Treatment Options For Angular Cheilitis
Angular cheilitis treatment depends upon the cause of the disease. The inflammation, scaling, ulceration and bleeding that occur at one or both corners of the mouth might be a sign of fungal, bacterial or viral infection.
Poor nutrition, especially deficiency of iron and riboflavin, increase the risk of developing angular cheilitis.Wearing improper dentures might cause angular cheilitis.
Excess saliva dribbling from the side of the mouth might produce painful lesions at the corners of the mouth. Dry skin, contact allergy, systemic illness, oral retinoid medication and excessive mouth washing and lip licking are also associated with angular cheilitis.
In many cases, angular cheilitis resolves naturally. In others simple treatments could help to get rid of the lesions present at the corner of the mouth.
Here Are Some Treatment Options For Angular Cheilitis
Petroleum Jelly
Non-infectious angular cheilitis could be healed naturally by applying petroleum jelly to the corner of the mouth. Skin dryness is believed to be a common cause of idiopathic angular cheilitis, which could be resolves by applying lip balm to the affected area.
Topical Antiseptics
The painful bumps could be treated with topical antiseptics.They can reduce growth of the harmful microbes and diminish the infection.
Antibiotics
Angular cheilitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria could be healed with oral antistaphylococcal antibiotics. Applying antibiotic ointment to the affected area might help to reduce the infection rapidly.
Angular cheilitis owing to bacterial infection is more likely to occur in people suffering from respiratory infection. Excess nasal secretion increases the risk of developing infections at the corner of the mouth.Hence, treating the underlying respiratory infection and decreasing nasal secretion might prevent recurrent angular cheilitis.
Antifungal Medications
Antifungal medications are needed for treating angular cheilitis caused by Candida yeast overgrowth. Ketoconazole-based antifungal ointment is usually prescribed for treating this infection.
Nutrition
Angular cheilitis might be a symptom of malnutrition developing from diseases that inhibit nutrient absorption such as celiac disease, eating disorders and unhealthy diet. The lesions could be reduced by adding iron and vitamin B2 rich foods to the daily diet.
Adult men need about 8mg of iron daily, while adult women must consume approximately 18mg of iron each day. Liver, lean red meat and chicken are the best sources of iron that can be easily absorbed in the body.
Vegetarians could meet their daily iron requirement from cereals fortified with iron, lentils, beans, spinach, peas, nuts, beets and plantain. Liver, spinach, mushroom, leafy greens, egg and milk are the common sources of vitamin B2 or riboflavin.
Adult men and women need respectively about 1.3mg and 1.1mg of the B vitamin daily. By weakening the immune system zinc deficiency might increase the risk of developing angular cheilitis following bacterial or viral infection.
Herbs
Herbal remedies might be beneficial for people suffering from angular cheilitis. Applying aloe vera gel at the corner of the mouth could help to reduce the lesions caused by excessive dryness of the skin. Bacterial infections might be healed with neem leaf paste. Vitamin E blended with tea tree oil might be used for treating fungal and bacterial infections.
