Find out about the most effective home remedies for angular cheilitis! Find out what really angular cheilitis is, what are its risk factors and angular cheilitis remedies to help getting rid of this oral health condition.
What is Angular Cheilitis?
This oral health ailment appears as blisters that form on the corners of the mouth of a person. Other medical terms for this condition are “angular stomatitis”, “perleche”, “granulamotous cheilitis”, “glossitis” and “stomatitis cheilosis.” Angular cheilitis is a lesion that is inflamed and found at the side and corners of a person’s mouth like mentioned. It is described to be red in appearance, very itchy and may form crusts at the corners. Angular cheilitis could be caused either by a bacteria or fungus (less common cause).
What causes angular cheilitis?
- Iron deficiency in an individual’s diet
- Vitamin B2 (“Riboflavin”) deficiency
- Zinc deficiency
- Poor nutrition
- Systemic diseases particularly inflammatory bowel illnesses
- Sensitive skin
- Tobacco smoking
- Dentures that don’t fit properly
- Genetic predisposition such as down syndrome
- May be associated with bacterial or fungal infections
- Chapped lips (lips that lack moisture so they start becoming cracked. (Licking the lips may further aggravate the problem)
- It could also be linked to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa because of the disorders constant vomiting
Typical symptoms may be the following:
- Mildly painful to extreme discomfort
- Burning sensation around the infected area
- Blisters that ooze and erode
- Redness sores
- Cold sores at the corners of the mouth
- Splitting of the skin at the corner of the lips
- Bleeding may occur in more severe cases if the cracks open up
Effective home remedies for angular cheilitis
- Hydrate the lips. A natural treatment for angular cheilitis is to hydrate it properly. If the lips are dry and you think licking it will help moisturize it, you’re wrong. Licking your lips may further aggravate the condition. Instead, use petroleum jelly to moisture those smackers. Also drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. The more water you can drink all throughout the day the better.
- Get plenty of rest. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep to help out those issues with dry skin. Get at least 7 hours of sleep during the night to help heal any problems with the skin and also help relieve stress.
- Olive oil. Another effective angular cheilitis treatment is applying olive oil to your lips to give it that extra moisture.
- Cucumber slices. Slice cucumbers and put it to the lips once or twice every day to help those chapped and cracked lips. It’s a great home remedy for angular cheilitis. This could help relieve the burning sensation because of the sores.
- Cocoa butter.You can check in health stores for cocoa butter which give relief for dry lips that can lead to this condition.
image from GUSTOIMAGES/Science Photo Library - Aloe vera gel. Here is a cheilitis home remedy, get it directly from an aloe vera leaf. Apply this to the affected areas on the mouth to reduce the aggravation of lesions and help control dryness. Apply a thin layer of aloe vera gel on the affected area and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water right after.
- Replace the lacking vitamins. Since angular cheilitis is caused by lacking certain components to the body such as iron, vitamin B2 and zinc. Get supplements of those to replace what is lacking and help prevent angular cheilitis. Improve your diet also by increasing the intake of green leafy vegetables and dairy products for a great source of vitamin B. Also try out lean meat, organ meats, whole grain cereals, potatoes and bananas.
- Salt and olive oil. One of the effective home remedies for angular cheilitis is rubbing a little bit of salt on the lips followed by olive oil to create more moisture around the affected areas. Salt is also one effective natural remedies for mouth ulcers.
- Honey. Honey has natural antifungal and antibacterial components. Rub some honey on the affected areas to help with the process of healing the sores.
- Humidifiers. If you have the air conditioner and heater on most of the time in the house, your next best bet is to buy a humidifier to help out with the dryness and keep moisture on the lips.
- Avoid the following: Stay away from sugary foods that may worsen the condition, cigarette smoking, alcohol and extremes in temperature because this will only make the angular cheilitis worse. Avoiding these is also one of the effective natural remedies for mouth ulcers.
- Improve dental hygiene. Be sure to brush your teeth regularly and floss at least every other day. The goal is to stay away from bacterial growth that may aggravate angular cheilitis. If ever you have dentures, make sure that you have dentures that fit properly. Go to your dentist at least once or twice a year depending on what your dentist says about the dental appointments.
These are the most effective and tried out angular cheilitis natural remedies. Mild cases could be treated with no problem so make sure that you don’t aggravate the condition. Try out these home remedies for angular cheilitis and be amazed of the results they may bring!
You don’t have to feel alone in this struggle with this medical condition because it does happen to most of us. If you are interested to learn more about this condition and other wonderful and all-natural remedies. By clicking on the image below, you will have a brief glimpse of an amazing ebook containing information about “the fastest way to cure angular cheilitis“. The remedies in this ebook are safe, non-irritating, all-natural and actually works!
