Angular Cheilitis Herpes

Angular Cheilitis or Oral Herpes? Learn to Distinguish the Two

The problem with angular cheilitis, other than being annoying painful and itchy, is that it resembles other mouth ailments, which can lead to incorrect self-diagnosis and treatment. One common mouth disorder often confused with it is oral herpes or cold sore. It’s very important to distinguish between the two so proper treatment can be applied.

What is angular cheilitis?

Angular cheilitis is a medical condition of the skin marked by the formation of cracks on the mouth corners. These openings make normal movement of the lips difficult and uncomfortable. The problem generally starts with an accumulation of saliva on the corners of the mouth. Saliva doesn’t only dry up the skin, leading to open cracks and splits, it also contains bacteria and fungi that can cause infection. When infection occurs, that’s when angular cheilitis is said to have occurred. As it gets worse, the cracks develop into deeper crusts that bleed whenever the mouth is opened.

What is oral herpes?

Herpes labialis is the medical term for oral herpes or cold sore. It refers to the infection of the mouth or gums that cause the appearance of small and painful blisters. These sores, which appear not only on the corners of the mouth but all around the nearby areas, can be extremely distressing. Sometimes, they burst and develop into scabs. The condition usually heals on its own after a few weeks.

What are the similarities and differences between the two?

Based on the definitions provided, angular cheilitis and oral herpes share three things in common:

1. Both conditions are painful and uncomfortable
2. Both appear on the mouth area
3. Both are marked by redness and inflammation

Although they look (and may feel) the same, angular cheilitis and oral herpes have more differences than similarities. Here are the following points that will help you in distinguishing the two:

• Causes – Angular cheilitis can be triggered by numerous factors including nutritional deficiency, dental problems, weakened immune system, and fungal or bacterial infections. It can be caused by one factor or a combination of several. But the bottom line is, the condition is due to the drying, cracking, and infection of the mouth corners.

Oral herpes, on the other hand, is caused by only one thing and that’s the virus called herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), thus the name.

• Signs and symptoms – For angular cheilitis, signs and symptoms include skin lesions in one or both corners of the mouth, dry flaky skin, extremely dry and chapped lips, painful bumps or cracks on the mouth corners, bleeding when the mouth is opened, stinging sensation on the affected area, white coating on the tongue, and pain when smiling, laughing or eating. As for cold sore, tell-tale signs are blisters around the mouth, sore throat, fever, tingling around the lips, headaches, and muscle pains.

• Spread of virus – It’s also important to note that while oral herpes is highly contagious, angular cheilitis is not. Herpes virus is in fact very easy to spread. You can catch it by having intimate contact with an infected person, or coming into contact with anything that he/she has used like towels, utensils, razor and so on. Angular cheilitis, meanwhile, can’t be spread from one person to another. It can’t even spread to other body parts. The infection is contained to the mouth corners.

• Treatment – While both conditions can be treated effectively, once you’re inflicted with the herpes virus, it stays with you for lifetime. That’s not the case with angular cheilitis. You can get rid of it for good and once you do, you won’t have to worry about it coming back.

Treatment methods for angular cheilitis include application of an anti-fungal or antibacterial ointment on the affected area. It’s also important to get to the root cause of the problem and resolve that for long-term treatment of angular cheilitis. For example, if the condition is caused by poor-fitting dentures, one should go to the dentist and have his/her dentures fixed.

When it comes to oral herpes, the doctor will prescribe antiviral medications to kill the virus, as well as pain killers to alleviate the pain and other symptoms. Common medicines prescribed for cold sore include Acyclovir, Famciclovir and Valacyclovir. There are also antiviral skin creams that can be applied on the mouth sores.

Learning to distinguish between these two conditions that are often confused with each other can help ensure proper and suitable treatment.

Angular Cheilitis Cream

Does Angular Cheilitis Cream Work?

An inflammatory skin lesion on the mouth’s corners that often occur bilaterally, angular cheilitis is marked by deep cracks, crusts, and shallow ulcers that may bleed when the mouth is opened. Just by the sound of it, it’s easy to imagine how painful and uncomfortable this ailment is. If you’re suffering from it, you can quickly attest as to how this problem, which is also quite embarrassing, has taken a toll on the quality of your life.

Good thing, there are angular cheilitis creams available in the market. These are anti-fungal topical ointments that can be purchased over the counter. As you may know, this condition is often triggered by a fungus called Candida albicans. Killing these pathogens with 1 percent hydrocortisone or clotrimazole can help clear up the problem for good. And yes, it does work in most cases.

However, for some people, it doesn’t. Or even if it does, it only alleviates the symptoms on a surface level and the entire problem recurs after a short period. There can be a number of reasons why the anti-fungal treatment is not working. For one, it’s possible that the person has a very weak immune system that even if you manage to kill the fungi causing the problem, you’re still prone to another case of fungal infection.

