or toothpaste might be the reason for angular cheilitis. So after the dentist consultation, you can go for some alternative products in this case.
Simple home remedies and medication can do angular Cheilitis treatment. It can heal in two to four weeks if adequately treated and cured. If we go for home remedies, then the following are some of them:
Lip Balm
The topical application of lip balm, vaseline, or chapsticks is the first and primary home remedy for lip dryness. The use of these things daily is a simple way to fix flakes and tight lips. The lip balm smooths your cracked cuticles and lip flakes. It is beneficial for the removal of dryness as angular cheilitis occurs due to the accumulation of saliva around the mouth, which then becomes an ideal place for yeast growth.
Coconut Oil
As compared to petroleum jelly or lip balm, coconut oil has antimicrobial properties. It protects your skin from bacteria and fungi. The vaseline or lip balm only has to protect your skin from drying, not against infection. So. coconut oil not only protects your skin from dryness but also from bacterial infection.
AloeVera & Yogurt
Aloe vera is an excellent healing material that protects your skin from dryness and cuts. It will give you outstanding results when applied on the cracked sides of the mouth. The live cultures of good bacteria in yogurt fight with your bad bacteria. It heals your fissures rapidly on regular application.
Change in Diet
You should also consider your diet changes while treating these lip cracks and dryness. The lack of Vitamin C and vitamin B 12 in the body is one of the causes of lip cracks and dryness. Vegan people mostly suffer from the lack of Vitamin B 12 nutrients. A well-planned diet which includes all the nutrients like protein, vitamins, fibers and carbohydrates that can improve your skin health and protect you from lips cracks or splits.
Keep Body Hydrated
Apart from topical care in the form of moisturizers and hydration, and your internal body must function properly. You should take at least 2 liters of water daily to keep yourself hydrated. This way you can avoid or heal your cracks at home without medicines.
When to See a Doctor?
If your home remedy does not work and you still face infection and splits, then consult some doctor for its treatment. In this case, skin specialists mostly prefer nystatin ointment, which has anti-yeast action. There is another steroid medicine, such as hydrocortisone 2.5% on particular three times in a day.
Similarly, antifungal cream named Lotrimin is commonly used for ringworm and jock itch) can also be used in this issue.
How to Avoid Dry Cracks Around Mouth?
The dry cracks around the mouth can be prevented by using the different occlusive ingredients as it makes your skin hydrated and moist. The occlusive ingredient can be heavy, greasy, and sticky. Animal fats, wax esters, mineral oils, vegetable oil, silicones, hydrocarbons, sterols, etc. are examples of occlusive ingredients.
Avoid Licking & Smoking
A research done by the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology revealed that licking can make the situation worse in lips and mouth corners. The moisture becomes the source of secondary infection such as candida Yeast or Staphylococcus bacteria and conditions become worse. Similarly smoking should also be avoided as it becomes the source of dryness in the oral cavity which results in lips and cracks.
Daily Skin Care
Strict skin care can help in preventing this problem. If you keep your mouth corners dry and moisturized using vaseline or coconut oil, you can avoid these cracks.
Prevent Mouth Dryness
Those who suffer from excess saliva production should keep their mouth dry by taking any medication or home remedies.
Avoid Thumb Sucking
It is found that children most frequently suffer from angular cheilitis than adults due to thumb-sucking habits. The angular cheilitis is 0.7-3.8% found in adults and 0.2-15.1% in children.
Humidifier
If you sleep daily in a humidifier at night, you can somehow avoid this skin issue as it keeps your skin hydrated and moisturized in cold, dry winter nights.
Conclusion
The angular cheilitis mostly occurs in winter due to cold dry air. If you take care of skin at the start of winter, you can protect yourself from it. The use of daily occlusive agents, diet plans and water intake will keep you away from it. At the start, if you take home remedies, then you would not have to go for a doctor. Otherwise, you have to take medication. At home, you can try moisturizing agents such as aloe vera, yogurt, etc.
John Davis is a passionate content writer with a knack for crafting engaging narratives across various subjects. With a keen eye for detail and a love for storytelling, John brings ideas to life through the power of words. His dedication to delivering high-quality and informative content has made him a trusted voice in the digital realm. When he’s not at his desk, you’ll find John exploring new hobbies and seeking inspiration in the world around him.
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