Seizures on the lips: causes, treatment of cracks in the corners of the mouth

If you ask people who do not have a medical education what “angulitis” is, only a few will answer correctly and correctly place emphasis on the mysterious word. Meanwhile, most of us have probably suffered from the unfortunate angulitis at least once in our lives.

What is it? It turns out that there are cracks and wounds in the corners of the lips, which are popularly called “jams.” It seems to be not the most serious disease, but, you see, it is very unpleasant, associated with a lack of vitamins, weakened immunity, and metabolic disorders.

How to deal with it, how to protect yourself from it in the future? Let's figure it out.

What it is?

Seizures are a violation of the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes in the corners of the mouth , both from the outside and from the inside. In addition to “angulitis,” the disease has other names: angular stomatitis, cheilitis.

The disease goes through a number of stages - from barely noticeable blisters to deep, sometimes suppurating cracks. At the same time, it always causes pain and discomfort - it interferes with speaking, smiling, eating, and it looks very unaesthetic.

If you follow the principle “everything will pass anyway” and do not take any measures, irritation can spread further, along the edges of the lips and cheeks. The crusts on the site of healing wounds will begin to burst as soon as a person opens his mouth - there seems to be no end in sight to the problems.

A psychological attitude towards a certain hopelessness will also play a negative role, because, as psychosomatics (one of the branches of psychology) claims: all our problems are from nerves.

Interestingly, seizures can appear in people of any age - from a child to a pensioner, if the necessary conditions for the development of infection are found. What they are, how to fix them, everyone for whom angulitis is a regularly recurring problem needs to know.

Therapy

When cracks appear in the corners of the lips, their treatment should only be prescribed by a qualified specialist. Of course, you can try “grandmother’s recipes” and self-medicate, but with such a problem it is better not to risk it and go to a medical facility. If you start the disease, the consequences can be different.

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Treatment for seizures may vary depending on the causes of their occurrence:

Mechanical damage and bad habits. In this case, stop smoking, adjust your dentures, and brush your teeth twice a day. To alleviate the condition, it is recommended to use ointments and gels that contain lidocaine.
Before application, treat wounds, ulcers, and redness with peroxide, but the percentage of the solution should not exceed 3%.
Candidiasis. A special cream is prescribed, which must be applied to the cracks at least 4 times a day.
With tuberculosis, accordingly, it is first necessary to take measures to treat this disease. Before treatment, the cracks are anesthetized and wiped with an antiseptic, after which dead skin is removed. Special anti-tuberculosis drugs are used for treatment.
Venereal diseases. Treatment is the same as for tuberculosis.
Allergic reaction. The first step is to find out the allergen and get rid of it, then take a drug that alleviates the allergy sufferer’s condition.
Bad weather conditions. If you have to be outside often, be sure to use hygienic lipstick and ointments, which will quickly restore the condition of your lips and heal wounds.

Causes: why lips crack

Experts consider seizures to be one of the signs of diseases associated with the body’s loss of general immunity.

They are often seasonal in nature, since most chronic somatic diseases manifest themselves precisely during periods of unstable, changeable weather - in autumn, spring.

The immediate culprits of the problems are:

streptococcal bacteria;
fungal infection Candida;
viral infections (for example, herpes).

Such microorganisms are usually found on the skin and in the internal organs of healthy people, without causing them harm.

The reasons for their appearance in the active phase:

vitamin deficiency (including seasonal);
colds and chronic diseases (exacerbation can occur with diabetes, HIV);
weakness of the body associated with long-term treatment (antibiotics, hormonal agents, radiation therapy);
nervous tension;
bad habits (smoking, drugs);
microtraumas of the skin.

Experts note even an incorrect bite as a risk factor, which provokes increased salivation, causing maceration (this is the name for the process of soaking tissues with liquid and, as a result, their softening).

Failure to comply with hygiene rules (for example, using someone else’s bath accessories), as well as the habit of constantly licking them if the corners of the lips dry out, also adds its own “drop of ointment.”

Seizures, as one of the signs of a serious illness, may indicate liver pathology. Similar symptoms are typical for anemia, when the body experiences an acute lack of iron.

Diagnosing the disease

Serious diagnosis will be required if the wound constantly recurs, does not heal, and is poorly treated. The examination consists of several stages:

Patient interview. It is important to mention concomitant diseases, allergies, occupational hazards, and possible bad habits. It is important to remember exactly when the jam appeared.
Inspection.
Bacteriological and cytological research.
Immunity research, serology.
Consultation with another doctor of narrow specialization.
Treatment depends on the cause of the cracks.

