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Cheilitis is a general term for lip inflammation. It can be acute or chronic and affect the following:
Lip dryness, chronic exposure to the sun, allergies, and infections can all cause your lips to become inflamed. Here are various forms of cheilitis and how you can treat them:
Chapped lips are sometimes referred to as common cheilitis or cheilitis simplex. You may notice that your lips crack, peel, and develop deep grooves (fissures). This condition is very common and can have a variety of causes, including:
You may lick your lips to moisten them, but excessive lip licking can worsen the problem. Your lips may become irritated and dehydrated as the saliva evaporates.
Lip balm can help alleviate lip chapping, but many common ingredients in lip balms have the potential to make the problem worse.1 It may be best to use a bland or hypoallergenic balm, such as petroleum jelly.
Eczematous cheilitis, or lip dermatitis, covers many common lip conditions. It refers to lip irritation from an external cause (a form of contact dermatitis) or an internal one (atopic dermatitis).
Many common ingredients in lip cosmetics and lip balms, such as lanolin and eucalyptus oil, can cause allergic contact cheilitis. However, sometimes the cause is unknown.
Additionally, people who constantly lick their lips may develop another form of eczematous cheilitis known as lip licker’s dermatitis. A red, crusty ring appears around the lips due to the skin being irritated by saliva.
Angular cheilitis, or angular stomatitis, is inflammation of the corners of the mouth. Dehydration and chronic conditions like celiac disease can be a factor in developing angular cheilitis.
However, the condition is often associated with:
People missing most or all of their teeth can also develop angular cheilitis. This is due to the mouth overclosing, with the lips folding in. It may occur together with denture stomatitis.
Infectious cheilitis refers to any lip inflammation caused by an infection. Cold sores caused by oral herpes may be the most common form of infectious cheilitis.
Some of the known causes of infectious cheilitis include:
Poor oral hygiene and nutritional deficiencies can be contributing factors.
Actinic cheilitis is caused by overexposure to the sun. UV rays from the sun can cause your lips (especially your lower lip) to become pale, wrinkled, and dry.
This form of cheilitis is more likely to occur if you:
In some cases, actinic cheilitis may develop into oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of oral cancer.
Other types of lip inflammation include:
As we discussed above, cheilitis can have various internal and external causes. The most common causes of cheilitis include:
However, cheilitis can also result from sun overexposure, other inflammatory conditions, and nutritional deficiencies, among other causes. Unfortunately, people often lick their lips or otherwise irritate them to alleviate the inflammation, creating a vicious cycle.
The exact appearance and symptoms of cheilitis will vary depending on the cause and the person but may include the following:
Some causes of lip inflammation, such as granulomatosis, may also affect other parts of your mouth and face.
In general, no. Even oral yeast infections typically aren’t contagious since they tend to be brought on by a weakened immune system.
However, one notable exception is oral herpes. Avoid kissing or sharing food and utensils if you have an open cold sore on your lip.
Doctors can generally identify cheilitis based on the appearance of your lips and the symptoms you report. To narrow down the cause of your lip inflammation, your doctor may conduct the following:
They’ll also note whether you have symptoms affecting other body parts.
The right course of treatment for cheilitis will depend on the underlying cause. It can include any of the following:
The most widely applicable treatment is to keep your lips hydrated. However, some people are sensitive to common lip balm ingredients, making irritant contact cheilitis worse. Getting an allergy test and using a hypoallergenic lip balm can help prevent this.
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