Lip diseases in adults and children: causes, symptoms and treatment of lip diseases

The lips have very thin skin, so they are practically not protected from external influences. Because of this, every person has to deal with various lip diseases at least once in their life. In medicine they have a common name - cheilitis.

. There are about a dozen varieties of this disease.

Reasons why lip diseases develop

Human lips are very vulnerable, which often leads to redness, irritation, dryness, and even the formation of wounds and crusts. Most often, cheilitis develops under the influence of external factors.

: low temperature, wind, sun rays. Under their influence, the skin around the mouth dries out, which in itself is unpleasant. If you don't do anything about it, the problem will only get worse.

The second factor that causes lip diseases is various allergens. The culprit of the pathological reaction can be both food and cosmetics. Problems in the functioning of the internal systems of the body can also affect the face.

Most often, the delicate skin around the mouth suffers due to hormonal imbalances, fungal and viral infections. Vitamin deficiency, indigestion and general deterioration of immunity can aggravate the situation.

There are also less common causes of lip disease. They usually lead to certain types of cheilitis.

During pregnancy

Lips begin to peel during pregnancy, usually due to hormonal changes that occur in readiness for the birth of a child. This is a common problem among expectant mothers. Hormonal fluctuations strip the skin of oil and elasticity, which help prevent dry skin.

When this is the only reason for peeling lips, then it is considered normal. The condition may be painful, but not harmful. You can simply stop the flaking and reduce the pain by using the simple home remedies discussed at the end of the article.

If your lips get worse, you should see a doctor to determine if there is a more serious problem that may be causing your lips to peel. Avoid licking or picking at them, as this can cause cracking and bleeding.

Types of lip diseases

Cheilitis can be divided into several categories. Here are their names:

• exfoliative;
• glandular;
• meteorological;
• actinic;
• atopic;
• eczematous;
• candida.

In addition, there are other diseases that are not related to cheilitis. Therefore, dryness, peeling, crust formation, and a red border near the lips are causes for serious concern and a reason for examining the entire body.

Atopic cheilitis

Atopic cheilitis is sometimes called allergic because it is caused by various irritants. The cause of the disease can be food or cosmetics. It turns out that the allergen affects the skin of the lips both from the inside and outside.

The disease manifests itself as inflammation of the red border of the lips. The skin becomes dry and peels. Cracks, itching and burning may occur.

Most often, children and adolescents suffer from lip allergies. Often it is the only symptom of neurodermatitis or atopic dermatitis.

Glandular cheilitis

Glandular cheilitis is an inflammation of the salivary glands, which are located on the surface of the mucous membrane of the lips.

The disease is more common in men over 50 years of age and is characterized by the following symptoms:

• noticeable red dots appear on the lower lip;
• copious secretion of saliva from the inflamed glands, the appearance of “dew drops”;
• dryness, cracks and erosion;
• Bacteria can enter the irritated canals, leading to the formation of pus.

There are primary and secondary forms of glandular cheilitis. The primary disease develops due to genetic predisposition. Secondary lip disease can be caused by lupus, oral leukoplakia, or lichen planus.

Meteorological cheilitis

People have to deal with this disease all the time. Standard chapping, which more often appears in winter, is meteorological cheilitis.

The first sign of the disease is a feeling of skin tightness. In advanced cases, it turns red, dries out, and becomes covered with cracks. This lip inflammation can be treated at home. It is enough to isolate yourself from harmful factors, moisturize and nourish the skin until it is completely restored.

Eczematous cheilitis

Eczematous cheilitis is one of the manifestations of eczema - an inflammatory process of a neuroallergic nature, which most often manifests itself on the face or dry areas of the body. Usually the disease is accompanied by constant dryness and redness. In advanced cases, the skin begins to peel off and become covered with blisters.

The disease often affects the tissue around the lips, so the patient may develop a red border, as in the photo on the right. This area of ​​skin is constantly itchy and itchy.

If the disease is chronic, the symptoms are less pronounced. But in this case, seals appear on the skin.

Actinic cheilitis

Many people believe that lips need to be protected only in winter. Therefore, it is at this time of year that people stock up on moisturizing and nourishing balms to relieve dry and itchy lips. However, delicate skin must be protected not only from frost, but also from the burning sun.

