Natural Remedies for Angular Cheilitis Relief

Recently my niece had angular cheilitis around her mouth which appears as a rash around the lips that causes painful cracking at the sides of the mouth that can bleed. She applied a saturated solution of borax water to the affected area 3 times per day and it was all gone in less than a week! Another win for borax!

Art

I read forums over several days when my lips became severely chapped and the corners began to split. I had used Carmex which did nothing and symptoms worsened. I tried pure coconut oil--nothing. I tried Ketoconizole--still nothing. Zero improvement and much more pain. I couldn't eat without pain or wear my favorite lipglosses and it started to look bad too. What I did after a week of these trial remedies was I kind of combined several options together. I went to the local drugstore and straight to the First Aid isle. I purchased a tube of Polysporin (which has antiseptic properties and contains zinc) and a tube of A+D ointment (which has lanolin to increase cellular production and white petroletum for creating a protective barrier to seal those medications in. And that's exactly what happened. I used the Polysporin first (very liberally with a clean Q-tip) and then sealed it with the A+D (also liberally)--careful not to mix them or smear the Polysporin away. By morning, my lips and the painful stinging cracks were 60% healed. I could open my mouth enough to eat without it hurting and the swelling/redness went away. The whole next day and night, I did the same thing. By morning of the 3rd day my lips were 99% healed. One more day and night and my lips feel conditioned and healthy, with no sign they were ever sore.

I hope this helps someone out there!!

I started to have cracks in the corner of my mouth about 3 months ago. These cracks were not only annoying and painful, but embarrassing as well. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and for no reason. I would literally begin bleeding from the corner of my mouth sometimes, and there seemed to be nothing I could do to heal it. Every time that I opened my mouth wide to eat I could feel the corner of it splitting. I was completely unsure of the cause of this issue. I thought that I may of had some strange case of a cold sore. Therefore, I began soaking these cracks with organic Apple Cider Vinegar (since it seems to be the "cure-all" for everything. ) However, the ACV did not seem to help. In fact, the cracks started looking worse and began to scab over.

At first, I thought that maybe the scabbing was a healing process and that the cracks would soon be gone. Nevertheless, even if they began to heal, inevitably they would split again.

I began researching my condition and from pictures and related articles I determined that these cracks in my mouth were not cold sores at all, but in fact Angular Chelitis. I learned that angular chelitis can be caused by a few different things, but is common to those who have a Vitamin B deficiency.

I tried many natural remedies that I found on various holistic websites, but nothing seemed to help. Finally, I bought a Vitamin B complex from a local health food store. I have been taking this vitamin for merely 2 weeks and my angular chelitis has not only healed completely, but there is also no evidence of it reappearing. In addition, this vitamin seems to give me an amazing amount of energy throughout my day, helps suppress my appetite, speed up my metabolism, and improve my overall attitude and stress management.

I normally wouldn't post on this website, but I feel that I must spread the word on this amazing natural vitamin. Hope this helps!

My 12 year old is prone to chapped lips. Over the weekend he developed a crack in the corner of his mouth. Nothing I was trying was helping. It looked awful.
I came to Earth Clinic and took notes and started him on B complex, which I had in the house.

No joke, within hours it was improving. Here 3 days later, taking 1 B Complex daily, he is almost 100 % better.

Thanks, you guys!!

Love,

~Mama to Many~

Jack from Boston, thank you so much for your post. I've suffered from this condition for four years. I research angular chelitis daily, and have read almost every and any blog about it. Your comments are among the few I've found of people who are actually trying to help others altruistically. From my personal experience one of the worst scammers on the net is Katherine Sage. She used to charge from 70-90 dollars for her "so called" cure, but now is charging around 30$. This cure I paid 70 dollars for about two years ago was to clean the affected area with anti-bacterial soap then apply vaseline. What a scam! Enough of my ranting. Your post was a breath of fresh air compared to the many out there. They all say the same thing. Appreciate it.

Thank you, Jack! you hit the nail on the head!!!! The artificial sweetener sucrlose (slimfast meal replacement) definitely has something to do with it! I always thought it was just a b vitamin deficiency.

I healed it within a few hours using antibacterial wipes that contain benzalkonium chloride in them which is a miracle cure in itself!!!

