Why I Didn’t Get Angular Cheilitis Treatment

First, I must tell my story to explain why this skin condition can easily be mistaken or incorrectly diagnosed. It is important because you want to get angular cheilitis treatment instead of other types of treatment that could possibly exasperate it.  And I guarantee you that there are treatments for this condition in your house right now!

Anyway, so here’s my story!  In 2010, I started getting something that mimicked extreme chapped lips and chafing in the corners of my mouth.  It was quite painful and patches of my skin were raised up and looked similar to eczema.  I knew my lips felt pretty chapped throughout the day so I kept slapping whatever I had in my makeup bag onto my lips in between licking and biting them.  Well, my lips decided to worsen while on a date where the guy would eventually get the courage to point it out to me, mainly to explain his hesitation to kiss me.  He was worried that whatever it was on my lips might be contagious because by the end of the date they were bleeding.

I thought perhaps it would go away with time but it progressed into a burning sensation with deep breaks in the skin that kept bleeding. I got really nervous that it might be cold sores which I never had any experience with so I went to see my primary care doctor immediately.  She told me it was eczema which I normally get on my wrists; however, I did have some incidents where it was on my face in some areas including above my lips.  However, I had never heard of angular cheilitis; therefore, I didn’t feel I had a reason to question what my doctor was telling me.  I have this cream the doctor prescribed that works wonders and gets rid of my eczema when nothing else ever worked. I even put it in the corners of my mouth and it went away in a few days or so.  It would come back every now and then so I decided to research further thinking it came from something I was eating or not eating.  It took awhile for me to never have issues with my lips again but I figured it was because I have changed my diet considerably .  It only came during times my lips were crazy chapped which is a symptom associated with angular cheilitis.  Furthermore, after extensive research for angular cheilitis, I am now almost positive I had angular cheilitis instead of eczema.

What Is Angular Cheilitis?

As you probably have already gathered from my story, angular cheilitis is a condition that causes swollen red patches in the corners of the mouth.  You could be one of the lucky ones and get it only on one side, though it commonly happens on both sides.  In my situation, I had one infected area in the corner of my mouth first and then it started on the other side.  If you think you may have angular cheilitis but want to get it checked out just in case, keep in mind that your doctor maybe also refer to it as perleche or angular stomatitis.

How do you know if it is Angular Cheilitis?

Other than having skin soreness, redness and painful irritation that is swollen in the corners of your mouth; there are other symptoms that may occur, such as bleeding due to the skin splitting from it being cracked which is what happened to me.  However, it can also be itchy, scaly and crusty.  If you scratch it, chances are the skin will blister up.  I’ve read where some people have dry and uncomfortable lips with a funny taste in their mouth as this condition worsens. Some others even said that their lips started burning.  When I had similar symptoms, I remember not even wanting to eat most times.

What Causes Angular Cheilitis?

It can happen when saliva gets trapped in the corners of the mouth and then dries, skin in that area tends to crack forcing an individual to soothe the skin by licking it– a natural human response.  Licking the skin irritation can create fungus that will grow from the warmth and moisture causing a fungal infection which is the most common cause of angular cheilitis.  Usually it is caused by an overgrowth of yeast called Candida which is the same yeast fungus that causes an itchy rash on the skin. And certain bacteria strains in the saliva, especially mixed with sweat, can cause it too.  It is possible for a doctor to not know the cause of these symptoms and when that happens, it is referred to as idiopathic angular cheilitis.

Am I at Risk of Angular Cheilitis?

After reading this, I know some of you are most likely hoping you never get this or even wondering if it is contagious like my date was probably thinking.  Well, the good news is that you cannot get this from kissing a person who has it.  However, there are a number of reasons why people have gotten angular cheilitis.  There are also ways to prevent yourself from getting this condition, such as making sure you are getting enough vitamin b, zinc and iron which can prevent an individual from being anemic.  Also, there are two things you should avoid doing which is licking your lips, smoking, sucking your thumb and wearing dentures that don’t fit. The reasons beyond your control of possibly getting angular cheilitis could be that you have braces, an abnormal amount of saliva aka hypersalivation, crooked teeth or sagging skin around your mouth due to aging or weight loss.

