Symptoms and Diagnosis of Angular Cheilitis
Everyone hates having chapped lips. The pain that comes from dry cracked lips is enough to drive anyone crazy. Though many people experience chapped lips there are some who have a severe form that is called Angular Cheilitis. Angular Cheilitis can be caused in several ways including both fungal and bacterial infections.
Here are some ways that you can tell if you have Angular Cheilitis. If you have cracks or fissures in the corners of you mouth you could possibly have the illness. Along with the cracks there is also redness and swelling. The corners of your mouth may be tender and sore. Sores or ulcers may also develop in the area. These sores may start to bleed or even release pus. The skin in the corner of your mouth may start to swell.
Other problems that you might experience if you have Angular Cheilitis include pain while eating, talking or smiling. Activities like eating and talking can re-open sores making them susceptible to infection. The sores that develop in the corner of your mouth may begin to crust over and scab. With the constant cracking and healing of the area can also cause the corners of your mouth to itch.
Angular Cheilitis can be diagnosed by either a doctor or dentist. Depending on what causes the disease, there are different ways to diagnose it. Some cases are caused by ill fitting dentures that don’t properly support the muscles in the face. Your dentist can diagnose the problem by judging the fit of your dentures. The problem may also occur from certain vitamin deficiencies or diabetes. Your doctor can test you for these things in correlation with cheilitis.
Cheilitis is either a fungal and bacterial infection. The fungal infection is caused by the same fungus that causes a yeast infection. Your doctor can test a culture of the area to see if you have the bacteria present. The doctor may also do a blood test to see if you have an immune system deficiency which can manifest itself through cheilitis. The doctor or dentist may also ask you about your personal habits like licking the corners of your mouth too much or biting your lips frequently.
Angular Cheilitis can be treated in several different ways depending on the cause. If you notice the symptoms of cheilitis you can go to your doctor or dentist to have it diagnosed. You do not have to put up with the irritation and the pain of cheilitis.
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Wise Cracks about Angular Cheilitis: Causes of Cheilitis
Angular cheilitis treatment depends on its cause. Here’s a look at the various methods of treating this condition on the basis of the cause of infection.
Cause 1:
Angular cheilitis is due to Candida infection, which is yeast.
The treatment includes topical antifungal gel and steroids such as Mycolog II. A second version of this steroid is Mycostatin®. Both the versions contain antifungal called Nystatin and steroid called triamcinolone acetonide. The antifungal destroys the fungus while the steroid eases swelling, redness, itching, and pain. However, you need to watch out for the side effects of the steroid. Besides, the topical cream has to be applied very close to the mouth. So, take care you don’t ingest it.
Cause 2:
Ill-fitting dentures cause angular cheilitis.
The dentures themselves may serve as the breeding ground for bacteria. Ill-fitting dentures should be at once fixed by the dentist. Also, you should soak your dentures overnight in some antiseptic solution to avoid bacterial infection.
Cause 3:
Chapped lips cause angular cheilitis
This usually happens with kids who often have a habit of licking their lips. Sometimes, high fever in children may also trigger this condition. The best way to treat cracked lips is apply lip balm to it. You can also apply Aloe Vera to the affected area. While your lips are chapped, it’d be wise to avoid lipstick or flavored gloss. You can use unflavored gloss though.
Cause 4:
Bacteria staph causes angular cheilitis
The treatment is an antibiotic medication like a topical gel or cream. One example is miconazole gel. It’s also anti-fungal.
Cause 5:
HIV is the cause
If you’re suffering from blisters continuously at the corners of your mouth, there’s a possibility that your immunity has gone down, which might be due to HIV infection. The best thing to do would be to enhance your body’s immunity by taking vitamin supplements, which are good immunity system boosters.
So, now you realize that you should never ignore cracked lips! A small lip problem can turn into an annoying infection. And this is around your mouth meaning you can’t hide it!
