Cheilitis on the lips - causes of the disease, treatment methods

Men and women of any age can face the problem of dry lips. To cope with this, you need to determine the cause of the abnormal condition of the delicate skin. Depending on them, methods of moisturizing lips are selected. Among the help options there are both natural remedies and artificial compounds that will help restore your natural smile. Professional doctors in the field of aesthetic medicine at the clinic “DOCTOR DENT. Cosmetology" provides advice on skin care and prevention.

Causes of cheilitis

The inflammatory process can begin for multiple reasons. One of the most common of them is mechanical injuries: for example, accidental biting can cause inflammation.

The development of the disease can also be provoked by:

• unfavorable environment (people who spend a lot of time outdoors and are exposed to wind, frost and other weather conditions are more likely to suffer from cheilitis);
• aggressive action of cosmetics or an allergic reaction to some of their components;
• lack of vitamin B2, which is responsible for the division and growth of epithelial cells;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lack of immunity.

Why women's lips dry and crack: reasons

Doctors and dermatologists indicate several common causes of dry lips:

• temperature changes;
• lack of vitamins;
• certain diseases;
• Unhealthy Lifestyle;
• professional problems;
• reaction to medications;
• bad habits.

Sometimes dry lips are caused by two or even three reasons at once, which are not so easy to deal with. It is worth talking about each reason for the manifestation of this trouble separately.

Temperature changes

For many, discomfort on the lips appears precisely during temperature changes, when delicate skin is exposed to polar temperatures. This happens especially often in winter and autumn, when you need to leave the house and go outside, where there are sub-zero temperatures and strong winds that dry out your lips.

In summer, you should also be on guard - many already know how the insidious sun negatively affects hair: it dries it out, makes it more brittle and dull. Ultraviolet rays do not have the best effect on the skin. But, if the long-term effect of prolonged exposure to the sun manifests itself only years later (wrinkles, age spots), then the lips may dry out immediately.

Hypersensitivity to cold or solar radiation is more often diagnosed not in women, but in men 20-60 years old.

Lack of vitamins

This is a big problem in the winter-spring period, when many people eat less varied than in the summer. The main fighters for the beauty and smoothness of the skin of the lips are vitamins A, E, D and B (especially B2)

. Often, in addition to dry lips, there is a burning sensation in the mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue, and signs of fine-scaly peeling and thin vertical cracks are noticeable on the reddish border of the lips. The lack of vitamins is often painful - cracks that tend to bleed and an enlarged tongue are a concern.

Diseases

Dry and cracking lips can be caused by an illness. One of the most common manifestations of serious health problems is cheilitis, an inflammatory process that affects the mucous membrane and skin of the lips.

Cheilitis can manifest itself in the form of swelling, redness, dryness and peeling of the lips, and sometimes bleeding ulcers, purulent crusts, burning and pain when opening the mouth and eating. Often the problem is recurrent.

Cheilitis may be associated or caused by the following reasons:

• Fungal infections, erythematosis, psoriasis, lichen planus, syphilis, tuberculosis and other skin diseases;
• Allergic reactions. Often appear during contact with components included in lipsticks and some products. Those suffering from such troubles have clinical manifestations of dryness and flaking of the facial skin;
• Neurological disorders. The so-called exfoliative cheilitis occurs from severe anxiety, depression, and anxious feelings of a person. This type of cheilitis most often has a continuous, sluggish course, with moments of remissions and exacerbations, and is almost impossible to self-heal;
• Hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. Researchers have reason to believe that this problem also causes dry lips;
• Chronic gastritis and gastroduodenitis. Up to a third of people with these diseases constantly experience bad breath, rashes on the lips and in the mouth: dryness and peeling of the lips are observed in most patients;
• Anomalies of the minor salivary glands (congenital or acquired). At risk of getting glandular cheilitis are women with chronic periodontal disease, tartar and caries: these problems lead to infection of the salivary gland ducts;
• Neuritis of the facial nerve. There may be a hereditary predisposition. A sign of these diseases can be dry lips, itching, and sometimes swelling that spreads to other parts of the face. The color of the lips and skin does not change, although in swollen areas the skin becomes bluish-pink. Neuritis can manifest itself as a skewing of the face in the healthy direction, and the nasolabial fold is smoothed out.

Professional problems

We are talking, first of all, about musicians who play wind instruments. In response to the prolonged presence of mouthpieces in the mouth, severe itching, dryness, pain, burning, swelling and redness of the lips occur. In some cases, bubbles appear on the lips, after opening which cracks are exposed. This is another clinical manifestation of cheilitis - allergic contact. Most often, in musicians, such cheilitis becomes chronic and manifests itself in the form of dryness, flaking and slight itching without a strong inflammatory reaction.

