What makes corners of mouth crack

Go to Mobile website. Having split, bleeding corners of your mouth can be highly uncomfortable and even embarrassing. It could impair your ability to eat, and you may feel as though people are looking at the side of your mouth instead of at you when you're talking to them. Many people suffer from a condition known as "angular cheilitis" or "perleche" but very few understand what causes it or how to address it.

Fortunately, this condition is both highly preventable and highly treatable. Erin Lukas. By Erin Lukas Sep 29, pm. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

Save Pin FB More. Credit: Getty Images. For the most part, a normal amount of Candida albicans lives in your mouth and other places on your body like your vagina without causing harm, but sometimes, it can multiply and lead to an infection called candidiasis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So how exactly does this lead to angular cheilitis? Good question. Strangely enough, any saliva that collects at the corners of your mouth can actually dry the area out, leading to cracks and fissures, Ted Lain , M.

Lain says. In general they can include :. You might only experience these symptoms on one side of your mouth, or they might appear on both sides. Although these symptoms are usually only noticeable in the area around your mouth, in extreme cases they can extend all the way to your cheek. Dry mouth: People with dry mouth, aka xerostomia , have a higher likelihood of developing these mouth cracks. Dehydration: Dehydration is one of the major causes of xerostomia. People with certain health conditions, like uncontrolled diabetes , are particularly susceptible to increased urination and dehydration and, therefore, are more likely to develop angular cheilitis.

Medications: Medications that can irritate the skin, like the acne drug isotretinoin , or treatments like chemotherapy can also cause irritation and dryness that leads to angular cheilitis. Nutritional deficiencies: A lack of sufficient iron can lead to anemia, which researchers have connected with angular cheilitis.

That moisture can have the effect of rinsing away the protective lipid barrier on the skin surface. The result: less pliancy. More cracking! Though using a lip balm is simple, Howe notes that many have trouble making it a true habit—and for it to work, it does have to be. And the fact of the matter is that the choice of lip balm matters too.

She recommends looking for a thick product with fewer ingredients and advises applying before exposure to harsh weather, under sunscreen, and increasing application when you get sick. There are also certain behavioral adjustments we can make. Doing this when our lips are already dry and cracked is a natural response—it makes them temporarily look and feel better. Often these treatments are used twice daily for two-to-four weeks. Art of prevention: Practical interventions in lip-licking dermatitis.

Int J Womens Dermatol. Differential diagnosis of cheilitis - how to classify cheilitis? Acta Clin Croat. Dna repair enzyme containing lip balm for the treatment of actinic cheilitis: a pilot study. J Drugs Dermatol.