What vitamins are missing?

Binges most often bother people whose bodies lack vitamins:

group B (riboflavin and pyridoxine);
A (retinol);
C (ascorbic acid);
E (tocopherol);
PP (nicotinic acid).

For example, vitamins B2 and B6 have a positive effect directly on the skin - they contribute to its saturation with oxygen and ensure the processes of protein synthesis). Their lack, as a rule, leads to various skin diseases.

It is important to keep in mind that almost all vital vitamins are found in required quantities in various foods, so its balance is a prerequisite for a faster human recovery.

We must not forget about microelements: iron, for example, raises the level of hemoglobin in the blood, thanks to which the skin overcomes dryness and vulnerability, and zinc is necessary for tissue regeneration.

Why do cracks appear and hurt?

If you experience pain in the presence of cracks on your lips, you should take a number of medications that reduce them. At the same time, complex therapy is carried out for rapid wound healing.

It is recommended to introduce some dietary restrictions and exclude those foods that cause additional irritation of wounds, which naturally leads to pain.

It is necessary to refrain from socializing outdoors in winter, as this will cause additional injury to the lips and increased pain.

It is recommended to use different moisturizing creams to make the skin more elastic and prevent new cracks from appearing on the wounds.

Photo of cracks on lips

Diagnosis of the disease

To find out why cracks appear in the corners of your lips, you need to visit a general practitioner. Only a qualified specialist will determine the exact cause and prescribe adequate treatment.

Typically, diagnosis begins with a smear taken from the affected area. After culture and microbiological examination, the doctor will be able to prescribe the correct drug.

In addition to the smear, the following tests may be required to clarify the diagnosis and identify concomitant diseases:

general urine and blood tests;
blood sugar test;
herpes virus test;
blood chemistry;
HIV and syphilis testing.

The latter are needed in order to carry out differentiated diagnostics. Often with secondary syphilis, hard papules with cracks and erosions form in the corners of the lips, reminiscent of a banal “meat”.

For constantly recurring cracking of the corners of the mouth, the therapist can refer you for consultation to a dermatologist, dentist, ENT doctor and endocrinologist.

Diagnostics

Accurate diagnosis is provided by laboratory tests. Doctors always prescribe them to patients whose seizures are constant and not isolated cases.

Blood and scrapings from damaged areas of the skin and mucous membranes are taken for analysis.

The presence of pathogenic microbes helps to understand the nature of the disease, and the concentration of leukocytes in the blood will confirm that inflammation is occurring in the body.

The presence of B vitamins in the samples must be checked.

And since seizures, as a rule, are only the visible “part of the iceberg,” experts will try to understand whether they are the result of diabetes (the blood will be examined for sugar concentration), HIV, or some kind of sexually transmitted diseases.

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Let's talk about children

Not only adults experience discomfort; the corners of children’s lips also crack. The main reason that causes this problem is dry lips. They first dry out and then begin to crack. Most often this happens in the summer. In winter, frosts can affect the appearance of seizures in a baby.

Children love to bite their lips. Microtraumas appear, which causes wounds to appear in the corners of the lips.

Fever, dehydration, and impaired nasal breathing are reasons that can cause cracks to appear.

As in adults, the appearance of the disease is provoked by vitamin deficiency and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Another reason that provokes the appearance of wounds in the corners is licking the lips. Many children love to do this. Especially if they have delicious candy in their mouth. Saliva contains enzymes that irritate the mucous membrane and increase the evaporation of moisture.

Types of disease

Experts distinguish between primary and secondary forms of the disease. In the first case, the causative agents are streptococci, candidiasis infection.

In the second case, the disease is associated, for example, with tuberculosis or some other infections. Different types of illness require special treatment.

Candida

This type of disease has a name - “candidiasis.”

Fungal inflammation usually affects not only the corners of the mouth, but also the tongue, and appears on the cheeks inside the mouth.

Candidiasis does not heal for a long time and often becomes chronic.

Its external signs are a dirty white coating (which is easy to remove, but literally in one day it will appear again) and the absence of crusts.

Read more about the symptoms and treatment of candidal stomatitis here.

Streptococcal

For this type of disease, crusts are one of the main symptoms. Their color is yellowish-red.

The streptococcus that causes infection is very active, therefore, when the question arises whether the jams are contagious or not, experts answer in the affirmative and insist on observing hygienic precautions.