Also, it can happen that you didn’t get rid of the very root cause of the problem. For example, if what’s causing the fungal infection is your habit of biting your fingernails or whatever object you can get your hands on, then you can’t expect to say goodbye to angular cheilitis for good until you ditch these habits. Or if you still keep on licking your lips, which only dries up your skin and gets more fungi or bacteria into the corners of the mouth, then the problem is most likely to recur.

In more severe cases, angular cheilitis may be caused by an underlying medical problem. Examples of these include Plummer-Vinson syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative colitis. When this is the case, even if you use countless anti-fungal creams, your angular cheilitis will not be eliminated until you have your medical condition treated. Getting immediate medical attention is a must.

Angular cheilitis creams do work. If they don’t, that means you have another problem to solve beneath the fungal infection occurring on the corners of your mouth.

Angular Cheilitis Causes

Get to Know the Top Causes of Angular Cheilitis

Many people don’t know what angular cheilitis is but they surely are familiar to those cracks on the corners of the mouth. An inflammatory skin condition marked by open lesions and fissures on the corners of the mouth, angular cheilitis is a very common skin problem that’s often seen in dermatology clinics and dental offices. It can be triggered by numerous possible factors such as the following:

Bacterial, fungal or viral infection

Most cases of angular cheilitis are fungal infections while some are bacterial or viral. Bacteria and fungi can naturally be found in the saliva. They don’t cause any problem when the person’s immune system is working at its best. When it’s not, and there’s an accumulation of saliva on the corners of the mouth, leaving the skin prone to drying and chapping, open lesions can develop and these can become infected. When that happens, a person may develop angular cheilitis.

Nutritional deficiencies

According to experts, angular cheilitis can also be caused by nutritional deficiencies, particularly of iron and vitamin B, although not directly as stated in the New Hanover Regional Medical Center study performed in 2005. Instead, since vitamin B and iron support the immune system, deficiency in these nutrients can weaken the body’s immune resistance and make it more prone to infections including angular cheilitis.

Denture stomatitis and other dental issues

This condition refers to tissue inflammation under dentures. When the dentures are not removed or cleaned on a regular basis, yeast infections can occur. Also, poor fitting dentures can be a problem. These cause friction that in turn irritates the mouth. Apart from that, they also pave the way for saliva to accumulate on the corners of the mouth, leading to an infection. Lack of teeth particularly those at the back or near the cheeks and lips can also increase risk of angular cheilitis. That’s because this can result in bite collapse that can crack the corners of the mouth’s skin.

Habits that cause spread of bacteria

Other possible circumstances that can set off the onset of angular cheilitis include touching of the lips with dirty fingers, chewing on objects like pencils or pens, drooling while sleeping or eating, and biting of fingernails, among others. In children, bottle feeding and use of pacifier can also lead to angular cheilitis.

Cold weather

Not everyone living in a cold location will have angular cheilitis but they certainly are at more risk of this condition than those who live in warmer regions. Why is that? Cold weather makes people prone to chapped lips. People who have this problem commonly lick their chapped lips, thinking that it’s the best way to get the moisture back. That’s actually a big misconception. Saliva only dries up the lips further. Not only that, it can cause an accumulation of saliva on the corners of the mouth. When that happens, angular cheilitis may occur.

Use of certain products

Certain products like toothpastes and cosmetic items contain harsh ingredients that cause skin irritation. This irritation can become a bacterial infection, making a person at risk of angular cheilitis. Same is true when a person ends up using an expired product such as lip balm. This can cause contact dermatitis, and then angular cheilitis.

Certain medical conditions

Some medical conditions make it more likely for a person to have angular cheilitis. Examples of such as ailments include atopic dermatitis, Crohn’s disease, Down syndrome, and Plummer-Vinson syndrome. Being under constant stress can also be a problem since this can weaken the immune system as well.

Getting to the root cause of angular cheilitis is the first step in treating it. As most causes discussed above are linked to weak immune system and bacterial/fungal infections, it’s best for anyone with angular cheilitis to boost his/her overall health, and kill the microorganisms causing the infection using antibacterial or anti-fungal treatments.

Is Angular Cheilitis Contagious

Is Angular Cheilitis Contagious?

Angular cheilitis is a skin inflammatory condition affecting the corners of the mouth. It’s a painful and uncomfortable ailment characterized by flaking and scaling of the skin on the lips’ corners made worse by fungal or bacterial infections.

It is also called “perleche,” a French word, which means to lick (lecher). That’s because most people who have this problem usually lick their lips to keep them moisturized, not knowing that it only aggravates drying and infection.

If you have this problem or know someone who does, probably the first question on your mind would be: is it contagious?

