Lip Sores, Lip Inflammation, and Other Changes – Mouth and Dental Disorders

By

Bernard J. Hennessy

, DDS, Texas A&M University, College of Dentistry

Reviewed/Revised May 2022 | Modified Sep 2022

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Topic Resources

The lips may undergo changes in size, color, and surface. Some of these changes may indicate a medical problem. Other changes are harmless. With aging, the lips may grow thinner.

Lip sores (ulcers) have various causes. A lip sore with hard edges may be a form of skin cancer (see Types of Oral Cancer Mouth and Throat Cancer Mouth and throat cancers are cancers that originate on the lips, the roof, sides, or floor of the mouth, tongue, tonsils, or back of the throat. Mouth and throat cancers may look like open sores. .. read more ; see also Lips and Sun Damage Lips and Sun Damage Sun damage (see also Overview of Sunlight and Skin Damage) may make the lips, especially the lower lip, hard and dry. People over age 45 and people with light skin who have had extensive exposure… read more ). Sores may also develop as a symptom of other medical conditions, such as erythema multiforme Erythema Multiforme Erythema multiforme is an inflammatory skin disorder characterized by patches of red, raised skin that often look like targets and usually are distributed symmetrically over the body. (See also… read more , recurrent oral herpes simplex virus infection Oral infection Herpes simplex virus infection causes recurring episodes of small, painful, fluid-filled blisters on the skin, mouth, lips (cold sores), eyes, or genitals. This very contagious viral infection… read more (cold sores), or syphilis Syphilis Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It can occur in three stages of symptoms, separated by periods of apparent good health. Syphilis… read more .

Spots on the lips may occur. Multiple, small, scattered brownish-black spots may be a sign of a hereditary disease called Peutz-Jeghers syndrome Hereditary conditions that cause intestinal polyps , in which polyps form in the stomach and intestines. Rarely, smokers develop noncancerous brown spots on the lips near where the cigarette is held. Freckles and irregularly shaped brownish areas (melanotic macules) are common around the lips and may last for many years. These marks are not cause for concern.

Kawasaki disease Kawasaki Disease Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. The cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown but may be associated with an infection. Children typically have fever, rash… read more , a disease of unknown cause that usually occurs in infants and children 8 years old or younger, can cause dryness and cracking of the lips and reddening of the lining of the mouth.

Other common lip changes include

• Sun damage Lips and Sun Damage Sun damage (see also Overview of Sunlight and Skin Damage) may make the lips, especially the lower lip, hard and dry. People over age 45 and people with light skin who have had extensive exposure… read more

• Lip swelling Lip and Tongue Swelling An allergic reaction can make the lips swell. The reaction may be caused by sensitivity to certain foods or beverages, drugs, lipstick, or airborne irritants. But frequently, the cause of the… read more

With inflammation of the lips (called cheilitis), the lips may become painful, irritated, red, cracked, and scaly.

Most commonly, irritation and inflammation involve the lips and skinfolds at the corners of the mouth (called angular cheilitis), typically if the person

• Has dentures that do not separate the jaws adequately

• Has worn down the teeth excessively, resulting in less space between the upper and lower teeth

• Has a Candida or a Staphylococcus aureus infection

• Has a deficiency of vitamin B2 or iron in the diet

Treatment consists of replacing the dentures, which helps reduce the folds at the corners of the mouth, or restoring proper tooth size with partial dentures, crowns, or implants. Infections are treated with drugs applied to the corners of the mouth. Vitamin B2 deficiency Riboflavin Deficiency Riboflavin deficiency usually occurs with deficiencies of other B vitamins due to a diet low in vitamins or an absorption disorder. People have painful cracks in the corners of the mouth and… read more and iron deficiency Iron Deficiency Iron deficiency is a common cause of anemia, a condition in which the number of red blood cells is low. Iron deficiency usually results from loss of blood in adults (including bleeding from… read more can be treated by taking dietary supplements.

Other forms of cheilitis usually affect the outside surface of the lips and the lips’ border with the skin. Causes include infection, sun damage Lips and Sun Damage Sun damage (see also Overview of Sunlight and Skin Damage) may make the lips, especially the lower lip, hard and dry. People over age 45 and people with light skin who have had extensive exposure… read more , drugs or irritants, allergy, or an underlying condition. Treatment includes petroleum jelly applied to the lips and elimination or treatment of underlying conditions.