With increased sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation and prolonged exposure to open areas, actinic cheilitis forms. His symptoms are standard:

• dryness, flaking;
• redness and swelling;
• compaction of individual areas.

If you do nothing, your lips become crusty. This is how the body tries to somehow protect the vulnerable part of the face. This symptom appears less frequently than others.

In advanced cases, ulcers, erosions and small compactions occur around the oral cavity. This condition is precancerous.

Exfoliative cheilitis

The exfoliative form of the disease occurs due to stress and disturbances in the functioning of the immune system. Genetic predisposition plays a major role. If your parents had this disease, there is a high risk that you will develop it too.

Exfoliative cheilitis on the lips occurs in two forms: exudative and dry. In the first case, you can observe the so-called yellow lips (pictured). A dense crust of this shade forms on the skin.

The yellow crust is easy to tear off; this process does not cause much discomfort. There are no erosions or other damage under the crust.

In the dry form of the disease, a crust also forms on the lips, but not yellow, but a lighter shade. The patient is concerned about dry skin, which explains the name of the disease. There is a desire to lick your teeth, but it is better not to do this: you can cause an infection and provoke more irritation.

Candidal cheilitis

If the lips are red, inflamed and crusted with a cheesy coating of white or yellowish color, it means that the cause of these symptoms is candidiasis. If you clean off the plaque, inflamed areas of skin will be exposed. How such a lip disease manifests itself is shown in the photo.

The disease occurs due to the excessive development of the Candida fungus. The pathogen lives on the human mucous membranes constantly, but the active development of the fungus begins only under favorable conditions, which include:

• decreased immunity due to past illnesses or lack of nutrients;
• long-term use of antibiotics;
• a sharp change in climate to a hotter and more humid one.

Fungal inflammation of the lips begins externally, but can spread to the internal tissues of the oral cavity, thus leading to candidal stomatitis.

Lip cancer

Many of these diseases, if not given proper attention to their treatment, lead to cancer. Perhaps this is the most terrible disease that can affect the lips and oral cavity.

At first, the symptoms of cancer are unremarkable. The lips will turn red and there will be slight inflammation. The skin may become dry and cracked. If the patient moisturizes and nourishes the affected tissues, but the lips remain sore for several weeks, he should sound the alarm and consult a specialist. Later, ulcers and lumps may appear.

Usually, if treatment is started correctly and on time, the cancer recedes completely. Only in rare cases are relapses possible.

There is another disease that is compared to cancer - Manganotti syndrome. The disease manifests itself in the form of a noticeable ulcer on the lip, which is precancerous. However, due to the fact that in most cases the syndrome still develops into a tumor, it is more often classified as oncological diseases.

Does it often happen that a baby's skin peels?

Let's put it this way: if you find a baby whose skin has never peeled off in the first year of life, you will surprise not only us, but, perhaps, all pediatricians in the world. In most cases, peeling is a completely natural process that is associated with a sharp change in environmental conditions. Sometimes the baby’s skin even peels off; especially problem areas for a newborn are the feet, hands, and head.

Just think about it: over the previous nine months, the child has never encountered a situation where the temperature around him differs from his own. His skin was constantly moisturized and never came into contact with air. Finally, she did not know sunlight and was not exposed to ultraviolet radiation for a second. Now you can imagine the mess your beloved baby got into when he decided to be born

Typically, a baby's skin will peel because it needs time to adapt to life outside the womb. But there are other factors that lead to this problem.

Features of cheilitis in children

Lips suffer due to minimal protection. In children it is even weaker, so cheilitis worries them somewhat more often. In addition to children, the risk group includes the elderly and pregnant women.

The main causes of cheilitis in childhood:

• allergic reaction to food;
• use of products for the care of the skin of the lips and around them, not intended for children;
• genetic predisposition;
• infectious and fungal infections;
• weather.

Typically, infantile cheilitis does not develop until critical stages. When children's lips turn red, parents immediately begin to treat them. After all, people pay more attention to the health of the younger generation than to their own. If cheilitis in children still requires treatment, therapy should not be delayed longer than a few weeks. The main thing is to remove all allergens from the children's diet and balance the diet.

Treatment

Treating the problem involves treating the underlying causes that may be causing it. Once the underlying cause is identified, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment option.

