HELP: cracks/blisters @ corners of mouth
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free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:44 am

Does anyone else get these? I’ve had one of these blister-things at each corner of my mouth since the middle of last week, but I don’t think they are cold sores or fever blisters because I tried treating them with “Abreva” (OTC cold sore/fever blister medication) and they worse instead of better. I also tried using an antibiotic ointment (i.e.: “Neosporin”), a hydrocortisone cream, and “Zim’s Crack Creme” and “Zim’s Crack Creme Lip/Body Balm,” but nothing has helped. I even cracked open one of those little Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Concentrate capsule-thingys and rubbing that on them, but that didn’t help either. They aren’t really painful or anything but if I open my mouth too widely, it stings a bit as it seems that the blisters are being stretched or something....

On Monday, I got on Google to see what I could find out about what else these things might be, and it said that a B2 vitamin (aka “Riboflavin”) deficiency could cause those kind of sores. The thing is, that I don’t have any of the other symptoms of a riboflavin-deficiency, so I’m not sure if that’s what the problem is or not. Just to be safe, I stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought a bottle of Vit-B Complex (contains all of the different Vit-Bs) and I’ve been popping 2-3 per day since then, but I’m only noticing a very slight improvement/healing of these mouth corner-cracks.

Does anyone else ever have this problem? If yes, how did you treat it and how long did it take for them to heal? If you fixed the problem by taking extra amounts of Vit-B, how long was it before the blister/cracks starting going away?

As you might imagine, since you know how vain I am about my kisser and how much time/money/effort I put in to keeping it in perfect-pout shape, I am *seriously* upset about this turn of events so if anyone can shed some light on these nasty little mouth-cracks, I would be eternally grateful!! I wonder if Dr. Farouk can give me a little free medical advice...? Razz

TIA,
Carrie

P.S. Just for reference, I *do* take a multi-vitamin daily, but I’m starting to think it might not be enough because some of the prescription meds I’m on for my migraines prevention/maintenance can seriously deplete my body’s store of certain vitamins or minerals, or – in some cases – prevent my body from absorbing those vits/minerals in the first place.

P.P.S. Try to resist the temptation the make some off-color joke about the use of “mouth” and “crack” and in the same sentence or paragraph, you naughty little pervs!! Wink

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:57 am

I've heard potassium deficiency,too. Orange juice or tomato juice may help.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:41 am

I sometimes get these. I don't get blisters exactly, just cracked sores in the corners. Sometimes just the one corner, sometimes both. I never really stopped to analyse why I was getting them as I have only had it happen a few times and then it wasn't regularly. It maybe happens twice a year. I did think at one stage that it was my cleanser. I had started using a foaming cleanser and that's when the sores appeared around my mouth. I haven't used the cleanser since and no sores have appeared recently. May just be a coincidence though. I know what you mean though about stretching your mouth too wide and it stinging. Ouch!
I tend to make mine worse by picking at them. Embarassed

Can't help it. If there is something on my skin to pick I just can't resist it.
I wouldn't be surprised if it is down to a deficiency of some sort. I'm vegetarian and so I'm lacking in all sorts of vitamins (esp. the B vitamins). About a month ago I started taking vitamin B6 (supposed to be good for hormonal stuff) but I really should take a general B complex supplement.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:00 am

Carrie,

I feel your pain! That happens to me frequently...my friends refer to my variety of lip balms, pots, sticks and creams as my "lip crack!" Confused

I've found that anything with lanolin and salicylic acid irritates my lips. I stay away from salty foods, and from lip products that contain glitter. My cure for cracked corners? Time and frequent applications of ingredients that soothe my lips....Garden Botanika vitimin E stick, aquaphor, which I mix with a bit of almond or emu oil, ChapStick Medicated lip balm and Prescriptives Lip Specialist are products that help my lips stay soft and help prevent my lips from cracking. I also remind my dental hygenist and dentist to put tons of vaseline on the corners of my mouth during cleanings twice a year!

I just received my very first order from EDS, including Dr. H's lip balm, which appears to be extremely soothing!!!

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:29 am

Found this on a website:

Cracks or sores in the corner of the mouth can be rather annoying, like a paper cut — small, and irritating. Fancy medical terms for this condition include "angular stomatitis," "angular cheilitis," or "perleche."