Bad habits

Bad habits that can cause peeling and dry lips include:

• constant lip biting;
• the habit of holding foreign objects in the mouth: pencils, pens, etc.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle can be understood, first of all, as unhealthy diet (consuming large amounts of salty foods, coffee), addiction to drugs and alcohol consumption.

Medications

Some drugs can cause a number of side effects, which are described in the instructions for use. Such medications include a powerful drug for the treatment of skin diseases, Roaccutane: this drug makes the skin tender and hypersensitive - lips crack and dry during the entire period of treatment. Some other drugs for the treatment of acne have the same effect - “Aknekutan”, “Sotret”, etc.

Types of the disease, their symptoms

There are a large number of types of disease, each of which has its own symptoms. Cheilitis happens:

1. catarrhal, resulting from injury. Its characteristic symptoms are redness, peeling, swelling and soreness of the lips.
2. eczematous, developing due to the occurrence of eczematous processes. The reason is an allergy to a certain type of food, cosmetics (lipstick, cream).
3. glandular, associated with an abnormality of the salivary glands. It happens that cheilitis on the lips accompanies periodontal disease, lupus, etc. The lower lip often suffers and begins to peel.
4. meteorological. It is caused, as the name suggests, by weather conditions (high air humidity, strong wind, decreased or increased temperature, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, etc.).
5. exfoliative, characterized by a chronic course. It is divided into two forms - dry (the blood supply to the lips is disrupted and, as a result, dry scales are formed, which can be easily removed, but after a few days they appear again) and exudative (the border swells and becomes inflamed, crusts appear).
6. angular, called jam. Due to streptococci, inflammation begins in the corners of the lips. Vitamin deficiency and frequent licking of lips can also provoke it.
7. atopic, accompanying atopic dermatitis. The red border of the lips flakes and itches, the lips crack.
8. hypovitaminosis, which occurs due to a lack of B vitamins. Dryness and a pronounced burning sensation affect not only the lip area, but also the entire mucous membrane of the mouth, including the tongue. In this case, the mucous membrane turns red, and vertical cracks form in the area of ​​the red border.

Regardless of the type of cheilitis, common symptoms will be:

• peeling of the lips, observed both only near the border and over the entire surface;
• swelling and swelling, burning and itching in the lips, the appearance of cracks and crusts on them.

Cracks on lips

10.04.2019

Modern dentistry is more than a medical institution.
Aesthetic services are consistently in demand among our patients. Teeth whitening and professional cleaning, installing sky bridges and straightening the smile line with veneers - all this is what our patients choose to look beautiful, young and well-groomed. At the same time, we, doctors, believe that true beauty always goes hand in hand with health. Today we want to talk about such a pressing problem as the appearance of cracks on the lips in the spring. The skin on the lips is thin and vulnerable, it does not have sebaceous glands, which means there is no fatty film that would protect against cold, heat or wind. Sometimes with the onset of spring, cracks appear on the lips. Probably every woman has encountered this phenomenon. Cracks spoil the appearance, cause inconvenience, interfere with a natural and open smile, causing discomfort. Today's UniDent article is about what causes them, how to prevent them and how to cure them at home yourself.

Why do cracked lips appear in spring?

The fact is that the delicate skin of the lips reacts to temperature changes, which are frequent during the changing seasons. In addition, spring vitamin deficiency plays a role, especially deficiency of vitamins A and E.

The skin of the lips also reacts to bad habits - smoking, love of strong coffee and salty foods.

In addition, some people have the habit of frequently licking their lips. Saliva, which contains enzymes and acids, also irritates and dries out the lips.

Dry, cracked lips can indicate certain diseases, such as diabetes. Therefore, if the cracks do not go away for a long time, it is better to consult a doctor.

If there are no diseases, but your lips are still cracking, you can try to cope with this problem yourself.

Preventing chapped lips

To protect your lips from the vagaries of the weather in spring, before going outside, you need to lubricate them with a protective balm or hygienic lipstick. The composition of such a product should be natural and include beeswax or vegetable wax, lanolin. These substances create a protective film.

Vitamins C and B12, as well as sun protection factor, will also help. It is better to choose a lipstick or gloss that contains these ingredients and renew the layer regularly.

It’s a good idea to nourish your skin with vitamins not only from the outside, but also to ensure they are supplied with food. To do this, you need to eat natural products, not fast food. The more varied the diet, the better for the skin. If you have to go on a diet, you can pick up a vitamin complex for yourself at the pharmacy.

Lip skin restoration

But what to do if there are already cracks? Engage in skin restoration and do everything for their speedy healing.

Those who are not allergic to honey can try honey masks. It takes a minimum of time. Just apply honey on your lips and wait 10 minutes - that's all. It’s even better if you apply this mask at night. Of course, not in a thick layer, but simply after applying the mask, walk around for a short time, then dry your lips a little with a napkin and, most importantly, do not wash off the mask completely.