When treating the main cause of dryness and cracks, it is necessary:

• Use a mild lip balm to protect the surface of your lips
• Use glycerin before bed
• Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated
• Do not lick or bite your lips.

How to treat lips with cheilitis

The most important thing in treating cheilitis is to identify its cause, which is difficult to do without professional help. You'll have to contact a specialist. First, it is better to go to a therapist, and he will then refer you to a specialist doctor.

Typically, treatment for diseases of the lips and skin around the mouth is based on eliminating not the symptoms, but the root cause. It includes lifestyle changes, proper nutrition, and medication.

If the cause of inflammation is an infectious or fungal infection, local drugs are included in the therapy. Typically, patients are prescribed various medicinal ointments for external use, which must be applied to damaged skin several times a day:

• anti-inflammatory – Tetracycline, Erythromycin;
• antifungal – Clotrimazole;
• hormonal – Prednisolone.

To cure lips, you need to influence them not only from the outside, but also from the inside. The skin around the mouth often suffers from a lack of B vitamins, so they are often prescribed in the treatment of lips.

Lack of vitamins

Lack of essential minerals and vitamins can cause your lips to become dry and begin to peel.

A lack of the following minerals can cause them to not only dry out, but also begin to peel, crack, and bleed:

• Vitamin B For healthy hair, nails and skin
• Vitamin B Essential for healthy skin. Its deficiency can lead to dry and cracked lips, swollen tongue and dermatitis.
• Vitamin B deficiency is associated with skin diseases, dermatitis and cracking at the corners of the mouth.

But too much of them can also be harmful, for example, consuming too much vitamin A can cause dryness.

How to get rid of unpleasant symptoms at home

It is not worth treating at home without seeing a doctor. However, there are ways that you can resort to to reduce discomfort:

• If your lips become inflamed due to the sun or cold, it is advisable that they are always covered with a protective layer of balm.
• For severe itching and burning, which occur in almost all forms of cheilitis, cold compresses will help. Before applying them, the skin is covered with a layer of balm so that the lips are treated simultaneously with the reduction of pain.
• If your lips are red and covered with cracks, sores or any other open wounds, you need to make sure that bacteria do not get into them. The surrounding skin and teeth should be treated with a cotton pad soaked in hydrogen peroxide or Miramistin. Special antiseptic ointments will have the best effect.
• If pain and itching are unbearable, painkillers can be used. Ointments with a cooling effect will have the same effect.

All methods of folk treatment for cheilitis will be useless if you resort to them thoughtlessly - without consulting a doctor. In most cases, inflammation, redness and itching of the lips are harmless. Such symptoms can go away even without therapy, but sometimes they indicate dangerous diseases, so medical help should not be neglected.

Should I see a doctor if my newborn's skin is peeling?

In this situation, you need to act the same way as in all others related to the baby’s health: it’s better to play it safe and go to the doctor one more time than to ignore your doubts and start a problem. In addition, there are several alarming symptoms that clearly indicate the need to consult a specialist:

• The baby is growing, but the peeling is not getting smaller.
• The skin began to peel unevenly, and one or more spots appeared on the baby’s body, where the problem manifested itself more acutely.
• The peeling increased sharply, especially if you did not introduce new foods into complementary foods, did not put new clothes on the baby, or changed anything in his life.
• Not only does the baby's skin peel, but there are also other symptoms of skin diseases - red spots or dots, itching, pimples, blisters and others.

What to do if your baby's skin peels?

First of all, do not forget that this is usually a natural developmental stage that the baby will outgrow over time. And take a number of measures to prevent peeling:

• Bathe your child no more than once a day. You can even less often - every other day.
• Use shampoo and baby soap no more than once a week.
• Do not dry your baby's skin after bathing, just pat dry with a towel and then let it air dry.
• After bathing and changing clothes, lubricate the folds on your body with oil.
• Change diapers as needed, but at least every 3-4 hours. After drying your baby's skin, let her breathe for a few minutes.
• Before walking in winter, apply oil to exposed skin; in summer, use sunscreen for children. Allow the product to absorb before going outside.
• Humidify the air in your baby's room.
• Use products designed for washing children's clothing.
• Choose diapers that are gentle on your baby's skin.

Authors: Huggies experts, dermatologist Polina Vasilyeva