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.
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 triamnicolone 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.
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.
The Pain of Angular Cheilitis Can Hit Your Self-Esteem | Causes and Symptoms
Only the sufferer knows the pain of angular cheilitis. It starts like a harmless rash that might deceive you into thinking that it’ll go away. Slowly, it develops into painful cracks around the corners of your mouth. And you’re left wondering what’s happening to you.
It starts from cracked lips and develops into angular cheilitis. Medically speaking, it’s the swelling of labial commissures (relax; they are just the corners of your mouth). Although the condition is not life threatening, it hits hard on your confidence and appearance. Besides, it’s painful. Also, at times, the condition gets too stubborn to go away by itself. There have been cases in which the condition has even lasted for five long years!
How Angular Cheilitis Can Impact Your Life
Angular Cheilitis or Cheilosis is a painful inflammation at the corners of the mouth. It can cause cracking and bleeding at the mouth corners that can become infected with a yeast infection or crusted over and sore. Those who suffer from this condition know just how much these annoying symptoms can affect your life.
Cheilosis can make it difficult to open your mouth. Opening even a small amount can cause pain or bleeding. This makes it difficult to talk and eat. Acidic foods can be especially irritating to the area. If it is difficult to speak then a person tends to isolate themselves from others. It is a condition difficult to hide because the mouth is such a prominent feature in our communication with others.
Angular Cheilitis And Its Causes
Dry cracked lips are painful and irritating. Even the slightest cracking of your lips causes serious discomfort. There is actually a severe form of chapped lips that is called Angular Cheilitis. Cheilitis is characterized by cracks or fissures in the corners of the mouth that are sore and swollen. These sores can become infected and scabbed over. The question is what exactly causes this condition?