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Dermatologist Advice To Stop Chapped Lips From Peeling

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By Jessica estrada

 March 10, 2022

Dry skin and winter go hand in hand — and the same goes for our lips. The skin on our lips is thin and lacks oil glands, according to board-certified dermatologist Jessie Cheung, MD, making it more prone to getting dry and chapped. When the weather is colder in the wintertime, the issue can worsen. “Chapped lips are often seasonal because cold air, brisk winds, and low humidity will cause the skin to lose more moisture,” adds NYC-based Hadley King, MD, FAAD. “This can also contribute to seasonal flares of eczema.” Furthermore, if left untreated, Dr. Cheung says dry, chapped lips can start to peel. Thankfully, there are things we can do to keep our lips moisturized during the colder months.

Below, Dr. Cheung and Dr. King spill their top tips on how to stop lips from peeling.

How to stop lips from peeling

1. Don’t pick at your lips

While it may be tempting to peel the flakes and dead skin off your lips using your fingers for some quick relief, this practice actually perpetuates the lip-peeling problem. “Inevitably, you will tear into your healthy skin and make matters worse,” Dr. Cheung says. King echoes this advice adding that the dead skin actually protects the delicate, new skin underneath while it heals properly.

2. Do some gentle exfoliation

That said, gently exfoliating the lips is advised. “Gentle exfoliation can be helpful for the lips to remove dull, dry skin and allow for better penetration of moisturizing ingredients, but the skin of the lips is very delicate and thin, so it’s important that this is done very, very gently,” Dr. King says. “I recommend extremely light pressure with a gentle product that has a moisturizing base to protect the skin barrier, and delicate exfoliators — no coarse granules with sharp edges.” 

King recommends products with a mix of hydrating ingredients, like squalane, glycerin, or seed oil, which support and nourish the skin barrier while sugar crystals gently exfoliate. Cheung adds that you can also keep it really simple and use a damp washcloth to gently exfoliate the lips. 

“…the skin of the lips is very delicate and thin, so it’s important that this is done very, very gently.”

3. Avoid triggers

Dr. King points to allergens and irritants in foods, as well as topical products, as other causes. For this reason, she recommends taking note of foods you ate or products you used before the lip peeling started to help identify any triggers. If an allergy is suspected, an allergist can also perform a patch test to confirm. The cold weather and wind can also trigger peeling lips, so Dr. King recommends protecting your lips by covering them with a mask or scarf when you’re outside.

4. Slather on lip moisturizers 

The secret for how to stop peeling lips comes down to nourishing them with moisturizing lip products like Rose Inc’s new Lip Treatment Hydrating Lip Balm. Dr. King recommends using lip balms that contain humectants such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin to hydrate the lips, emollients like ceramides to support the skin barrier, and occlusives to help lock in the moisturize. Apply the lip balm after you exfoliate and anytime your lips feel dry, likely at least four times per day, she instructs.

5. Avoid drying ingredients

When it comes to lip peeling, the products and ingredients you don’t put on your lips are equally as important as what you do apply. In particular, Dr. Cheung and Dr. King agree that avoiding balms with menthol, camphor, phenol, and alcohol, which may feel cooling when you first apply them but they evaporate quickly leaving your lips feeling drier.

Also, salicylic acid, a powerhouse skincare ingredient, is sometimes added to lip products as an exfoliant to help remove dry, flaky skin. However, Dr. King says when lips are already sensitive, salicylic acid can lead to further irritation.

And it’s not just lip balms and other lip moisturizers. Be sure to check the ingredient list of other lip products you’re using, such as liner, gloss and lipstick in case they contain potentially drying or irritating ingredients. Dr. King notes that lip plumping products often contain cinnamon oil or peppermint oil, which can cause irritation as well.

6. Apply topical corticosteroids

If you’ve tried all the above lip-peeling tips and tricks and your lips don’t seem to improve, Dr. King proposes you pick up an over-the-counter hydrocortisone 1% cream to help reduce inflammation. Use the cream twice daily for a week in conjunction with moisturizing ointments. If there is still no improvement, then it may be time to visit a board-certified dermatologist for personalized treatment.

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What to do if your lips are dry: 5 useful tips

A few simple beauty hacks will help minimize the risk of chapping and peeling of the lips. We tell you what you can do and what you can’t, and choose the best means to eliminate the consequences and prevent these troubles.

