Cracks in the corners of the lips: causes, medication and folk remedies
Damage to the skin in the corners of the mouth is a common occurrence that causes severe discomfort. This part of the body is very mobile when talking, eating, expressing emotions, so every movement in the presence of seizures is given in pain.
Few people see a doctor to treat such wounds, although it is worth consulting a doctor. If cracks in the corners of the lips appeared once and for a banal reason (weathering, trauma), their treatment with folk remedies is allowed. But if jams appear often, and the reasons for their occurrence are unclear, prefer traditional medicine under the supervision of a doctor.
Content
Causes of cracks in the corners of the lips
Cracks in the corners of the lips (cheilitis) occur for various reasons, and the treatment in each case is selected individually. The most common triggers are:
- Injuries in the corners of the mouth: domestic injuries associated with professional activities, sports, the use of an inconvenient denture, or inaccurate dental practices.
- Chronic lip injury with leukoplakia (the wound does not heal for a long time).
- Eating lips with spicy or very salty foods.
- Infection of the skin of the lips with pathogenic microorganisms that massively accumulate in the mouth with irregular hygiene or with a decrease in immunity. Fungal, viral (herpetic) and bacterial infections are possible.
- Prolonged skin contact with dry air, for example, in a room with heating.
- The effect of frosty air on the skin.
- Allergic reactions to food or cosmetics.
- Vitamin deficiency, especially iron and zinc deficiency.
- Dysbacteriosis
- Metabolic and endocrine problems in the body.
- Severe infections, syphilis and tuberculosis.
The phenomenon when a crack in the corner of the mouth is not treatable for a long time indicates the attachment of a bacterial infection that interferes with tissue regeneration and provokes severe inflammation.
Possible symptoms
If a person has chapped lips, he will know about it as soon as he looks in the mirror. The appearance of the cracks depends on the provoking factor: they can become covered with crusts and bloom, redness is often observed around the inflammatory reaction.
The feeling of discomfort may be different. If this is a common trauma after visiting the dentist, the patient feels the pain characteristic of any skin damage. But with the infection, other symptoms appear: burning, severe itching, tingling sensation.
Diagnosis to identify the cause of the disease
It is not difficult to determine the presence of cracks in the corners of the mouth, they are easy to see and feel by the characteristic discomfort. Difficulties arise in determining the cause that provoked their appearance. In cases where cheilitis is preceded by an injury, walking in the freezing air or eating spicy food, usually there are no difficulties with diagnosis and treatment - to eliminate cracks, you can use home therapy methods.
If cracks in the corners of the mouth appeared for reasons unknown to an adult, a doctor’s consultation is necessary for their proper treatment.Diagnostics in a medical facility is necessary if the pathological process has become chronic, accompanied by other disturbing symptoms, and the cracks have an unusual shade - bluish or gray. Such a violation can be an external manifestation of a serious malfunction in the immune or endocrine system, which can lead to dangerous consequences.
Sometimes, in order to identify the cause that provoked the appearance of cracks in the corners of the lips, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination. By a general blood test, you can diagnose anemia, by biochemical research and hormone tests - problems with metabolism and the work of the endocrine glands.
If there is a suspicion that the seizures were formed due to an allergic reaction, the doctor prescribes an allergy test.
How and how to treat cracks in the corners of the lips
Regardless of the cause of the wounds in the corners of the lips, you need to treat them with disinfecting antiseptics and creams that accelerate regeneration. The rest of the treatment regimen for cracks in the corners of the mouth depends on the cause of the pathology.
