Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis –11 Simple Ways To Get Rid Of The Pain!

Suffering from Angular Cheilitis can be so embarrassing because of a swollen red patch that is visible at the corner of your mouth! But, if it is the only reason that’s been making you feel sad, do not worry! Here is to some wonderful home remedies for angular cheilitis, that are definitely worth giving a try!

Table of Contents

• What Exactly Is Angular Cheilitis?
• Angular Cheilitis Causes
• All the Risk Factors of Angular Cheilitis
• Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis
• Angular Cheilitis Treatment

What Exactly Is Angular Cheilitis?

Angular Cheilitis is a fungal infection and an inflammatory condition which causes swollen, red patches at the corners of the mouth, either on one side or both the corners of the mouth which may seem itchy and painful.
The cracks can also bleed sometimes causing an annoying pain. They may not let you socialize properly because of the reddish patch that is evident at the corner of the lips!

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Angular Cheilitis Causes

One of the most common angular cheilitis causes is a yeast (fungus) which is known as Candida. Surprisingly, the same fungus is responsible for causing a diaper rash in children!
But, in the case of Angular Cheilitis, the fungus builds up at the corner of your lips and this happens because of an excessive accumulation of saliva in that area.
When the corners of your mouth with saliva get dried up, there appears a crack and you may feel an urge to moisten the dry area with your lips and you do this by licking the corners.
This makes the area warm and moist enough to let the fungus grow which causes you all the painful symptoms of Angular Cheilitis.

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All the Risk factors of Angular Cheilitis

The risk of the emergence of the fungus named candida may increase due to reasons such as

• If you are currently using braces, you might experience an excessive production of saliva which may become one of the reasons of Angular Cheilitis.
• You have a repeated and irresistible habit of licking your lips
• The skin around your mouth is sagging because of the onset of age
• Vitamin deficiency, especially the lack of vitamin B and Iron
• If you can’t get rid of the habit of sucking your thumb
• You smoke a lot

Other Health Conditions Which Increase The Risk Of Angular Cheilitis

• Blood cancer
• Disorders related to immunity such as HIV
• Cancer-related to the organs like pancreas, liver, lungs or kidneys
• Lack of red blood cells in the body or Anemia
• Escalated blood sugar levels or Diabetes
• An abnormal cell division such as a Down syndrome.

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You can follow some easy home remedies for angular cheilitis while following over the counter medication simultaneously to witness a quick result.

How To Get Rid Of Angular Cheilitis? – Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis

Though over the counter medications for Angular Cheilitis seem to work, you may want to follow some amazing home remedies to get rid of the infection as soon as possible.
Here is what you can do to get rid of the problem much faster!

1. Use Coconut Oil For Angular Cheilitis Cure

An excessive dryness of the skin around your lips is only going to worsen your problem. The best way to treat this is to apply coconut oil to moisturize the dry part of your skin. This does not give the fungus a suitable moist and warm condition to grow further.
Also, coconut contains anti-fungal properties which act against the fungal growth near the corner of your lips which makes it the most commonly suggested home remedies for angular cheilitis.

How To Apply?

Take a few drops of coconut oil into your hands and rub it along your fingers. Apply a gentle pressure with your forefingers on the dry and affected area to apply the oil.
Do not wash the oil as this can cause breakouts. Let the oil remain until it gets thoroughly absorbed into your skin.
You can follow the remedy 3-4 times in a day for a quick result.

2. Aloe-Vera For Angular Cheilitis Overnight Cure

Any kind of skin infection caused due to the fungus candida can heal effectively with the help of Aloe-Vera. This is because Aloe-Vera contains strong antifungal properties that help in the eradication of fungus.
If you wish to obtain a soothing effect, you can store a freshly extracted Aloe-Vera gel in the refrigerator before applying it over the affected area.

How To Apply?

• Cut a stem of Aloe-Vera and use a knife to cut open the stem. Extract the gel from this with the help of a spoon and place it aside.
• Mix required quantities of water into this gel to make a solution and store this in a cool place.
• You can also apply the gel directly at the corners of your mouth.
• Follow the remedy twice or thrice in a day. You can also apply the gel and leave it overnight to wash this off next day in the morning for angular cheilitis overnight cure

3. Tea Tree Oil

The best antifungal and antiseptic essential oil that is a boon for people suffering from skin infections is tea tree oil.
The antifungal activity of this oil makes it one of the perfect home remedies for angular cheilitis. The most common diseases like ringworm, Molluscum contagiosum, athletes foot and other fungal infections have found tea tree oil as the best healer.

How To Apply?

• Tea tree oil is highly concentrated which is why a direct application of this oil can cause skin burns.
• Since a carrier oil is essential for you to dilute tea tree oil, using castor oil would be the best option.
• Mix 3-4 drops of tea tree oil with one tablespoon of castor oil and use a cotton ball to rub this oil on the affected area.
• Follow the remedy 3-4 times in a day for the best result.

4. Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly which appears semi-solid is made up of waxes and oils which make it the best product to soothe dry and sensitive areas of the skin.
Petroleum jelly may not act on the fungus and heal you internally, but it can work as the best soothing remedy for treating the pain that is associated with swelling and cracks.
The jelly being smooth and semi-solid in nature heals your cracks giving you a soothing effect.

How to apply?

• Cleanse the affected area and pat it dry with a clean cloth.
• Apply petroleum jelly and gently rub it with your fingers to comfort your cracked lips.
• Follow the remedy several times in a day and ensure that you follow it for an overnight application whenever possible.

