Ouchhh, mouth cracked at corners, can you help please???

Organic12

My lips/mouth are cracked at the corners and it really, really hurts. Speaking and eating are uncomfortable. (Suppose I could stop those activities.)

I’ve tried oils (olive, coconut, almond) and moisturisers that form my eczema crisis kit (Vaseline with Aloe Vera lip care stuff, aqueous cream, eumobase, Tacrolimus and a weak hydrocortisone). The latter two I’ve applied before bed and over a couple of nights each to give them a chance.

I do get flare ups of eczema on my lips, that’s why I tried my usual stuff but no joy . My usual eczema patches are pretty much behaving. I have been like this since around the second week of December and I think it got worse after I ate a meal in a restaurant (it was a veggie option by the way, so as to avoid foods I should stay away from such as shellfish). The dry cold weather is really not helping either.

Any ideas please on how I can deal with this? My thanks in advance for any advice.

suki1964

Last year I suffered with cracks at the sides of my mouth for about two months - tried everything I could think of - turned out I had oral thrush. Gel from the chemist sorted it in a few days

mirrorimage0

apply vaseline to stop it getting wet and cracking more

McKneff

i seem to remember someone telling me a long time ago it was the lack of a certain vitamin that caused it but for the life of me i cant remember which one. The only thing i can recommend is good old fashioned Vaseline the old style one with noting added last thing at night.

shaven-monkey

more vitamin c. don't eat rivitta

Soot2006

Vitamin B!

I highly recommend the sublingual B complex from Holland & Barrat

Teerah

It does sound like a fungal infection, pop along to your dentist and ask them to have a look at it. Do you wear dentures by any chance?

3plus1

No magic solution, but lots of sympathy, because my skin has been just like yours all throughout December. I've been applying vaseline and epaderm religiously and I've seen a small improvement, but I think this is due to the change in weather, more than anything. The weather has started to get slightly more mild lately and the skin at the corner of my lips is starting to heal a little.

Have you been to see a doctor? I'm a little bit concerned about you using Tacrolimus so close to your mouth!

All I can suggest is continuing to moisturise and praying like mad that the weather will turn. Also, avoid things like tomatoes that will irritate your poor cracked skin as it tries to heal up.

Organic12

Happy New Year everyone, may 2009 be a good money saving one for you all!! Of course, a huge big thank you for being so generous in posting your thoughts which I can now follow up.:beer:

A number of ideas there; carrying on with the moisturising especially with the cold dry weather, pure Vaseline, Vit C, Vit B, oral thrush, popping over to my dentist/doctor. I'm fortunate not to need dentures.

I have done a bit of a look on netdoctor at oral thrush and looks like a possibility as people with metabolic imbalances are susceptable. The vit B thing does ring a bell also, I'll look into that more too. I noticed this morning that my tongue is crimped around the edges which I think might be another symptom. What I think is a mouth ulcer has also spread so just as well I've stopped tomatoes too as suggested.

Regardless, looks like I'll have to see my Doc/Dentist to determine which of the above I'm dealing with.

3plus1, I know what you mean about Tacrolimus but I had to check it wasn't the ol' eczema playing up.

Thanks so much everyone,
O

coldstreamalways

It's vit B. When I get them I have a spoonful of marmite which fixes it for me, careful though it can sting like mad if you get it on the cracks!!

Best get it checked out though, it can be something called angular chelitis which needs some cream on prescription.

HNY!!

Alikay

I often get this problem in winter, or if I've had a cold. As a few of the others have suggested, it could be a thrush-type infection so best check that out first. With me, it's just where my lips get badly chapped and over the years I've found Germolene to be the most effective: the regular dark pink ointment rather than the cream variety. It does sting a bit but clears my crusty sore lips up in 2 or 3 days if I put it on frequently.