Angular cheilitis: dryness, cracking, redness, roughness, swelling, blistering, and sometimes bleeding on the corners of the mouth.
Actinic cheilitis: dry, scaly, or thickened lips with uneven color. Lips may also appear chapped with prominent folds and lip lines. The affected lip can sometimes feel like sandpaper.
Contact cheilitis: eczema-like rash on the lips that may appear dry, scaly, or crusty. The lips may feel like they are burning or itchy after contact with an allergen.
Infective cheilitis: sores on the lips, lip pain, redness, itching, or burning sensation of the lips.
Cheilitis can affect anyone, but patients with cancer who undergo chemotherapy or radiation are particularly vulnerable to developing this condition due to the damage that these treatments can cause to the mucosal membranes.
- Patients with preexisting dry skin conditions, sensitive skin, or those with a history of sun exposure may be more prone to developing cheilitis.
Angular cheilitis:
- The most common causes of angular cheilitis in adults are fungal and bacterial infections.
- Poor oral hygiene, ill-fitting dentures, or absence of teeth can lead to excessive moisture leading to infections.
- In rare cases, nutritional deficiencies such as protein malnutrition and low B vitamin levels including B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and B9 (folate), can also contribute to inflammation of the corners of the mouth.
- ATRA (or tretinoin) is an oral medication used to treat a specific type of leukemia, known as APL
- ATRA may cause angular cheilitis while taking it
Actinic cheilitis:
- This typically results from chronic sun exposure leading to the development of premalignant lesions, most commonly squamous cell carcinoma.
Contact cheilitis:
- This results from an allergen that comes in contact with the lips. Most common causes of contact cheilitis include lipsticks, mouthwashes, toothpastes, and even certain foods.
- Ingredients that can be sensitive to the lips may be found in lipstick.
- Patients developing contact cheilitis from foods may also develop redness and irritation of the skin around the lips and mouth.
Infective cheilitis:
- Infective cheilitis can be caused by a viral, bacterial, fungal, or less commonly a parasitic infection.
- Herpes simplex virus is the most common cause for viral cheilitis.
- Group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are the most common bacteria associated with bacterial cheilitis.