5. Salt Water

The best remedy that works as the disinfectant and antiseptic is salt water. Since it effectively helps in fighting bacterial and fungal infections, salt water is considered one of the best home remedies for angular cheilitis.

How to apply?

• Heat a glass of water to make it clean, devoid of germs.
• Add half teaspoon salt to this and wait until it is dissolved.
• Dip a cotton ball into this water and rub this over the affected area.
• Follow this remedy 3-4 times in a day for a quick and effective angular cheilitis cure.
• You may feel a burning sensation when the bruised area is treated with salt water but the pain and burning sensation subsides as you continue to follow the remedy and it ultimately results in an effective treatment.

6. How To Get Rid Of Angular Cheilitis With Yogurt

Yogurt is the best source of probiotics which helps in the most effective angular cheilitis cure because probiotics help in improving your immunity.
A tropical application of yogurt will also help in curing angular cheilitis because of some live cultures present in yogurt.

How To Apply?

Try consuming yogurt after your meals or you can simply apply a fine layer of yogurt over the cracked corners of the mouth and leave it for several hours after which you can rinse it off.

7. Cucumbers To Soothe Your Cracked Lips

You will obviously need some cooling agents to comfort your aching lips instantly. Using a cucumber that is stored in the refrigerator helps in comforting your dry and chapped lips and moisturizers the affected area to prevent any further breakouts.

How to apply?

• Store a fresh cucumber in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
• Chop the vegetable into fine circular slices and place the slices at the corners of your mouth and gently press them to obtain a deep relaxation.
• Keep doing this several times throughout the day and you will be able to get rid of the excruciating pain within a few hours.

8. Why Cocoa Butter Is Considered One Of The Best Remedies For Angular Cheilitis

One magical healing property of cocoa butter which makes it the best-recommended home remedies for angular cheilitis is that the antioxidants present in cocoa butter help in preventing the free radical damage and heal the cracking from inside.

How to apply?

Buy a suitable type of cocoa butter since there are numerous varieties available in the stores. Use your fingers to gently rub the cream over the affected area and leave it overnight if you wish to.

9. Drink More Water to Keep Your Lips Hydrated

Dehydration can also make your lips dry and chapped. Following all the above mentioned home remedies for angular cheilitis without keeping your body hydrated may not heal you internally.
Make a habit of drinking at least 1.5 litres of water in a day to prevent dry and scaly lips. Drinking lemon and honey mixed warm water may further help in detoxifying your body and improvising your overall health.

10. Do Not Forget to Moisturize Your Skin

Living in cold climates can make your condition even worse! Excessive dryness associated with pain and inflammation should necessarily be treated with a suitable moisturizer.
An accumulation of saliva at the corner of your lips is needed to be cleansed from time to time. This requires you to rinse your skin several times a day!
To prevent any further dryness, pat the area dry and apply the best moisturizer that suits your skin.

11. Take Additional Vitamin Supplements

A lack of vitamins in the body like vitamin B and Iron can also cause cracks around your lips. Make sure that you include vitamin B and iron supplements to combat the deficiency so that the symptoms are controlled.
Intake of supplements also helps in providing other health benefits such as increasing the red blood cell count, fighting depression, boosting your immunity and improving the working capacity of your brain.

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Angular Cheilitis Treatment

There is an Angular Cheilitis treatment over the counter but your doctor may first analyze your overall health condition to know the exact cause of the disease before going for a treatment.

• If the condition is essentially caused due to nutritional deficiency, your doctor may suggest you the supplements to overcome the deficiency.
• If the infection is caused due to diabetes, anemia, cancers or other immune disorders, you may have to be alert and treat the underlying cause first.

If the fungal infection is only caused due to an excessive production of saliva, there are certain over the counter medications (antifungal ointments) your doctor might suggest.

1. Lotrimin which is a Common Brand of Clotrimazole

• Lotrimin is an antifungal cream suggested by the doctors that is to be taken twice a day.
• Clean the affected area and pat it dry with a clean cloth. Make sure that the area is completely dry before applying the cream.
• The question of how long should you use the cream may depend on the type of infection.
• Note that you should not close the infected areas with any kinds of wraps of bands
• Do not go for this medication without consulting your doctor.

2. Lotrimin AF which is a Common Brand of Miconazole Nitrate

• Lotrimin AF is to be used twice in a day after properly cleaning and drying the affected area.
• It is advisable to continue using the medication even after you witness the disappearance of the symptoms which may otherwise cause a recurrence of the disease.
• The medication may be available in the form of sprays.
• Do not wrap the infected area with bands.

3. Ketoconazole

• There is an immense need for you to consult your doctor before using Ketoconazole because the medication may show severe side effects on your skin.
• It is generally advisable to take ketoconazole a few hours before taking antacid (if you are taking any) since ketoconazole may take time to get absorbed.
• It is best to take the medication along with the food to avoid any kind of side effects such as stomach upsets.

An over the counter medication can relieve you from the symptoms but do not opt for self-treatment without consulting your doctor as it may interfere with other health conditions causing severe side effects.

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Bottom line
There is nothing to worry about Angular cheilitis since it is the most commonly occurring skin disorder that affects around 2 million U.S population.
It may take two to three weeks for the problem to get completely healed but you can opt for some of the easy home remedies for angular cheilitis mentioned in this article to get rid of the problem as soon as possible!