You can become infected through direct contact (for example, a kiss), dishes, or personal belongings.

Children are more susceptible to this form of the disease than others. If they complain that their lips are chapped and sore, parents must understand the cause of the problem and, if necessary, seek help from a doctor, he will tell you what to do.

Herpetic

If the cause of the disease is the herpes virus, it is usually impossible to get rid of unpleasant symptoms without medical help.

The wounds do not go away for a long time, the discharge from them is purulent, and the pain during conversation or eating is acute.

We wrote about the treatment of herpes stomatitis in children in this article.

Causes of cracks

Cracks often appear due to a lack of vitamins.

Lips can tell a lot about a person's health. They should not have cracks, dryness, or peeling. If something like this appears, you should think about it. It is possible that problems have begun in the body.

The causes of such cracking (they are also called angular) can be general diseases, vitamin deficiency, damage by fungi or bacteria, or mechanical trauma. Bad habits, a love of spicy food, a habit of licking lips, or simply a too cold or hot environment can also affect it.

This often happens with a deficiency of vitamins and microelements. They can also warn about dysbiosis. At the same time, weakness, fatigue, and pallor are also observed. Hair may fall out and skin may peel.

If you notice cracks in the corners of your mouth, the reasons can be very different. Let's take a closer look at the main reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon.

Traumatic

Many people discover similar wounds after visiting the dental office. This is the result of mechanical damage from tools. Dentists especially often cause such damage with a mirror. If you have to frequently treat your teeth, such wounds simply do not have time to heal.

Cracks can be the result of careless treatment by a dentist.

Another reason is removable dentures. It is the corners of the mouth that most often experience the maximum load at the moment when a person removes or inserts a denture.

If a person has dry lips, they become too vulnerable. In this case, it is enough to simply open your mouth wide to damage the skin in the corners.

The most dangerous cause of such seizures is leukoplakia. This is a dangerous disease that can lead to malignant tumors. One of its symptoms is damage to the corners of the mouth. Most often, leukoplakia occurs in response to too frequent mechanical irritation of the lips, bad habits and certain diseases.

If such a symptom appears, you still need to go to the doctor. Only he can determine the exact reason. Particularly dangerous are wounds that do not respond to local treatment and are based in the buccal mucosa.

Quick treatment for jams in the corners of the mouth in adults

Not only pharmaceutical drugs, but also folk remedies help fight the symptoms of angulitis. The treatment regimen, although it is carried out at home, needs to be thought out together with the attending physician.

Ointment, antiseptics and other drugs

The medications used have different purposes: they disinfect wounds, fight germs, and accelerate healing.

Here are the pharmaceuticals your doctor may recommend:

Metronidazole, Miramistin – have an antibacterial effect;
Tetracycline ointment is an antibiotic that kills germs;
Triderm is a hormonal antiviral agent;
Levomekol, Solcoseryl, zinc ointment - effectively regenerate damaged tissues;
Clotrimazole, Stomatodin, Nystatin (cream, ointment) - as antifungal agents;
Metrogyl denta is a universal remedy, used if the “culprit” of the disease is not clearly established;
Aevit, Milgamma - contain a complex of vitamins necessary for the patient;
Bepanten - used at the healing stage;
iodine and brilliant green - as cauterizing agents (with great care to prevent burns).

But Acyclovir and Zovirax are ineffective against seizures (unless the disease is viral in nature); in addition, they cause peeling of the skin and dryness, which can negatively affect the healing of cracks.

Vishnevsky Ointment, popular with many people, also does not always provide the desired result, since it helps with non-infectious causes of cracks.

Homeopathy can come to the aid of chronic patients, but this type of treatment must be agreed upon with a doctor.

Painkillers

Pain is one of the main problems of the disease. Drugs that relieve it (tablets, gels) are part of a comprehensive treatment.

Traditional medicine

When problems with lips arise, traditional healers advise using bee products - not only honey, but also propolis (in combination with butter).

If the wounds become inflamed and wet, these products will have a disinfecting effect on them and speed up recovery.

Also useful:

plantain - a paste of crushed fresh leaves;
echinacea - in the form of a decoction or infusion;
apple (non-sour) – grated and mixed with butter;
chamomile, sage - in the form of a decoction for lotions;
Kalanchoe or aloe juice for treating wounds;
fish oil in combination with honey - for compresses.

Nutrition

Nutrition should be complete and fortified. On the table should be:

liver;
vegetables (beets are a must);
dairy products;
cheese;
honey;
seafood;
porridge (for example, buckwheat);
greenery.

