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What is Angular Cheilitis?
Angular cheilitis is a condition in which one or both corners of the mouth are inflamed and irritated. It is also known as cheilosis, angular stomatitis or perleche, and is characterized by inflammation of the skin or mouth lining at the mouth corners in the presence of moisture.Recovery Time
Without treatment, the average case of angular cheilitis can take from a couple of days to several weeks to fully heal.Diagnosis
Diagnosis is mainly done by physical examination and a swab test may be ordered.FAQs prepared by doctor
1. What is angular cheilitis?
Cheilitis is defined as a condition in which lip becomes inflamed and irritated. Angular is defined as a corner or angle. So, angular cheilitis literal definition is inflammation and irritation within or mouth corners. It is also known as cheilosis, angular stomatitis or perlŠche, and is characterized by inflammation of the skin or mouth lining at the mouth corners in the presence of moisture.
2. What are its symptoms?
Angular cheilitis is found in the corners of the mouth. A patient with angular cheilitis may notice cracking and fissuring at the corners of the mouth, with redness, discomfort when eating or opening your mouth wide, ulceration, drainage of pus or tissue softness and tenderness.
3. What are the causes of angular cheilitis?
When skin folding is formed at the corner of the mouth because of improper occlusion of the teeth, the accumulation of saliva at the corner of the mouth causes micro-organisms such as Staphylococcus and fungus to proliferate and leads to Angular Cheilitis.
4. What to when one is suffering from such a disease?
One shall soak lips in salt water for few minutes, this can be helpful as it hastens the healing time. Apply honey or lemon to lips which will be very helpful. Drink lots of water can help you better cure the illness. This will work on your dry and chapped lips. Drink about 10 to 12 glasses of water every day. Apply aloe vera gel on the cracked parts of mouth can help you ease the pain. Use moisturizers and lip balms to help prevent dryness.
5. When shall one consult a doctor?
Consult a doctor if the sores do not get better with home remedies or if they are spreading, painful, inflamed and irritating.