You can also be at high risk of angular cheilitis if you have serious medical conditions, such as:

• Leukemia (Blood Cancer)
• Lymphoma (Blood Cancer)
• Myeloma (Blood Cancer
• Other Blood Cancers
• Kidney, Lung or Pancreatic Cancer
• Atopic or Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Down Syndrome
• Diabetes
• Immune Disorders

Natural Cures for Angular Cheilitis

First, as I mentioned previously, make sure you get enough vitamin b, zinc and iron by taking supplements or foods that are rich in these nutrients.  It is also extremely important to keep your body hydrated by drinking eight to ten glasses of mountain spring water a day.  Making sure you maintain your health by drinking mountain spring water regularly and getting your nutrients will aid in the healing process along with trying at least one of the remedies I share in this article.

Seawater for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

Along with keeping your body hydrated with an ample amount of mountain spring water, you can also apply sea salt water to the infected area(s) of your mouth to kill the bacteria.  Then, swish with the salt water to avoid the infection from getting worse.  The best salt to use is Himalyan pink salt: You can get it on amazon by clicking here. It’s great because it contains iodine, magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium— the two main nutrients (underlined) that help heal angular cheilitis.

Olive Oil for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

I know most of use olive oil to cook foods in, but you can also use this as a moisturizer.  And what you may not know is that olive oil is also antibacterial.  So if you have extra virgin olive oil in your cupboard, apply it warm onto the inflamed infected areas.  If you don’t have extra virgin olive oil in your cupboard but would like to try this remedy, my favorite brand is Kirkland extra virgin organic olive oil which you can get on amazon by clicking here.

Coconut Oil for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

Here’s another oil you can use! Coconut oil has become the popular ‘cure all’.  If you dab organic coconut oil onto the reddened cracked areas of your mouth it will not only moisturize it but also treat the inflammation that angular cheilitis has caused.  It will also alleviate the pain that is associated with this condition.

You can also make a coconut lip balm by melting unrefined shea butter, then mixing in vanilla and almond extract. Then put the coconut oil mixture in a container to freeze for 20 minutes.  Walla!  You now have an all natural coconut oil balm to use on your lips to help keep them from getting dry and also help the healing process. The best coconut oil to use is organic unrefined coconut oil and my favorite brand to use is Spectrum, which you can buy here on amazon by clicking this link.

Lemons for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

I assume most people keep organic lemons in the fridge but if you don’t, try pure lemon juice. Lemons fight infection so it is suggested to rub the lemons back and forth on the corners of the mouth.  You can also swish with it daily to kill any other bacteria that can cause the infection to reoccur.  The big plus is that you will get those white pearly teeth that people admire!  A great organic lemon juice to try is this organic lemon juice because you can also drink it which will help heal your immune system and boost vitamin C intake to heal the skin.

Aloe Vera for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

You will want to get an aloe plant to keep in your home because there are many uses for aloe vera gel.  Among the many uses for aloe vera gel, one use is to gently massage the aloe from one of the leaves into the infected areas of the mouth, then leave it there for 15 minutes.  It is recommended that you do this three times a day and to make sure that the gel is cold. Amazon offers organic aloe vera plants to grow in your home but if you want some immediately you can get organic cold-pressed aloe vera by clicking here.

Cucumber for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

I love to eat cucumbers and also put them over my eyes because they are quite soothing.  They also will sooth and moisturize the cracked parts of your mouth, especially the corners where it is infected.  It is recommended to put a slice of cucumber over the area(s) until the pain starts to subside a few times a day.  Be sure to get an organic cucumber so that you are not putting toxins into the area(s) that are infected with angular cheilitis.

Baking Soda for Angular Cheilitis Treatment

Most people should have baking soda because it is almost a sin not to have it somewhere in your kitchen.  If you are one of those that do have baking soda somewhere in your home then you are in luck!  To heal the sore and inflamed area(s) of your mouth, you can mix a tad bit of water with baking soda to make a paste to apply on the skin. It will also reduce the pain and inflammation after leaving it on for five minutes and moisturizing it with raw unrefined cocoa butter.  You can find the Organic cocoa butter by clicking here.

I advise you to try at least one of these remedies because angular cheilitis will not go away by itself, even though some may say or state in other articles that it does. Besides, you will not want this even for a week because it is painful and annoying.  It may itch and irritate you to the point that you will want to touch it but please do not touch the infected areas because it will become more infected from the germs on your fingers.  If you feel the need to seek a doctor, please make sure that you fully research possible toxins in the cream or ointment that the doctor will prescribe to you. Anyway, my heart goes out to anyone who has had this but hopefully this article is helpful.

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angular_Cheilitis.JPG