But spicy, salty food, and in case of candidiasis - even sweet food, is contraindicated for people who have seizures with alarming frequency.

ethnoscience

You should not refuse this method of treatment. From century to century, people have used a variety of herbs and plants to get rid of certain problems. Cracks in the corners of the lips are no exception.

Anti-inflammatory decoctions can be used. They will help relieve itching and irritation. Tincture of chamomile, calendula, and regular green tea are a good option for these purposes.
Will help get rid of oil jams. Sunflower or any essential oil is perfect. Before use, you should warm it up a little, then moisten a cotton pad in it and apply it to the wound.
Earwax will also help get rid of discomfort in the corners of the mouth.
Don't give up masks and creams. They are also an effective way to get rid of jams. Apply the freshly prepared mixture to the wound for half an hour. To prepare the mask, finely grated apples mixed with butter are suitable. Aloe is also used for these purposes.

Applying mask and cream to lips. Apply the freshly prepared mask to the corners for half an hour. An apple mask will be useful. You can make aloe cream.

How to treat cracks in the corners of the lips in children

As in the case of adult patients, treatment should begin with a diagnosis, which will allow you to select the most effective drugs.

Well-known pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky considers it important:

remove all irritating foods (sour, salty) from the children's menu;
pain relief is carried out using Kalgel;
if the allergic nature of the snacks is established, never again give the child this allergenic food or medications that have caused individual intolerance;
promptly check the baby’s blood for the presence of iron in the body, and compensate for its deficiency with the help of pharmaceuticals (iron-containing products alone are not enough).

You should not choose medications on your own, especially if treatment of cracks and wounds in a baby is required.

The doctor may recommend prebiotics Hilak Forte, Laktofiltrum, and smear the sores with Miramistin, Cholisal, Metrogyl Denta.

We recommend that you watch the following video with tips from the Union of Pediatricians of Russia on the treatment of seizures in children:

Preventive actions

Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. So it’s better to try to avoid jamming by taking into account the following recommendations:

Avoid peeling lips by using regular or hygienic lipstick, honey. If it doesn’t get better, then you should consult a dermatologist to make an accurate diagnosis.
Get a preventive examination of your body. If inflammation occurs, begin treatment immediately.
Check your teeth for caries. If the teeth are in poor condition, there are no fillings, the crowns are worn out, the dentures are of poor quality, jams will appear constantly.
Correct diet. Reconsider what you eat. Start eating right. Choose products that contain vitamins B, C, E. These elements contain fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grain bread, and beans. As an option, you can buy a vitamin complex at any pharmacy, the main thing is not to forget to drink it. Increase your intake of beef, cheese, dairy products, and in some cases brewer's yeast is recommended.

Cracks can appear regardless of the time of year and age category. The main thing is to immediately identify the cause of their appearance. Beautiful lips and good health give you confidence, don’t get sick and pay attention to your body’s signals.

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How to cure sores in the corners of the lips during pregnancy

For this category of patients, safety is especially important: a woman has no right to harm her unborn child. However, such problems arise not only in pregnant women, but also in nursing mothers.

What medications does the doctor consider safe? For local treatment - ointments Gioksizon, Nystatin, Lamisil cream.

If the skin is severely inflamed and redness appears, you can use Erythromycin ointment with caution. If they peel, you can apply baby cream or Vaseline.

Rinsing with calendula solution will help destroy bacteria on mucous surfaces.

At the healing stage (when the wound is covered with a crust), treatment with emollients (tea tree oil or sea buckthorn oil) helps.

If the cause is a fungal infection

Fungal nature - they occupy the second place in popularity, which is noted by experts.

Experts also call candidiasis of the lips, which is associated with a fungal nature. This phenomenon is known: yeast-type seizure.

The causes of the spread of fungi of a pathogenic nature will be a previous acute respiratory infection. The causes are usually systemic diseases, for example, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the circulatory system, pathologies of the intestines or stomach.

The cause of the disease will also be long-term use of hormonal-type drugs or drugs that create a situation associated with immune suppression.

If antibiotics are taken, this also leads to cracks in the corners of the lips.

As an external manifestation of this disease, the patient can see a characteristic white coating in places of erosion.

It can be easily removed by normal scraping.

The most effective treatment is the use of medications. It is recommended to use Lamisil Cream. You need to apply it to cracks 3 or 4 times during the day.

