Angular Cheilitis – General Overview
To describe Angular Cheilitis also called Angular Stomatitis, it’s a disorder that ails the mouth and lip area, which can appear as red, peeling, or scaly lesions on one or both corners of the mouth often coupled with sore and cracked lips.
In some cases, the corners of the mouth may crack and bleed when opening the mouth or a crust may appear on the sides of the mouth. Licking the lips to moisten it will only worsen the condition.
It can be mistaken as just wind burn, or chapped lips because of the weather but is really a more complicated ailment. Lip moisturizers and other compounds can relieve some of the symptoms, but will not prevent worsening of the condition.
If a person is experiencing these symptoms for more than a week despite applying lip balms and moisturizers, it will be safer to assume it is Angular Cheilitis and address it as such.
In general, this is not a serious medical condition, but it can be quite uncomfortable and irritating. Also, because of the area where Angular Cheilitis occurs, it is also prone to further aggravation because of the fact that the lips and the mouth are exposed to the elements and are very frequently in use. If the lips and the mouth are sore, it could mean difficulty in eating and talking.
This in turn could mean that the person will have problem communicating, or have a hard time eating, both of which can really have a negative impact on a person’s life in terms of productivity and health amongst other things.
Angular Cheilitis can be made more uncomfortable by the onset of thrush or the growth of the Candida in the mouth and throat. Candida is a species of fungus that is almost always found in the parts of the body that are warm and moist, and the mouth area certainly fits that description.
This fungus is normally dormant or harmless if the growth is not excessive, but if Angular Cheilitis is present, it means that the body’s immune system is not working well, and that lets the fungus grow and cause an infection.
This is a disorder that is often present in the very young or the very old, or those who do not have a strong enough immune system, like people who are already sick with a disease that debilitates the immune system, such as HIV/AIDS.
