Symptoms of cheilitis
Inflammation or cheilitis of lips can be clinically manifested as dryness, peeling, chapping and scabbing of lips, and sometimes blisters and exudates appear. There are more patients and women who see a doctor because of cheilitis than men, which may be related to more contact with cosmetics and care about appearance. There are many causes of cheilitis, among which cheilitis and eczema are the most common. Eczematous cheilitis can be subdivided into contact, ectopic and exfoliative.
Causes of contact cheilitis
Saliva irritation: babies who drool easily and people who have bad habits of licking their lips.
External stimuli: cold air, wind, sunshine, spicy food, oral hygiene products, taking acid A, musical instruments, etc.
Foreign body allergy: lip balm, lipstick, lip gloss, oral hygiene products (especially toothpaste), food and health nutrition, anything that the lips can touch is suspected!
Treatment of cheilitis
Chronic cheilitis should be evaluated and examined by dermatologists as soon as possible, and whether it is related to allergic contact must be considered. The doctor will ask you to bring lipstick or daily lipstick and oral hygiene products, and then arrange a patch test for you. The most common reactive substance in skin patch test is metal, and others include spices, preservatives, personal care products and drugs.
The first treatment is to stop using products that may cause irritation or allergy, including lip balm, lipstick and oral hygiene products currently used. Usually, patients lick their lips to solve the problem of dry lips. After the dry lips are stimulated by saliva, the situation will only get worse, so the patient licks more and more dry, and the result of this vicious circle is that the patient has incurable cheilitis. It is recommended to use vaseline frequently to strengthen the moisturizing and barrier of lips. When the lips are inflamed, they can't tolerate slight irritation. Therefore, when eating, avoid letting food and fruit touch your lips and their surroundings, use straws when drinking water, and wear a mask to prevent wind and sun. In the acute phase, the doctor will give you a mild rubbing of corticosteroids for external use, and then use vaseline for maintenance after eczema gets better.
Figure 1: The lips and corners of the mouth are repeatedly inflamed for about one year. After skin patch test, the possible allergen is toothpaste used every day.
Figure 2: Three weeks after topical application of steroids and vaseline.
@ Image from Southern Cross System of Dermatology Department of Chengda Hospital.
How is cheilitis caused?
Modern medicine believes that the onset of cheilitis is mainly related to cold, dryness, sunlight, stimulation of drinking, licking and biting lips, playing musical instruments and other factors. Now, summer has passed, and autumn and winter seasons are coming. Coupled with the dry climate and strong wind, it is the high season of cheilitis. At this time, many people will ignore the health of the lips, and the skin of the lips is very fragile and easily stimulated by the outside world, which in turn leads to cheilitis.