Prevention of seizures in children and adults

What should you do to avoid accidentally “rewarding” yourself with a relatively safe but painful skin defect when the corners of your mouth crack? Strengthen your immune system, and also take care of the condition of your skin and oral cavity, providing them with proper care and eliminating a number of negative factors.

To achieve this, preventive measures are recommended to prevent harmful microorganisms and bacteria from finding a weak spot for their destructive activity:

Take good care of your oral cavity, promptly treat skin diseases and caries, and do not delay dental prosthetics.
In cold and windy weather, use high-quality cosmetic moisturizers for your lips: balms, creams, hygienic lipstick.
Buy a humidifier for your home and be sure to use it during the heating season.
Do not use other people's utensils and hygiene products.
Observe the rules of personal hygiene (do not lick or bite your lips, nails, do not touch your face with dirty hands, unclean towels and other objects that carry viruses and infections).
To refuse from bad habits.
Temper the body.
Include in the menu foods enriched with microelements and vitamins (poultry, fish, vegetable oils, cottage cheese, eggs, nuts, brown rice, legumes, whole grains);
During the healing period, avoid sweets, spicy, salty and pickled foods.

Eating is a case when a person brings trouble upon himself with his habits. The disease will not put you in a hospital bed, but it will definitely spoil your quality of life.

There is nothing good in the fact that an attempt to smile brings painful sensations instead of pleasant emotions, and unaesthetic signs of illness are clearly visible on your face. It’s not difficult to forget about eating, try to close all the loopholes for germs to penetrate your lips and smile to your health!

Folk remedies: what to apply to chapped corners of lips?

Local effects on zaedu are widely represented by folk methods based on many years of successful experience in treating this sore by our ancestors. Their action is aimed at softening the skin near the jam and accelerating the regeneration of damaged tissue.

After consulting with a doctor about the safety of using folk remedies, and ruling out individual intolerance or allergy to any natural component, the following will help cope with angulitis:

moisturizing lotions with oil solutions of vitamins A and E and natural vegetable oils: olive, rose hip, tea tree oil;
lubricating jams with plantain leaves crushed into pulp;
applying freshly cut pieces of garlic or onion to the wounds.

Beekeeping products are also in demand in folk medicine: a fifteen-minute compress of 1 tablespoon of honey with 10 drops of fish oil in the morning and at night will have an antiseptic effect and quickly heal the wound. An ointment made from propolis and butter will have the same effect.

If, despite all efforts to overcome seizures, a positive result could not be achieved, this indicates serious health problems, and therefore the need to consult doctors of different specialties:

therapist,
endocrinologist,
virologist.

Treatment of chronic seizures

Be sure to treat affected areas with antiseptic solutions. For this you can use:

Miramistin;
Hydrogen peroxide 3%;
Furacilin;
Chlorhexidine;
Borax solution.

Do not forget!!! These solutions are contraindicated for children under three years of age, as allergies are possible, and Borax in water is toxic and is not recommended even in adolescence.

After treatment with an antiseptic, antifungal or antibacterial ointments are applied for the first 3-4 days; on day 5, the wound is treated with a healing ointment to speed up healing. For this you can use:

Sea buckthorn oil;
Oily vitamins A and E;
Panthenol or Bepanten.

For long-term non-healing large lesions, antibiotics, immunostimulants, and antifungal drugs are prescribed orally. Antibiotics should not be used for fungal angulitis; they stimulate the growth of fungi.

Adverse weather conditions

You need to start treatment only after finding out why your lips are dry and peeling or why painful wounds have formed in the corners of your mouth. If the cause of the problem is obvious, begin treatment with available over-the-counter medications or effective folk methods. If jams, cracks or blisters on the lips have formed for no apparent reason, you will need to undergo a medical examination. A visit to the doctor is also necessary when the ulcer on the lip looks unusual, for example, it has a blue or grayish color.

In adults

The choice of methods for treating the corners of the lips should depend on the factors that caused the wounds. In addition to using local medications, to eliminate the problem, it is necessary to exclude all possible causes that provoked its occurrence. For example, when the lesions are associated with wearing an unsuitable denture, it will be necessary to replace it with a more comfortable one, otherwise it will not be possible to get rid of cracks in the corners of the mouth. If the cause of erosion is an allergy, you need to identify the allergen so as not to come into contact with it in the future.

When treating jaundice, cheilitis and herpes, local ointments, creams, and various oils are used to stimulate healing. When choosing how to treat the sore corners of the lips, it is better to consult a doctor, but if the wounds have appeared recently, do not cause serious discomfort and are not combined with additional symptoms, find effective means to eliminate them yourself.

