Perleche - Its Causes and Treatments
Perleche, or otherwise known as angular stomatitis, is a painful, bipolar inflammation of the mouth after a bacterial or fungal infection. The problem starts as cracks of the folds of the lips where it slowly progresses into small cuts or ulcers, which ultimately bleeds when left untreated. The condition can spread in the nearby areas of the face in the form of red rashes accompanied with some swelling. Although it is not contagious or dangerous, it is painful enough to cause discomfort in speaking, laughing, and eating, and can affect a person psychologically and socially.
In its first stages, the problem tends to be dismissed as something nothing more than a minor skin irritation. But as the days pass and it steadily becomes more and more painful to open one's mouth when simply talking or eating, and signs of redness appear as the skin finally opens up and become ulcers , then that's the time the affected person starts to feel panic and great concern.
One often overlooked cause is the use of improperly fitted dentures that make the lips to overlap when closed, and saliva begins to accumulate in the folds. When this happens, the constant friction added with the presence of saliva on the folds of the lips creates a perfect situation for bacteria or fungus to thrive on.
Other factors to consider are people's unhealthy habits of constantly licking their lips, most especially when the lips get cracked or chaffed after a long exposure to extreme weather conditions. Other bad habits are biting on one's fingernails, biting on pens and pencils, sucking on pacifiers and baby bottles, and other foreign objects not intended for the mouth which can be a source of any number of bacteria.
The overuse or misuse of certain cosmetic products that may be irritants to the users such as toothpastes, cosmetics, lipsticks can be a source of the problem. Beware of cosmetic products that are not dermatologist tested since these might give you a very bad case of perleche.
People who work in high stress jobs and places are prone to getting perleche, and so are those who follow and adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. People lacking greatly in the B vitamin department, iron, and those with a low level functioning immune system also comprise the list of those most affected.
Treating perleche effectively can be found in the form of antibacterial and antifungal creams that can be prescribed by a certified dermatologist and/or physician if the source of the infection is from bacteria or fungus. To speed up the healing process, as well as to completely eradicate the causing bacteria out of the body, a physician may prescribe antibiotics, if possible.
In its first stages, the problem tends to be dismissed as something nothing more than a minor skin irritation. But as the days pass and it steadily becomes more and more painful to open one's mouth when simply talking or eating, and signs of redness appear as the skin finally opens up and become ulcers , then that's the time the affected person starts to feel panic and great concern.
One often overlooked cause is the use of improperly fitted dentures that make the lips to overlap when closed, and saliva begins to accumulate in the folds. When this happens, the constant friction added with the presence of saliva on the folds of the lips creates a perfect situation for bacteria or fungus to thrive on.
Other factors to consider are people's unhealthy habits of constantly licking their lips, most especially when the lips get cracked or chaffed after a long exposure to extreme weather conditions. Other bad habits are biting on one's fingernails, biting on pens and pencils, sucking on pacifiers and baby bottles, and other foreign objects not intended for the mouth which can be a source of any number of bacteria.
The overuse or misuse of certain cosmetic products that may be irritants to the users such as toothpastes, cosmetics, lipsticks can be a source of the problem. Beware of cosmetic products that are not dermatologist tested since these might give you a very bad case of perleche.
People who work in high stress jobs and places are prone to getting perleche, and so are those who follow and adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. People lacking greatly in the B vitamin department, iron, and those with a low level functioning immune system also comprise the list of those most affected.
Treating perleche effectively can be found in the form of antibacterial and antifungal creams that can be prescribed by a certified dermatologist and/or physician if the source of the infection is from bacteria or fungus. To speed up the healing process, as well as to completely eradicate the causing bacteria out of the body, a physician may prescribe antibiotics, if possible.
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