How to Dry Out Angular Cheilitis

Angular cheilitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the corners of the mouth and the lips. It can be caused by a fungal or bacterial infection, riboflavin deficiency (vitamin B2), or iron deficiency. Licking your lips makes angular cheilitis worse and may be a primary cause of it. Symptoms include cracking, redness, pain and inflammation. Home treatment can be very effective, or the condition can persist for months without proper medical attention.

Things You'll Need

• Polysporin cream
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Over the counter anti-fungal cream

Instructions

Home treatment

1. Apply polysporin or triple antibiotic ointment. The brand name does not matter, as long as it contains some combination of polymyxin B, neomycin or bacitracin. This should help heal the sores and treat a bacterial infection. If this does not work, the cause may not be bacterial.

2. Apply hydrocortisone cream. Stronger versions are available by prescription, but 1 percent hydrocortisone cream is available over the counter and should be effective in less extreme cases. A doctor may prescribe a stronger topical steroid.

3. Apply a topical anti-fungal cream if the previous treatments do not show improvement after a few days.

4. Watch your diet. Make sure you are getting enough iron and vitamin B. Cases of angular cheilitis caused by deficiencies usually recur after treatment by other methods, or persist for long periods. Consider taking a vitamin supplement.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a habit of licking your lips or the corners of your mouth, try to stop. Angular cheilitis is often caused by excessive saliva at the corners of the mouth.

• If none of these home treatments work, consult a physician or dermatologist.

• A small number of people are allergic to neomycin. Double antibiotic creams containing only polymyxin B and bacitracin are available at any pharmacy.

References

• Angular Cheilitis Web