A number of different things can be behind the development of such cracks:

yeast infections
vitamin deficiencies (vitamin B2 or riboflavin)
iron-deficiency anemia (low red blood cells due to too little iron)
allergic reaction to some substance (particularly products used on the lips, such as lip gloss/stick/balm, and even dental care/oral hygiene products, such as toothpaste)
poorly fitting dentures (or no teeth or no dentures at all)

Sometimes applying an anti-yeast cream [such as ketoconazole (brand name is Nizoral) that can be found over-the-counter (OTC) at your local drugstore] to the area will work. You can also mix it with a little dab of 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, also available OTC. Rub this mixture over the area 2 - 3 times each day. If you don't see improvement in under a week, or if the area becomes redder, more swollen, or terribly uncomfortable, you'll need to make an appointment with your health care provider or dermatologist. If you continue to have problems with cracking at the corners of your mouth, check with your health care provider to see if there are other measures you need to be taking, such as using vitamin or iron supplements, applying only petroleum jelly on the lips, switching to a milder baking soda based toothpaste, or being properly fitted with dentures.

Have you tried out any new lip products recently?
I also read on another site that some anti-acne products can cause it. Which makes me think that perhaps my problem was linked to my blemish fighting cleanser as it contained salicylic acid. hmm

Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:59 am

This is usually caused by a deficiency in b vitamins, ill-fitting dentures, or a fungal infection and the usual prescription would be an anti-fungal cream, possibly with hydrocortisone. An alternative is a dab of tea tree oil x3 per day which is highly effective, tho some people do not like the smell [not offensive, but somewhat antiseptic smelling].

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:49 pm

I got them from eating an entire pineapple in one day Shock

Here's what helped me:
Pure vitamin E oil & tea tree oil

just keep on applying both throughout the day Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:59 pm

Thanks, Toe!!!!! I’m going to buy a tube of anti-yeast cream on the way home and try that. I’m pretty sure it isn’t caused by my lip balms and that type of stuff or my toothpaste, because I’m using the same ole stuff that I’ve been using for the past few months – I haven’t bought or tried anything new recently, which is actually quite shocking and restrained for me! Wink

I forgot to mention that I briefly tried TTO on the cracks, but it stung like a mother-lover and I gave up. I guess if the yeast stuff doesn’t do the trick I’ll go back and try the TTO again. Also, I know it’s not lack of moisture or simple chapped/cracked lips because I apply lip balm religiously all day long and at night use my trusty Gatineau Lipcare cream as my heavy-duty overnight lip treatment.

BTW, in America, I think the only way you can buy an anti-yeast cream OTC is in a “vaginal yeast infection” kit so I’m sure I’d get some funny looks if I told the pharmacist what I intended to do with it! Razz

I’ll make sure I keep the receipt so if it doesn’t help, I can get my money back because – knock on wood – I don’t suffer from the infliction for which the primary purpose of anti-yeast cream is for....

Anyway, thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will try each of them and hope one of them grants me some relief. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:36 pm

heyhey,

this has happened to me too and it was pretty bad!!! my mum has got some magical stuff for it but over here I used ZINC OXIDE ointment and that brought immediate relief and the sores were gone the next day!

Aga

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:56 pm

hey Carrie,

I would try asking the pharacists, just to make sure. A friend of mine got a yeast infection in her mouth once (YUK!!!) and they had anti-yeast drops at the pharmacy that she could take! They are probably really the same thing, but at least the oral ones should be cheaper! Smile

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:16 pm

If it is a yeast infection [apparently common also in mouth] there is a new tablet here that you can take for that i think. you guys should already have it as Australia is several months behind [at least] with products.
However, lips also get sunburnt very easily [although i bet you put a lip balm on with SPF, just trying to think what it would be] and best thing is sorbolene cream and vitamin e. hope something works for you.

take care
maddy

free skin care · Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:38 pm

Hi Carekate, I've had these once in a blue moon as well.

I think the prior posts were probably on the mark. Maybe you could try some shea butter to soothe the irritation.

Also, maybe you could try a different kind of toothpaste? I find that certain toothpastes are very irritating to my mouth.

free skin care · Thu Jun 23, 2005 3:49 am

I just wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for everyone who took the time to read my post and proffer advice. On the way home from work, I stopped at the store and bought a bottle of potassium supplements and another one of iron supplements and immediately popped one of each, along with another B2/riboflavin tablet.

When I got to the hotel, I promptly made up a tiny little vial of Vit-E oil and Tea Tree oil and have been applying and reapplying everytime I think about it, which is almost constantly because these damn sores have really gotten me upset!!

Anyway, I don’t know if it was any one thing, or if it has been a combination of everything, but the blisters/cracks finally seem to be healing. They’ve faded in color from an ugly, weepy-looking red to an almost-healed pale pink. If I had to guess which has helped the most, I think it would have to be the Vit-E/Tea Tree oil. I’m going to keep applying that throughout the day and keep on eye on the sores to see if they clear up even more, otherwise I reckon I’ll be stopping at Walgreens and buying some kind of zinc-oxide ointment!