I had those horrible cracks appear in the corners of my mouth years ago & tried different items like lip balms, creams, & oils. A friend reccomended taking a vitamin B complex. She had a bottle on hand & gave me one pill. In less than 24 hours my mouth was almost completely cured! I took one more the next day, about the same time, & by the next morning, I was totally healed! For good measure, I kept taking them for over a month. Now, when I have any symptoms beginning to appear, I immediately take a vitamin B complex & within hours, I always notice a difference. Try it! You have nothing to lose except the sore corners of your mouth. ;)

Many years ago when my young daughter was at her dental check up, her dentist noticed she had angular cheilitis and told us it is a sign of a B vitamin deficiency. We immediately began giving her a supplement of B Complex vitamins and her skin returned to normal very quickly.

Best wishes for healing!

Vitamin B2 cured me of angular chelitis. I had these sores in the corners of my mouth all through high school, when I used to eat tons of sugar. Turns out, refined sugar robs the body of B vitamins. (When refined, all of sugar's natural vitamin B is removed as molasses, so the sugar actually absorbs it from your body as you digest it, leaving you deficient. ) Anyway, at the time I didn't realize WHY I was deficient; I just read online (back in the 28K modem days) that B2 would solve the problem. Within 1 week of taking B2, the sores went away. I had them return a few times over the next few years, and every time, I would just start popping the vitamin B again until they disappeared. B Complex works too; chances are, if you are deficient in B2, you may need other B vitamins also.

Finally, I quit eating refined sugars and now I don't have to take any vitamins; I haven't had the sores come back for years.

However, just recently, I had to take antibiotics for over a month following a serious throat infection and surgical removal of an infected abscess. After a few weeks on the antibiotics, I was so surprised to see the angular chelitis flare up in the corners of my mouth after all this time. A little research turned up the fact that some antibiotics cause vitamin B deficiency with long-term use (and in return, B vitamins can actually interfere with the absorption of the antibiotics). So it is NOT recommended to take B Vitamins while taking these antibiotics. Instead, start popping B complex after you are done with the drugs.

Finally, a great source of B vitamins worth trying is Nutritional Yeast flakes. They are commonly found in the bulk sections of health food stores. 2 Tablespoons contain from 35 to 100 percent of your daily value of every B vitamin. You can safely eat tons of it. It is really tasty sprinkled on popcorn or cooked veggies. The advantage of Nutritional Yeast is that it is a natural source instead of a synthetic (lab made) source. So instead of eating Vitamin B made out of petrochemicals, you are just eating dead, dried yeast cells (sounds yummy, eh?) that were grown on vitamin B-rich molasses, which was removed from (guess what) sugar! Coming full circle now. Some say that vitamins from whole foods are much easier to absorb. At any rate, either natural or synthetic will work. Good luck.

Has anyone else tried this? I bought Oil of Oregano for my angular chelitis and it's now really bad. Before I had a sore, red rash in the corners of my mouth. Today, my skin is completely split and open on both sides of my mouth. I want to try the castor oil & baking soda but I don't want to make things even WORSE.

As an ex-dental assistant I used to fall for that line too. Until I started having so many problems that I realized there was only one other option left, it had to be the fillings. Don't listen to your dentist who says you get more mercury from a tuna sandwich then you do from a filling over your lifetime. They are just as misinformed as you. Amalgams break down and over the life of the filling (usually 10 to 15 years) little tiny toxic pieces break away. At that point they aren't getting sucked into the suction from the dental assistant they are going into your body and usually parking somewhere deep in your cells to cause havic with your health. If you take charge and have the ability to remove your amalgam fillings I say do so. You will be toxic for a shorter time than if you leave them and let them slowly deteriorate. Not to mention if fillings last for 10 to 15 years guess what happens when its time for a new one. The dentist drills the old one out causing toxic fumes to cause problems for the dentist, assistant, and definatly for you the patient. So go for it now and get rid of the poison while your still healthy enough to detox the mercury from your system.

I used to sit there and listen to my boss who was a dentist give the same bs line to every patient who asked. I feel terrible having been a part of that now that I know differently. I fell for it too. Dentist's do not perform any studies on mercury and how much goes into your system through your life time. Nor does anyone else for that matter. They are using data from short term studies. There is no way to get that information on a human without constantly testing the persons blood, hair, saliva, urine, etc... over thier entire lifetime.