1. Drink right (and eat)

The most useless rule at first glance is the basis for subsequent actions. See for yourself: we all know that drinking water has a ton of benefits. Scientists can argue for an arbitrarily long time about the amount of really necessary two or three liters of water per day, but we have no doubt that a saving sip of water can instantly improve overall well-being. Regarding food: we are not engaged in moralizing here, because we live once, but if your lips are already chapped, refrain from spicy grilled wings and fragrant grapefruit until the situation returns to normal ─ lips do not need an extra irritating factor.

2. Do not lick your lips (never)

Even if this is the last chance for a languid evening in pleasant company, it is better not to do this. Saliva contains the enzyme amylase, which already in the mouth starts the first stage of the long-term process of digesting food. An enzyme that is able to effortlessly deal with starch in the oral cavity and crush it into its component parts will not stand on ceremony with the delicate skin of the lips either. Another taboo is biting. When the lips peel off, there is an irresistible desire to slowly and carefully remove a piece of desquamated epithelium. Do not do this, ever, under any circumstances. Firstly, regeneration in the lip area is extremely slow and painful, and secondly, an infection can be introduced.

3. Protect them

When you’re on the beach, you diligently cover your body with sun lotion, and in the winter, before you go outside, check that you have warm gloves in your pocket. Lips do not deserve less attention: it is recommended to apply a balm with an SPF factor throughout the year, and on days of especially severe frosts ─ hide the half face in a fluffy scarf. We ourselves conducted a short experiment last year in winter, covering the same distance on the street with and without a scarf – the difference in sensations for the lips was the size of an abyss.

4. Look for the perfect balm

A sign that it is the right one is the presence of vaseline, dimethicone, shea butter or hyaluronic acid. All of them are capable of heroically retaining moisture and patching microscopic damage. It is believed that the texture of the balm should be viscous and plastic, but not waxy. And if the peeling becomes chronic, try “seriously tuned” balms with ceramides – these substances restore the skin barrier at the cellular level. If you suffer from eczema, then the balm should not contain lanolin (it worsens the course of the disease). Pay attention to the “taste and aroma” (especially mint or cinnamon), often it is they (though not always) that turn out to be a brake on the process of “healing” dry skin of the lips.

5. Use it from morning to evening

At night, immediately after cleansing and oral care (components of make-up remover, toothpaste, homemade teeth whitener and rinse can aggravate dry lips), before lipstick or gloss and after each e-mail sent ─ in total, the balm should come across your eyes (and lips) 6-8 times a day. To do this, your tube should be at the bottom of each of the bags, on the desktop and in the car.

Photo: Getty Images

Ivan Bezugly, Evgenia Karpovskaya

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GOOD SKIN

18. 01.2022

Many girls and guys also often have dry and cracked lips, and for some this happens only in the cold season. For many, this situation is a constant problem. Its main reason is the presence of many blood vessels and nerve endings in the area of ​​the lips in the complete absence of fat and sebaceous glands. That is why the skin in this area is very thin and sensitive, with any external influence it reacts with strong irritation. We will consider this problem in more detail below.

Contents

1. Chapped lips – what is the reason?
2. What are chapped lips and what causes them
3. How to remove chapped lips
4. Choosing the right cosmetics for lips
5. Cosmetologists’ advice on how to prevent chapped lips

Chapped lips – what’s the reason?

Lips peel and crack for a variety of reasons, including both external factors and internal problems of the body, including:

• Seasonal effects. In winter, delicate skin is constantly irritated by temperature changes in the street and indoors, as well as dry air in heated rooms, cold and wind. In the spring, a lack of vitamins (avitaminosis) can become a source of dryness, in the summer – heat and aggressive exposure to sunlight, and in the fall – seasonal colds and a runny nose.
• Licking lips. The habit of licking your lips causes dry lips due to the fact that the impact of external factors on wet skin is greatly aggravated.
• Biting. In this case, the thin epidermis is injured and, as a result, the lower lip often cracks.
• Smoking. Constant contact with a hot cigarette filter and inhalation of smoke leads to dehydration of the skin and, as a result, to its peeling.
• Contaminants. Frequent touching of the mouth with hands is fraught with the spread of infections and disruption of the natural balance of microflora, which leads to cracks and inflammation.
• Habit of chewing on various objects. Biting pen caps, cocktail tubes and other household items can result in infection and all the consequences that accompany it.