The good news is: it’s not! In fact, it can’t even spread to other parts of your body, let alone to other people. Some people think it’s contagious because it looks similar to other contagious ailments on the mouth like fever blisters and cold sores. But they’re completely different diseases.

Apart from not being contagious, it’s also good to know that angular cheilitis is quite easy to treat. In fact, many opt for home remedies that prove to be helpful in alleviating symptoms like inflammation, redness, and itchiness. But of course, for long-term treatment, it’s important to get down to the root cause of the problem and resolve that.

Since fungal and bacterial infections are some of the most common causes of this skin condition, you’ll need the help of anti-fungal or antibacterial medications. Consult your doctor to get prescription. Weakened immune system is another culprit so make sure to boost your health with proper diet, regular exercise, and nutritional supplements.

Angular Cheilitis Anti Fungal

Anti Fungal Treatment for Angular Cheilitis

Angular cheilitis can be caused by several factors. One that always makes the list is fungal infection. Some cases are in fact 100 percent fungal infections while others are caused by a combination of fungal and bacterial infections. Since this is the case, it’s safe to assume that anti-fungal treatment can work very well for this problem. But before we get to that, let’s first find out what angular cheilitis is.

What is angular cheilitis?

Angular cheilitis is an inflammatory skin condition that occurs at the labial commissures, more commonly known as the corners of the mouth. This disorder is called several names like perleche, cheilosis, angular stomatitis, mouth corner cracks, and so on. It can occur on one side or both sides. The typical manifestation of the problem are deep splits and cracks, and sometimes, bleeding when ulcers or crusts have formed.

Why does angular cheilitis occur?

For most people, it starts with tiny cracks on the corners of the mouth. This happens when there’s an excess accumulation of saliva on those areas that leave the skin dry and prone to chapping. When more saliva gets into the area, bacteria and fungi can get inside. If the person’s immune resistance is not that strong, this can set off fungal or bacterial infection, which makes the cracks develop into open painful lesions.

How can anti-fungal treatment help?

Since fungi can be the root cause, it can help to combat these microorganisms with the use of anti-fungal creams. The use of anti-fungal creams with 1 percent hydrocortisone is usually advised by doctors. These creams are usually available over the counter.

You may apply the cream on the affected area two to three times per day until the symptoms of pain, redness, and itchiness subside. It’s also an option to buy a cream that contains not only the anti-fungal hydrocortisone but also an anti-infective agent like iodoquinol to speed up the healing process.

Other anti-fungal treatments that are typically prescribed for the treatment of angular cheilitis include Mycolog-ll or Mycostatin, Nystatin, and steroids such as Triamcinolone acetonide. What these anti-fungal treatments do is that they kill the microorganisms that cause the problem. In the process, they help alleviate the symptoms of this condition.

Just be careful when using anti-fungal treatments. Since the ointment is applied near the mouth, it’s possible that it will get into your food or mouth. It’s also a must to avoid licking your lips so that you won’t get too much moisture on the corners of your mouth. Instead of licking your lips, try using a protective hypoallergenic lip balm.

Angular Cheilitis and Pregnancy

Angular Cheilitis During Pregnancy: Why Expecting Mothers Are at Risk

Only a very few women can say they’ve breezed through pregnancy without a trace of difficulty. Although this can be one of the most beautiful stages in a woman’s life, it’s not without hardships. Since a woman’s body goes through all sorts of changes while a fetus grows inside her, she can be plagued with numerous problems from minor ones like morning sickness, swelling, heartburns to more serious ones like gestational diabetes, preterm labor, and preeclampsia.

Pregnant women are also at risk of infections since the body’s immune function is not at its best. One common type of infection that many expectant mothers suffer from is angular cheilitis. Also called perleche or cheilosis, this inflammatory mouth condition is marked by flaky and chapped skin, which in turn develops into open painful lesions.

Bacteria and fungi, which are the common culprits of angular cheilitis, are present in the saliva. When there’s excessive amounts of saliva on the corners of the mouth, and a person is under stress or has a weak immune system (such as during pregnancy), this can lead to a bacterial or fungal infections. It’s also important to note that angular cheilitis has been found to occur more frequently during the first trimester, when a pregnant woman is suffering from morning sickness.

Apart from this, pregnant women are also more likely to develop iron-deficiency anemia, another common trigger of angular cheilitis. As you can guess from its name, iron-deficiency anemia happens when the body doesn’t have enough iron, which it needs to manufacture hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in the red blood cells. When there’s not enough oxygen in the body, the body becomes weak and more susceptible to infections such as angular cheilitis.

What can an expecting mother do about this?