Dry, windy weather, frost, and arid heat are common causes of flaking and tightness of the skin in the mouth area, which, if it is not sufficiently moistened, can lead to the formation of an inflamed crack. It is easy to prevent its occurrence by caring for the sensitive area: daily applying nourishing cream or Vaseline before going outside.

Licking skin

Licking your lips too often can also cause cheilitis. Additionally, symptoms such as redness, dryness, and the appearance of crusts on the surface of the epidermis occur; after their removal, red spots appear.

It is necessary to get rid of a bad habit. According to many experts, constant licking of the mouth is a consequence of stress or neurosis, so it is recommended to visit a psychiatrist or neurologist; you may need to take sedatives or sedatives.

Beauty and problem

A woman, no matter what age she is, dreams of beauty. Currently, you can find a large number of cosmetics on sale, and one of them is lipstick. So, if the corners of your lips begin to crack, pay attention to your makeup bag. Perhaps your problem is due to an allergic reaction. Itching, bleeding, cracking, peeling can be a consequence of a negative reaction to beauty products, such as:

decorative balm;
pomade;
lip pencil;
shine.

In this case, you should find the source of the problem. Observe how your body behaves after using one or another cosmetic product. If you notice a negative reaction, discard it immediately. You should also remember that the corner of your lip can constantly crack due to the expiration date of the beauty product.

This problem can occur as a result of allergies to medications, food and hygiene products.

Other reasons

More often, bad habits are observed in children. Unpleasant symptoms appear when biting nails, or when constantly holding foreign objects (pens, toys) in the mouth.

When the body is dehydrated, the skin around the mouth also becomes dry, its elasticity decreases, and the oral mucosa becomes dry. Such symptoms are often observed with increased physical activity, with constant physical training, if the drinking regime is not observed. This condition is also observed at high temperatures, regardless of age category.

When metabolism is disrupted, dryness also appears. This condition is observed with the development of diabetes mellitus, if the thyroid gland produces hormonal substances in excess, with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Prevention

If your lips often turn red and crack, they need to be thoroughly moisturized. To do this, regularly use softening lipsticks. This will help prevent mechanical damage to the epidermis and chapping.

It is extremely important to consume vitamin complexes, especially during periods of vitamin deficiency. Focus on cocktails high in vitamins B and A. Good reviews about Aevit and Prenatale. Before use, consult a specialist.

Regularly eat green foods (spinach, dill and arugula - they are high in magnesium and Thiamine). It is also advisable to include at least one meat dish in your daily diet. If you are a vegetarian, then replace this protein with an affordable alternative.

Prevention of angulitis

Do not paint over or try to hide signs of cracks with cosmetics. Instead, use brightening antibacterial products such as honey. Also review all cosmetics for expiration dates and composition. If cracks appear frequently, but there are no signs of disease in the body, then the reason probably lies in the cosmetic bag.

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Publication date: 2017-05-07 | Our health

Popularly, cracks and small wounds that form in the corners of the mouth are called jams. This problem is quite common. Doctors are well aware of the main reasons why the corners of the lips crack and how to treat them. Quite a lot of both have already been studied. Therefore, you can choose the most effective method of therapy even in the most difficult case.

Reasons why the corners of the lips crack

Professionals call seizures angulitis, cheilitis or angular stomatitis. The disease can begin unnoticed. But in its neglected form it causes a lot of discomfort. And not only because the jams look unpleasant. Over time, the cracks in the corners of the mouth become deeper, begin to hurt, and hard-to-heal wounds form around them. In some patients, inflamed red spots may even “spread” across the cheeks.

Angulitis can develop under the influence of the following factors:

Hypovitaminosis.
Lack of vitamins is one of the most common causes of cracking of the corners of the lips. Those people whose bodies lack vitamins A, B and E are at risk.
Allergy.
Most often, jams appear due to the use of low-quality cosmetics. But it also happens that angular stomatitis becomes a manifestation of allergies to food, wool, and dust.
Inadequate care.
Many women are accustomed to moisturizing their lips by licking them. This should not be done, because saliva greatly dries out delicate skin. Moreover, it is forbidden to lick your lips in the wind or frost. If the reason is truly due to inattention, in addition to cracks, peeling will appear on the skin areas adjacent to the corners of the lips.
Lack of iron.
Very often, chapped corners of the lips have to be treated due to a lack of iron in the body, and anemia developing against this background.
Diabetes.
This reason is rare, but some people have to suffer precisely because of it. The disease affects the mucous membranes and changes their condition. The disease can be recognized by a constant feeling of thirst.
Malocclusion, braces.
These reasons disrupt the process of natural outflow of saliva, and it lingers in the corners of the lips. Constant humidity changes the microflora, and inflammation develops.
Caries and other dental diseases.
Sometimes treatment for chapped lips at the corners of the mouth is required due to dental problems. Diseases in an advanced form usually pose a danger to the skin. Only in this case can inflammation spread to the corners of the lips.