| Cause | Therapeutic measures |
|---|---|
| Injury | If the injury is caused by an orthodontic design, you must stop using it. If with a denture, consult your dentist for repair or replacement. If cracks occur due to smoking or the habit of chewing on pens, pencils need to give up bad habits. If after prolonged treatment the wound does not heal or reappears, it is necessary to check for leukoplakia. |
| Allergy | Contact with the allergen must be excluded. Doctors usually prescribe antihistamines, and in severe forms, hormonal drugs. |
| Weak immunity | It is necessary to adjust the nutrition, daily routine. The doctor may prescribe vitamins and immunomodulators. |
| Frost or dry air | If the cause of cheilitis is dryness in the corners of the lips, you can use humidifiers. Before going to frost, you need to treat your lips with hygienic lipstick. |
| Dysbacteriosis | The regular use of dairy products that normalize the intestinal flora is recommended. In severe dysbiosis, prebiotics are prescribed. |
| Metabolic disorders | Therapy depends on the type of disorder and is always developed by a doctor; self-medication is unacceptable. |
| Endocrine diseases | The imbalance of hormones is regulated by the use of drugs according to the scheme developed by the endocrinologist. |
| Severe infections | If the wounds have arisen as a symptom of tuberculosis or syphilis, urgent treatment of the underlying disease is necessary. The method for eliminating local symptoms is determined by the doctor. |
Infectious cheilitis
If the cracks in the corners of the lips are of an infectious origin, before treating the disease, it is necessary to identify the type of pathogen. Incorrect treatment will lead to disease progression and complications. To accurately diagnose which infection caused the seizure, you need to see a doctor and pass all the necessary tests.
| Cause | Features | How and how to treat |
|---|---|---|
|
Herpetic viral infection.
|
Bubbles appeared on the lips (photo), which not only hurt, but also cause severe itching, burning. | The use of the antiviral ointment Gerpevir or Acyclovir. The resulting bubbles can not be punctured, this can lead to a secondary infection. |
|
Fungal angulitis.
|
Jams appear, covered with a whitish bloom, as in the photo. The wounds hurt a lot. | It is necessary to treat the jam with antifungal ointments, the type of the drug is determined by the doctor after an accurate diagnosis of the type of pathogen. If the cracks in the skin of a patient with angulitis are very painful, they are lubricated with lidocaine ointment. |
|
Bacterial infection or angular stomatitis.
|
Inflammation appears, the skin cracks and crusts, as in the photo. | Regular application to the foci of inflammation of an ointment based on erythromycin or another antibiotic is required. To determine how to treat cracks in the corners of the mouth with angular stomatitis, you need to identify the exact type of pathogen. |
Reasons for eating
Defective and poor nutrition often provokes the development of skin defects in adults and children. Sores and seizures in the corner of the mouth are just an outward manifestation of a deficiency in one of the important nutritional components.
| Vitamin deficiency | You need a good diet, able to make up for the deficiency of all vitamin groups. During the examination, the doctor will determine the type of vitamin deficiency and prescribe vitamins in the form of pharmaceutical preparations. |
|---|---|
| Iron deficiency | We need an anti-anemic diet with an increase in the consumption of products containing iron (beets, pomegranates, buckwheat, bananas). The doctor may prescribe iron supplements. |
| Zinc deficiency | Useful meat and liver, walnuts, and legumes. |
In order for the lips to heal faster, at the same time as following the diet, it is necessary to eliminate the local symptoms. To do this, you can use moisturizing balms and lip gels.
Treatment of cracks in the corners of the lips with folk remedies at home
If a person has cracks in the corners of the mouth, the doctor has already identified the cause of their occurrence and prescribed treatment, you can include folk remedies in the therapy. Although in the case when microcracks cause severe discomfort, and it is not possible to visit a doctor on the same day, many of these recommendations can be applied before medical treatment. In the form of lotions, such agents are effective:
A mixture of liquid solutions of vitamins A and E. This medicine quickly heals cracks, as it makes up for the deficiency of vitamins needed by the skin.- Solutions of chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide well disinfect seizures, they heal and long-healing cracks with angulitis.
- Herbal infusions (chamomile, sage) are used both in the form of lotions for cracks and for rinsing the oral cavity to cure gum inflammation.
- Vegetable oils (sea buckthorn, rosehip) and lip balms help get rid of dryness in the corners of the mouth, which prevents the appearance of new cracks.
- Aloe or Kalanchoe juice can accelerate the healing of cracks in the lips.
- Baby cream helps to eliminate dryness in the corners of the mouth and discomfort, it can be used during pregnancy, when many other medicines are prohibited.
If cracks appeared in the child, only the safest folk remedies can be used for their treatment - hydrogen peroxide, petroleum jelly and a decoction of the string.
If a person is not treated, even the smallest crack on the lips can turn into a long inflammatory process with subsequent complications and the spread of infection in the oral cavity and internal organs. Angulitis, which is an external manifestation of an internal disease or does not heal for a very long time, can lead to even more serious consequences. That is why you should consult a doctor when the first alarming symptoms appear.