For one, it’s a must to boost immune defense. It’s for this reason that pregnant women are always advised to eat a nutrient-packed diet. A diet that’s rich in all the necessary vitamins and minerals can help ward off not only angular cheilitis but also other possible health problems. Eating more fruits and vegetables, and taking nutritional supplements are smart moves.

It’s also a must to get the right amount of iron. Expecting mothers are advised to take in 18 to 27 mg of iron a day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnant women should take an iron supplement of 30 mg. Fortunately, most prenatal supplements contain that amount of iron. To help your body absorb iron, take vitamin C supplements too. Avoid drinking milk, coffee or tea before taking your iron supplement as these beverages may interfere with absorption.

Moreover, make sure to eat a lot of foods that are rich in iron such as beans, tofu, raisins, shellfish, dark meat, whole grains, nuts, broccoli, collard greens, kale, dates, prunes, figs, potatoes, and iron-fortified food products like grains and cereals. Take note though that while liver is rich in iron, it’s best to avoid it since it contains too much vitamin A, which may cause birth defects.

Angular cheilitis is a common problem among pregnant women but the good news is that with proper diet and health supplements, it can be avoided and treated.

Angular Cheilitis and Anemia

Probing the Link between Angular Cheilitis and Anemia

Angular cheilitis and anemia have always been closely linked, with anemia pointed out as one of the possible triggers of angular cheilitis. Otherwise known as perleche, cheilosis, or mouth corner cracks, this medical condition is marked by the fissures and scaling at the labial commissures or the corners of the mouth. Experts say that iron deficiency is one of the reasons these painful open lesions rooted from a fungal or bacterial infection occur.

While there are many other possible causes of angular cheilitis (vitamin B deficiency, poor fitting of dentures, stress, and many others), iron deficiency anemia has always among those on top of the list. Since long-term treatment of angular cheilitis goes beyond alleviating surface symptoms and requires resolving the underlying issue, it’s imperative to study more about iron-deficiency anemia if this is what’s causing your problem.

What is iron-deficiency anemia?

As the term suggests, this occurs when the body is not able to store enough iron. What happens when the body does not have enough iron? As you know, iron is very important. Without it, you won’t get sufficient supply of oxygen throughout your body. Our bodies utilize iron to manufacture hemoglobin, a crucial part of the red blood cells that’s responsible for carrying oxygen. When the body has not enough iron, there won’t be enough hemoglobin, and you won’t get enough oxygen. We all know how essential oxygen is for our organs and muscles to function properly. Without it, we become weak and fatigued.

What are the causes of iron-deficiency anemia?

Having iron deficiency can be driven by several factors including:

• Heavy menstruation
• Diet low in iron
• Internal bleeding (may be caused by medical issues like hemorrhoids, cancer or ulcers, or constant use of aspirin)
• Inability of the body to absorb iron (e.g. when small intestine had been removed or when one is suffering from celiac disease).

How do you know if you have iron-deficiency anemia?

Since this medical problem usually develops gradually, signs and symptoms may not be noticeable until it’s in the serious stage. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia:

• Weakness
• Exhaustion
• Dizziness
• Mood swings
• Headaches
• Pale skin
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heart rate
• Brittle nails
• Hair loss
• Difficulty concentrating

Angular cheilitis and anemia

A typical oral manifestation of iron-deficiency anemia is angular cheilitis. When a person suffers from anemia due to insufficient iron in the body, he/she becomes more susceptible to infections like the one that occurs in the corners of the mouth.

The good news is, this anemia caused by iron deficiency can be easily corrected, especially if discovered at an early stage. To resolve both your anemia angular cheilitis, here are your options:

Eat a diet rich in iron

Excellent sources of this mineral include beef, pork, lamb, organ meats, chicken turkey, fish, shellfish, sardines, anchovies, broccoli, kale, collard greens, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, lima beans, peas, and iron-fortified food products like cereals, pastas, and grains. Get all the recipes you will ever need at http://allrecipes.com/.

Take iron supplements

Eating foods rich in iron can certainly help boost your intake. But since the amount of iron required by anemia patients is significantly higher than what most foods contain, you’ll need to supplement your diet with medical iron. Most patients are recommended to take in 150 to 200 mg per day. It’s two to five mg of iron per kg of body weight daily. Consult your doctor about the dosage that you need.

Up vitamin C intake

Vitamin C is great for your health not only for boosting immune resistance but also for improving the body’s absorption of iron. It’s a good idea to take 250 mg of vitamin C when taking iron supplements.

Consider intravenous iron

For severe cases of anemia, intravenous iron may be necessary. This is for patients with medical problems that inhibit their bodies from absorbing this mineral such as those with internal bleeding, and so on.

Angular cheilitis has many possible causes. It’s important to get to the bottom of what’s causing this annoying and painful problem so you can make an immediate move to resolve it for good. Learning about the underlying issue is always a good first step.