Thanks again for everyone’s help and suggestions.

Carrie

free skin care · Thu Jun 23, 2005 2:16 pm

carekate wrote:
[/quote]Anyway, I don’t know if it was any one thing, or if it has been a combination of everything, but the blisters/cracks finally seem to be healing. They’ve faded in color from an ugly, weepy-looking red to an almost-healed pale pink.

Quote:

That's great! When this happens to me, it seems like it takes weeks for them to heal. If you do come to a conclusion that one or two of the products appear to help the most, please share. I know how it is, though, when we're using everything but the kitchen sink to get those darn sores healed! I'm printing this information to keep, if/when those nasty sores haunt me again.

Also, you appear to be the supplement expert around here, but please make sure to drink lots of H2O and eat lots of fruits and veggies while taking that iron. It can be tough on your "digestive system."

Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:01 pm

Carrie, glad to hear they are healing. I get them all the time because of medications I'm on. I can alway tell when I haven't taken the right combinations of Vitamins with my meds. And sometimes, since the meds cause a compromised immune system, I can also contribute them to early yeast or fungal opportunistic infections. As for the vitamins, since I already take a B-complex, I knew it wasn't that. So, I increased my Vitamin C to 1000 Mg in a very good soluble form and started taking Folic Acid with it, 200-400Mg daily. Both are inexpensive and really help prevent the spliting to begin with. See this web page and check out the sections on
VIT C and Folic Acid:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/complementary_medicine/remedies_vitamins.shtml

Folic Acid:
Signs of deficiency: lethargy, anaemia, shortness of breath, cracking of the corners of the mouth and sore tongue (although these two symptoms can also be due to iron or B vitamin deficiency).

And, of course, I always use good, all natural lip balms with tiny amounts of lavender and tea tree oil when I do get them. Good Luck
with getting back your perfectly Silenced

kissable lips.

free skin care · Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:12 am

They’re almost completely healed! It was definitely the Vit-E oil/Tea Tree oil mixture that helped heal these sores the most, so while I would definitely say that one should monitor his/her B2/riboflavin, potassium and iron intake to try and prevent these little suckers from forming in the first place, if you *do* begin to feel these sores coming on, I highly suggest you reach for the Vit-E/TTO immediately to nip it in the bud!

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:05 am

Alright, I’m in need of some fresh ideas and input here....

I’ve had one of these blister/crack thingys on the right-hand corner of my mouth for nearly two weeks now and it’s not getting any better. I’ve been taking my vitamins regularly so I shouldn’t have any deficiencies there. I’ve been religiously applying my Tea Tree Oil+Vit-E oil every 30-60 minutes, which was the only thing that worked for me when I was plagued by one of these blister/cracks last summer. I’ve tried a cold sore topical ointment (“Abreva”) and another one that contained “lysine” or something (one of the ointments that was previously recommended in this thread). I’ve tried a hydrocortisone cream, I even tried a product containing a coal-tar extract, something for athlete’s foot (in case it was fungus-based) and something for yeast infections and I’m running out of ideas! Not only does it look hideous, but it actually hurts a bit if I open my mouth wide, like the blister is being torn open by the stretching motion.

I *think* this blister-thing might have been caused by using a new product (new Sally Hansen plumping lip gloss that contains peppermint essential oil) because I remember that the last time I got one, it was right around the time when I was using the Smashbox Emulsion Lip Scrub. I compared the ingredients to the SH lip gloss and the Smashbox lip scrub and the only thing they have in common is peppermint EO. I hope this isn’t the case, because I adore that SH plumping gloss but I’ve been afraid to use it for the past few days for fear that it was making the problem worse. While the blister-crack hasn’t gotten worse, it hasn’t really improved at all, either.

I’m almost at my wit’s end so any new suggestions will be gratefully appreciated. It this point I’m willing to try anything if it will make it heal, even if it means rubbing donkey dung on it or coating the blister in the blood of a red-headed, cross-eyed, color-blind, hemophiliac albino dragon from the Misty Mountains under the light of a full, blue moon in a Leap Year while straddling the International Dateline and sacrificing my lip balm collection to Medusa....

Please help!!

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:33 am

carekate wrote:

“Zim’s Crack Creme”

P.P.S. Try to resist the temptation the make some off-color joke about the use of “mouth” and “crack” and in the same sentence or paragraph, you naughty little pervs!! Wink

sorry couldn't resist!

