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.

Those suffering with symptoms know the embarrassment of someone commenting that they have some food or something else on the corners of their mouth. Young children with cheilitis tend to pick at the area or constantly lick it which only aggravates the condition. Finding the right treatment depends on finding the root cause.

Angular Cheilitis can occur in older people with improper fitting dentures which allow saliva to leak from the corners of the mouth. Those who lick their lips frequently will allow saliva to gather at the corners of the mouth making a perfect environment for a yeast infection to develop. Very young children who use a pacifier may develop Cheilosis because of the constant presence of saliva around the mouth. It can also develop because of deficiencies in the B vitamins or iron deficiency. Obtaining a proper diagnosis is important to curing the problem.

Those who suffer with the symptoms of Angular Cheilitis may feel self conscious if people stare at them. Those with jobs that require them to talk to other people face-to-face, may find it difficult to not feel self conscious about the problem. Teenagers may deal with cruel remarks and comments from their peers.

It is not a serious or life threatening disease, but it does impact the social well being of a person. It often is mistaken for cold sores and others think it might be contagious but it is not.

Understanding the condition and finding the underlying cause in order to obtain proper treatment will help those affected by Angular Cheilitis to remove the negative impacts of this condition from their lives. They will return to feeling less self-conscious about their appearance and speaking and eating will not be so difficult.