Treatment of angular stomatitis

To begin treatment, you need to understand exactly why the corners of your lips are cracking. It is advisable to carry out diagnostics as soon as possible. Even a few days of delay can lead to unpleasant consequences - an infection will get into the wound.

You can remove jams with ointments:

Levomekol;
Panthenol;
Erythromycin;
Levorinova;
Sulfur-salicylic acid.

Sometimes you have to resort to antibiotics. Regardless of the cause of angulitis, you should take vitamins.

Treatment of the causes of cracks in the corners of the lips with folk remedies

In the early stages, traditional medicine is most effective:

It is very useful to smear the corners of your lips with aloe or Kalanchoe juice.
Honey softens delicate skin. It is best to use forbs to treat jaundice.
A mixture of finely grated apple and cottage cheese makes an excellent lip mask.
Make lotions with natural oils: avocado, tea tree, sea buckthorn, olive.
A specific but effective remedy is freshly squeezed garlic juice. They need to lubricate the wounds in the corners and the skin on the lips.

During treatment you will have to give up bad habits.

What can cause dry lips?

Contact with irritants

When in contact with various kinds of irritants, inflammation develops on the lips like an allergic reaction. Increased sensitivity of the lips can be triggered either by a single contact with an allergen or by a long contact period (lasting several years or even decades).

Irritants can be:

High or low temperatures, sunlight, strong wind (meteorological cheilitis). One example of such a reaction is a situation when dry lips appear in early spring (and most often in this case it is men who dry out their lips, since women usually use cosmetics with protective properties). The main reason for this condition is an allergic reaction to ultraviolet rays, which is characterized by redness and dehydration of the skin of the lips with the appearance of small white scales on their surface.
Skin contact with dental instruments and substances used in dental fillings.
Ingredients of lipsticks. The surface of the lips and the corners of the mouth dry out due to contact with eosin, preservatives, mineral oils and other substances contained in lipsticks (especially those that have expired).
Toothpaste with a high fluoride content significantly dries your lips.
Eating hot, salty and spicy foods, as well as citrus fruit juices (pineapples, oranges, grapefruits, lemons), leads to a chemical effect on the lips, and as a result, dries them out.
Smoking. It can cause smoker's cheilitis, most often one-sided, in the place where a cigarette is usually held (corners of the lips). Such spotty dryness may not bother a smoker for a long time, progressing imperceptibly until the onset of a precancerous disease (the first stage of skin leukoplakia).

Constant lip licking

Frequent lip licking contributes to the occurrence of a disease such as exfoliative cheilitis. The disease is accompanied by redness, dryness and the formation of pale yellow or gray scales on the surface of the lips, which, when removed, reveal a bright red border.

According to doctors, people who constantly lick their lips have manifestations of hidden depression or are in a state of chronic stress. Therefore, when treating this type of dryness, priority is given to reducing stress.

Causative agents of infections on the surface of the lips

Candidiasis (herpes or bacterial) cheilitis is a fungal infection that occurs most often in people with reduced immunity. Patients with cheilitis are usually bothered by dryness and burning of the lips. In the initial stages, thinning of the skin occurs, then small scales appear (the lips peel off), which can flake off and form bleeding erosion.

Sometimes severely dry skin leads to the formation of painful cracks on the lips, which cause a lot of trouble as they interfere with normal eating and articulation.

In some cases, dryness appears during the recovery stage after vesicular dermatitis, when blisters and ulcers that appear on the lips heal and then peel off, exposing a dry surface. Also, in addition to unpleasant subjective sensations, this symptom may indicate more serious problems in the body.

Lack of vitamins in the body

Lack of vitamins A, C, E, as well as zinc and iron, is most often observed:

during pregnancy, when the body's needs for these substances increase;
when due to toxicosis of the first trimester their sufficient absorption does not occur;
with an unbalanced diet (for example, with protein-free diets for weight loss).