I find carmex in the tub the bees knees, but I seem to remember that you don't like it Confused

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:15 pm

Carrie, do you eat lots of oranges or citrus fruit drinks?

I get the same thing if I eat oranges or drink orange juice..it's really weird!

The other thing I can think of is have you changed toothpaste lately? Might be a reaction to an ingredient..

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:55 pm

lianne wrote:

The other thing I can think of is have you changed toothpaste lately? Might be a reaction to an ingredient..

You know, it might *be* the toothpaste! I haven’t switched brands or anything because if I use anything other than Mentadent (baking soda and peroxide-based) I get these horrible little ‘scummy strings’ on the sides of my mouth that makes it feel like you could lick actually layers off the inside of your cheeks – yes, it’s as disgusting as it sounds!

Anyway, I’m still using the Mentadent brand, but a couple weeks ago I bought a new version called “Advanced Whitening/Liquid Enamel” formula or something like that and – now that I think about it – it has a peppermint flavor so that might be why I can’t get these blister/cracks to heal if I’m correct about having an allergy to products containing peppermint around my mouth. I cut out that plumping lip gloss because it had peppermint, but I didn’t even think about my toothpaste. Duh!! *slaps forehead in frustration* It seems that these blisters appeared around the same time as I got that toothpaste.

Thanks Lianne – I might have had to endure these blisters forever if you hadn’t mentioned toothpaste because I don’t know if the light bulb would have gone off in my head on its own!

Also, I think I can safely rule out orange juice or other citrus juices because the only liquid I consume with obsessive regularity (excluding water, which I don’t drink nearly enough of!) is Dr. Pepper. If they had a twelve-step program to break the dependency on a sugary, caffeinated beverage, I would be attending the meetings every week, so bad is my * spam alert *! Embarassed

Oh, and before anyone chides me about my * spam alert * because it might be related to my frequent, severe migraines, I can assure you that my doctor/s already thought of that one and forced me to kick the habit for a couple months to see if it resulted in a lessening of episodes and there was no improvement so I resumed my guzzling with the neurologist’s blessing! Very Happy

BTW, another fruit that does I number on my mouth is fresh pineapple. I love it dearly, but if I eat too much of it at one time, at almost feels like the inside of my mouth has been flash-burned or suffered some type of chemical burn! Sad

Anyway, I’ll be stopping at the store to pick up my former version of Mentadent and see if I don’t start getting some relief.

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:31 pm

Carekate-
When all else fails, if you decide you want that donkey dung, let me know. I've got two mini-s and there is always plenty! Laughing

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:51 pm

Carrie,

I've got the same * spam alert * to Diet Pepsi. It used to be regular and then switched to diet. Can't go a day without or I get migraines *LOL*

I hope it's just the toothpaste and they go away quickly!

free skin care · Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:13 am

“Rhus Toxicodendron (Poison Ivy) - for red, swollen skin; relieves ulcerated corners of mouth; treats fever blisters around the mouth and chin.”

Are they serious?? Wouldn’t the cure be worse than the illness?! We got poison ivy growing all over the place out where I live, but I don’t think I’m quite willing to harvest a couple of leaves and rub them all over my blister/cracks!!

On the other hand, of found some promising info regarding taking “Echinacea Angustifolia” (aka: Purple Coneflower) to help reduce these ‘ulcerations at the corner of the mouth,’ and it just so happens that I have some at home that I take when I feel a cold coming on. Who knew it would also work on mouth blisters?!

free skin care · Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:11 am

Finally found out what the hell those blister/cracks at the corner of your mouth are called: angular cheilitis and it is caused by severe dryness/chapped lips! These painful cracks at the corner of the mouth form and can then harbor fungus which makes them so hard to get rid of. They suggest using a OTC anti-fungal cream such as clotrimazole twice per day to heal them.

*CareKate trots off to pharmacy to buy anti-fungal cream so she can be forearmed the next time the dreaded mouth cracks strike*

free skin care · Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:18 am

My best friend had this off and on for a long time. It would come and go. He was dealing with it recently. He got really sick with bronchitis and had to take a round of antibiotics and the cracks cleared right up.

It hasn't come back and he uses Aquaphor healing ointment for dry, cracked or irritated skin to keep it super moisturized. He says that stuff works great.

You might want to check out extra virgin coconut oil also. If you do a search on the web, you'll be amazed at how good this stuff is for everything. It would be a great ingredient for many of your wonderful concoctions as well, especially your eyelash serum, since one of the things it does is encourage hair growth. Very Happy

Cloe

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