A mixed mask - honey with olive oil - is useful and nutritious. This mixture can also be left overnight according to the same rules. The effect will be noticeable, the cracks will heal quickly.

It’s a good idea to lubricate your lips with oil alone, this will also benefit the skin.

A salt compress before bed is suitable for care. Dissolve half a teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of water, moisten a cotton swab with this mixture and press it to your lips for 5 - 10 minutes. Then apply oil or rich cream.

Regular care will help get rid of unpleasant cracks in the skin of your lips, look well-groomed and make your smile healthy and beautiful.

We wish you to smile joyfully and enjoy your health every spring day!

With love, UniDent.

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Cheilitis in children

Depending on the age of the child, he may experience a certain type of cheilitis.

Newborns suffer from a catarrhal disease caused by the prolonged presence of a pacifier or bottle in the mouth. Plus, saliva accumulates on the nipples of the lips, irritating sensitive baby skin.

If the disease is ignored, hoping that it will go away on its own, cheilitis will develop into an exfoliative form, accompanied by the formation of scales, which the child will not be able to remove himself (parents are highly discouraged from interfering in this process, since attempts to tear off the crusts can cause cracks, which will only aggravate the situation ).

Constant sucking of the mother's breast is an equally common cause of the development of the disease: during feeding, cracks form on the nipples, into which bacteria penetrate, which causes cheilitis.

Why do lips dry out?

Before looking for a way to quickly moisturize your lips, you should find out the cause of the problem. Depending on what formed the basis for the lack of moisture, you can choose a suitable remedy for complete restoration.

Causes of dry lips:

1. Harmful environment. Cold, heat, windy weather and poor air quality. Cold and heat provoke a decrease in moisture in tissues. The condition worsens during strong winds.
2. Stress. Situations when a person is very nervous and involuntarily licks his lips (a standard human reaction). The saliva that covers the delicate skin dries quickly, drying out the problem area.
3. Medicines that affect the salivary glands, for example, drugs aimed at reducing appetite.
4. Oral care products with high fluoride content. The element is characterized by a dehydrating effect. Thin skin is not able to retain moisture for a long time, as the dermis does on other parts of the body.
5. Cosmetics: long-lasting lipsticks, matte formulations, tints and products with a dry/powdery effect. Pigments for artistic makeup. Powdering for better durability of conventional products speeds up drying.
6. Unhealthy lifestyle: poor nutrition worsens the situation with vitamin saturation of the whole body. Lack of water (maintaining water balance is the key to health), alcohol, and tobacco are harmful.
7. Diseases that cause dry mouth. These include allergic reactions, lip burns, dental diseases, inflammatory pathologies, bacterial and hormonal diseases.

Excessive dryness can be caused by a cold with a profuse runny nose and nasal congestion. With frequent inhalation and exhalation through the mouth, the lips become chapped and dry. During such a period, it is especially important to know how to keep your lips moisturized.

Which doctor should I contact?

A dermatologist will help identify the cause of itching of the upper and lower lips. He will prescribe a comprehensive diagnosis and find out the origins of the phenomenon that bothers you so much. Accurate diagnosis is the basis of competent treatment.

It is imperative to consult a doctor when, along with persistent inflammation and swelling, the body temperature rises. If reactions occur after using hyaluronic acid or drugs based on it, you need to contact your cosmetologist. He may decide to remove the injected filler.

If the allergic reaction is caused by insect bites, you can consult a general practitioner, and subsequently an allergist. This specialty has become quite common, since a large percentage of the population suffers from allergies.

Traditional methods of therapy

In addition to pharmaceutical drugs, good old folk remedies will also have an excellent effect.

• A paste of baking soda will help relieve itching after an insidious insect bite.
• Flaxseed and sea buckthorn oils should be consumed internally and externally to replenish the reserves of vitamins A and E in the body, as well as to soften jams and cracks in the corners of the mouth.
• Brewed celandine or chamomile leaves (1 tablespoon per glass of boiling water) will help heal chapped lips.
• For an antibacterial effect, it is useful to lubricate the affected skin with tea tree oil.
• Onions and garlic help at the first signs of herpes. They are crushed and applied to the skin.

A girl’s beautiful, seductive lips are a source of special pride. I don’t want my beauty to be overshadowed by the appearance of unpleasant symptoms. You should pay extra attention to your lips during the cold and hot seasons, because it is then that they are most susceptible to the negative effects of the external environment.

Hygienic lipstick should be in the cosmetic bag of every girl who takes care of her appearance. In addition, you need to remember about proper nutrition, rich in vitamins, and a proper drinking regime (it is recommended to drink water at the rate of 30-40 g of water per kilogram of weight per day).