The habit of holding various objects in the mouth

Holding various objects in the mouth for a long time (construction parts, toys, ballpoint pens) can become a common cause of dry lips in a child.

General dehydration

When the body is dehydrated, the lips become dry, the elasticity of the skin decreases, the volume of urine produced decreases, and the mouth becomes dry. This condition is more common in children with increased physical activity without adequate drinking regimen, as well as with fever in people of all ages.

General metabolic disorder

Lips often become dry due to diabetes, increased production of thyroid hormones, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Symptoms of the disease

The appearance of angulitis can be compared to herpes. At first, the lips just swell slightly, but after a couple of hours they begin to itch. There is discomfort in the corners of the mouth; most likely, this area has already been damaged by some factor (infection or mechanical means).

The day after the first symptoms appear, the cracks become noticeable and significantly increase in size. If the probable cause of their appearance is not excluded, then severe itching and a local increase in temperature will be added to these symptoms.

In addition, symptoms may vary depending on the origin of the angulitis. There are cracks:

Yeast.
They are caused by a fungus of the Candida group. The disease is characterized by the appearance of cracks filled with white cheesy discharge. To treat this form, antimycotic agents are used, for example, blue solution, Clotrimazole cream. Fungal angulitis
Streptococcal.
They occur as a result of streptococcus bacteria entering the wound. If your lips become very red and covered with unpleasant blisters, similar to pimples from chicken pox, then you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. It is not recommended to treat such jams yourself, as there is a likely risk of turning into a purulent form. Streptococcal angulitis

How and with what to treat?

If the corners of the mouth are cracking, then treatment involves two points: moisturizing and disinfection. The main problem is that this zone is constantly under the influence of external factors that inhibit regeneration. This is eating, talking, rubbing teeth.

Treatment of cracks in the corners of the mouth with ointment

It used to be that one of the most effective treatment methods was applying earwax to the affected areas. We strongly recommend not to use this method, as the likelihood of introducing pathogenic microorganisms is too high. Instead, it is better to buy special antibacterial ointments with a moisturizing complex.

Ointments for cracks in the corners of the mouth:

Sulfur-sallicylic ointment. Provides both an antibacterial and caring effect, quickly relieves inflammatory processes and helps reduce itching. It is better to apply it in the morning, thoroughly rubbing into damaged tissue.
Erythromycin. Actively used to treat inflammatory processes of the mucous membrane. It is recommended to use it if the wounds in the corners of the mouth do not heal for a long time or they have spread to the inner surface of the lips. It is necessary to smear the product twice a day, after pre-treating the tissues with a mild disinfectant solution. Alcohol toners cannot be used.
Tetracycline ointment. It is based on the antibiotic Tetracycline, moisturizing ingredients Lanolin and Vaseline. Before applying the product, treat the skin with a solution of Chlorhexidine. The ointment is applied twice a day. On average, treatment lasts from 3 to 7 days. If the wounds have not healed during this time, you will need to change the drug.
Levomekol. Contains chloramphenicol and methyluracil. These are active substances of the antibiotic group that accelerate regeneration. The ointment can be used on the mucous membranes, or if the lips are very inflamed, literally to the point of bleeding. The product must be applied every 4 hours until recovery.

If your lips dry out and crack during pregnancy, then using antibiotic products is strictly prohibited. It is better to treat wounds with natural oils. Tea tree oil helps relieve swelling and redness quickly. It can be applied to the lips as a chapstick twice a day.

Tea tree oil for seizures

Shea butter perfectly moisturizes. To treat jam, you do not need to melt the product in a water bath. Just treat the wounds evenly with a cotton swab. As an analogue, we can recommend sea buckthorn extract.

Chapped corners of the lips are also quickly restored by vitamin E. Tocopherol is an oil-based vitamin cocktail. It helps to moisturize the deeper layers of the skin, accelerate regeneration and protect the epidermis from the reappearance of cracks. The product can be applied three times a day. This product very rarely causes allergic reactions.

Symptoms of angulitis may go away even after using toothpaste. This hygienic product contains a large number of anti-inflammatory and antibacterial components. In addition, it helps relieve itching and relieve redness. The product is not recommended for use if fungal cracks are suspected.

If, in addition to cracks in the corners of the lips, the skin is peeling, then you need to provide the epidermis with an additional nutritional complex. In this case, propolis will help. It is used for seizures without signs of infection. Apply the product to problem areas twice daily. After 10 days, all symptoms should disappear. If this does not happen, be sure to consult a doctor.