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Angular Cheilitis and Your Social Life
Angular cheilitis is not something rare. Millions of people suffer from this condition every year. It’s also known as cheilosis, or perleche, or angular stomatitis. Medical science has conducted research that shows that this condition may be caused due to vitamin and iron deficiencies. Often, it happens more to older people who go through a loss of vertical dimension on account of teeth loss. Most of the cases of angular cheilitis occur due to sheer negligence of people towards caring for their lips. Often, when their lips dry, they hardly notice. When they get cracked lips, they lick them. This is a direct invitation to fungus and yeast to grow at the corners of the mouth causing this condition.
Signs of Angular Cheilitis
When you notice the following signs of this condition, you better start doing something about it or it may lead to embarrassment and lower self-esteem.
• Sores on the lips and corners of mouth
• Splitting of corners or the inside of the mouth accompanied with pain
• Bleeding when opening the mouth wide
Angular cheilitis can affect your social life adversely. The lesions and fissures are prominent and make your face unappealing. Thus, it decreases your confidence and you may not want to attend a social function or even go out in public. There are many people who make fun of sufferers of this condition, as the fissures may give a weird look to your mouth.
Anyways, we aren’t going to discuss the impolite ways of such people who laugh at others’ distress. If not for them, then at least for your own health’s sake, you must take immediate medical help.
Don’t think that this condition will pass away by itself. It may even recur several times a year. Moreover, it can last for months! There have been cases where the condition lasted for many years!
Treatment
Your doctor may prescribe 1% hydrocortisone, which is a topical cream. However, many people find this ineffective in treating their condition. Worry not. There are alternative treatments available. The saddest thing is that many sufferers are ignorant of them. Hence, it’s important to either consult your doctor or search online.
There is a simple, safe, and painless treatment that kills the candida bacteria, which is responsible for the infection, by isolating it and creating an unfavorable environment for it. This treatment is inexpensive and makes use of household items.
Do not suffer in silence. Get ready to fight angular cheilitis now!
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Common Q&A about Angular Cheilitis
Most of the people are ignorant of the basic information about angular cheilitis. Here is a set of questions that would enlighten you on this condition and clear your common doubts you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is angular cheilitis?
A: This is an inflammatory lesion occurring at the corners or sides of mouth. It is marked with red, crusty rashes around your mouth corners. At times, there may be bleeding from these cracks when you open your mouth. In severe cases, pus may form in these cracks. The condition is painful and causes a lot of discomfort.
Q: What are the causes of angular cheilitis?
A: Doctors have not been able to find the exact cause for this condition. However, some sources believe that vitamin and iron deficiency is the cause. This, again, is denied by certain other sources. Ill-fitting dentures are also believed to be the cause. They lead to the collapse of face or mouth. Some sources even put forward the possibility of serious causes like sexually transmitted disease including AIDS.
One thing is certain – this condition is caused by bacteria or fungus. However, research is still on to ascertain whether the cracks occur first and then are inflicted by bacteria or fungi, or whether the cracks itself are caused by fungi or bacteria.
Q: Who are prone to angular cheilitis?
A: First of all, those who lick their chapped lips are certainly paving the way for this condition, if they don’t stop their habit now! Secondly, those who eat unhealthy diet expose themselves to vitamin and iron deficiencies, which are known to cause this condition. People suffering from diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism also fall “prey” to fungus or bacteria attacks. Those with incorrectly fixed dentures must get them fixed properly. They are heavily prone to develop this condition!
Q: How do you come to know its angular cheilitis?
A: When you notice cracks around your mouth, you better pay attention to them. If they hurt, you are on your way to develop this condition. Also, when you open your mouth wide and there is splitting accompanied by bleeding, that’s a sign of cheilosis. Sometimes, you also get bumps.
In a nutshell, dryness or cracking of lips, or anything wrong at the corners of your mouth should be given immediate attention. In the initial stages, the treatment is as simple as applying lip balm on your lips and taking a balanced diet to check deficiencies. You should not let your chapped lips turn into a harboring ground for bacteria and fungus. Ignore these signs and you’ll develop angular cheilitis!
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