• Food. Too spicy, salty and acidic foods lead to dehydration and increase the sensitivity of the epidermis, and it can even be useful at first glance berries and fruits – citrus, pineapple, strawberries, eaten in large quantities. A high concentration of fruit acids can even cause a serious disease of the mouth – cheilitis.
• Runny nose. Constant breathing through the mouth with nasal congestion leads to cracks and excessive dryness.
• Increased body temperature. Intense heat leads to dehydration, which first appears on the skin of the mouth.
• Viruses. The most dangerous for the lips is the herpes virus, which leads to inflammation on the lips, and the drugs used to treat it cause dryness and require a long recovery.
• Taking medications. Medicines, in particular antibiotics, disrupt the microflora of the whole body, including the oral cavity, which can also lead to a feeling of tightness and peeling.
• Atopic dermatitis. A skin disease affecting the entire body, including the mouth, where it causes deep fissures.
• General dehydration. Lack of water in the body leads to drying of the skin.
• Deficiency of essential substances. A lack of B vitamins, healthy fats and amino acids in the body can cause local peeling on the face and lips.

“If your lips often crack, this is a serious reason to visit a dermatologist in order to find out exactly the causes of an unpleasant condition.”

What are seizures on the lips and what causes them

The condition when the corners of the mouth crack is popularly called seizures. Jamming is an unpleasant phenomenon, as it causes severe pain and discomfort with any opening of the mouth, it interferes with normal speaking and eating. They can provoke:

• Health problems – diabetes mellitus, dermatitis of various etiologies and neurodermatitis.
• Nutrient deficiencies – reduced levels of vitamins A, B and iron, resulting from an unbalanced diet. A blood test will help identify the lack of such substances.
• Overmoistening – malocclusion, licking and other factors that cause constant moisture in the corners of the mouth.

How to remove cracked lips

Dry lips can be eliminated with the help of folk and special cosmetics. For this you need:

• Give up the constant habit of licking lips and picking off dried crusts so as not to injure the epidermis and speed up healing.
• Constantly moisturize the skin with a special balm or hygienic lipstick, it is advisable to choose products in a tube or twist-off options so as not to introduce microbes into the product.
• Use simple, uncontaminated home remedies based on wax or petroleum jelly to moisturize and nourish the skin if you are allergic to store-bought cosmetics.
• Nourish the skin with natural honey, applying it to the mouth before going to bed. In case of allergies to bee products, honey can be replaced with natural oils, such as sea buckthorn, almond or calendula oil. These products have a healing effect and will help heal chapped lips quickly.

Choosing the right cosmetics for lips

Special cosmetics, the range of which is quite large, will also help restore dry lips. Among the most popular means:

• Moisturizing and hygienic lipsticks . Trusted manufacturers include useful natural ingredients in such products, such as aloe extract, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, which help moisturize and heal injuries.
• Primers . It should be applied under lipstick, especially under matte. Containing natural ingredients such as waxes and oils, they help smooth the epidermis and prevent the loss of moisture that makeup inevitably causes.
• Balms . Medicinal products rich in active ingredients help fight dryness and flaking.
• Scrubs and peels . Eliminate dead cells from the surface of the epidermis.
• Masks and oils . Care products, the use of which helps to maintain delicate skin in a normal healthy state and is an excellent prevention of peeling and irritation.

Cosmetologists advice on how to prevent chapped lips

If your lip is constantly cracking in the middle or in any other area, you should listen to the advice of cosmetologists and dermatologists:

• Review your diet and include in it natural foods rich in vitamins and microelements – fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and seafood, vegetable oils.
• Observe the drinking regime – an adult needs from 1.5 liters of pure water daily, lack of fluid in the body leads to dry skin.
• Taking vitamins – with a lack of B vitamins in the body, dryness is inevitable, which means that it is necessary to fill the deficiency with special preparations containing the missing substances.
• Regular care – even decorative products can contain caring components, but you still should not neglect hygienic lipstick, balm and primer, and it is important to choose high-quality products.
• Get rid of bad habits – Smoking, the habit of biting lips or chewing foreign objects is fraught not only with cracked and dry lips, but also with a high probability of catching an infection, so every effort should be made to get rid of them.

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