Cheilitis

Cheilitis is a medical name for inflamed lips. It is also referred as chapped lips, where the lips that appear dry, scaly, inflames, and with cracks. The inflammation could be mild to severe. The condition is painful. If the cracks are deep, the lips could bleed.

Chapped lips may be seen in people of all ages.

Cheilitis2

Causes:

Cheilitis is often observed with change of weather from warm to cold.

Some drugs are known to induce Cheilitis, which are listed here:

  • Retinoids (isotretinoin and acitretin)Cheilitis3
  • High doses of vitamin A
  • Severe zinc deficiency
  • Lithium
  • Chemotherapeutic agents (busulfan and actinomycin)
  • D-penicillamine
  • Isoniazid
  • Phenothiazine

Other possible causes of chapped lips include high fevers as well as environmental conditions, such as dehydration, ill- fitting dentures, wearing braces and certain vitamin deficiencies. It may also be a pre-malignant lesion for squamous cell carcinoma.

Avoidance of the offending drug is recommended.

Other types of Cheilitis:

Angular cheilitis can be caused by bacteria, but is more commonly a fungal infection. It can also be caused by medications which dry the skin, including roaccutane.
Lip-licking cheilitis is usually seen in 7–15 year olds.

Treatment:

Depending on the probable cause, the treatment is targeted. Homeopathy offers effective and safe treatment for Cheilitis during acute as well as chronic states. In case of vitamins deficiency, the supplements are obviously required.

The homeopathic approach is to enhance body’s own healing capacity so that the all deviations of immune system are brought back to normal.

Self help:

  • Avoidance of the offending drug is recommended.
  • Local Application of petroleum jelly may help ease lip pain and irritation.
  • Avoidance of the licking behavior is advised if lip-licking is the cause.

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