If you are ill and you don't know why and you have amalgams I would suspect them if I were you. Composites are much stronger now days than they used to be. You can even get composite build ups for crowns that last almost as long as amalgams. There are also inlays and onlays as well as glass ionomer fillings. Any dentist who tells you that your health is not in danger by getting the amalgam fillings is just as much a fool as the rest of us. Many dentists are becoming aware of this. You can google Biological Dentistry to find a dentist who removes amalgams in a safe manner. They have all been trained on the dangers to them, you, and thier employees so they practice safe removal. Here is a site to check out.

http://www.iabdm.org/cms/

I am surprised that folic acid supplementation is not at the top of this list for Angular Chelitis. Folic acid absolutely works for the treatment of this condition and I can attest to its effectiveness on at least two occassions.

I have had Angular Cheilitis off and on for several yrs. Finally I have found something that really works. You must use Castor Oil which is Food Safe and not used for medicinal purposes but for topical use. You can buy a large bottle in Canada for $12.00. Put a 1/8 tsp. of Boric Acid....not Borax and a few drops of Castor Oil in the palm of your hand and make a paste out it, apply before bed and in the morning you will see results.

NO FISH OIL - To treat another condition I had been taking Cod Liver Oil (CLO 1500mg) and occasionally coconut oil (1000mg). Reading about Krill Oil I then added that (2000mg) and took the other two more regularly. My skin became a bit dryer but I thought it was from my heater being on overnight due to fall/winter weather. Then I developed the cracked corner lips and thinking I was just dehydrated expected them to heal with extra water over a day or two. A week later it hadn't healed and I knew something was wrong.

Thinking it was an infection, I tried tea tree oil or grapeseed oil, along with castor oil and then Listerine before bed. It would help overnight but return by the end of the next day.

I then thought about my diet. The only significant change I had to my diet was the addition of the Krill oil, and increase in CLO and Coconut oil. Doing research on Angular Cheilitis I found this:

"In general, dietary intake of natural, vitamin A rich sources like fish oils and cod liver oil increases the risk of developing angular cheilitis."

I immediately stopped all the other oils and started a Primrose Oil (1000mg to reduce inflammation) along with a B-50 complex twice a day. I would also poke a Vitamin E capsule and squeeze the contents onto my lips like a lip gloss. In the morning and evenings I'd drink a great Detox tea with dandelion root, licorice root, burdock, and other great liver supporting elements.

The condition began healing overnight. It took 3-4 days to completely exfoliate and renew the skin, but it's healed completely.

If your diet or location has changed in the past few months your system may be out of balance from changes in food and/or water sources. If you're taking supplements, optional medications, or beverages you may want to stop, detox and go vegan/green for a few weeks. And be patient. Healing from the outside in takes time; and the more out of balance your system, the longer the wait.

After about two weeks, the infection came back, worse than before. I tried everything I could but could not find a completely natural remedy. I had to buy an over the counter miconazole yeast infection cream and put it on at night. Then I'd wake up and put a glob of medicated lip ointment which was mostly allantoin, camphor and menthol until I got to work, when I'd wipe it down. As soon as I left work, I'd glob it on again until I went to bed with the cream.

I also started taking vitamin E and drinking more water to help hydrate my lips and skin.

Within a week or so it healed. For another week I would sometimes feel it starting again and it reminded me to keep going for one more week even if it appeared healed. Once that round was done it ended. After three months it hasn't returned.

I highly recommend supplementing with Folic Acid to eliminate this condition. Take a slightly larger dose than recommended. I can personally attest to its effectiveness.

I found a message board from Dr. Stoll when doing some searches on Angular Cheilitis Home Remedy. I found no other solutions online except Dr.Walts recomendation to take b 100 vitamins. A few weeks later and its totally cleared up and hasn't come back.

The Answer - This took some digging as to the cause, but first I will tell you the cure:

Rinse & topical: For morning before work routine rinse with 1 cup water 3 tblsp white vinegar 1 tsp salt, then take cue tip wetted with hydrogen peroxide and dab infected area & then spread antibiotic ointment that is in a petroleum base over lips and affected area.

For night do same rinse, dab with peroxide and then pat infected area with baking soda and allow to dry - leaving it on over night. The baking soda more than anything I believe to help keep area dry. Don't go picking at the area or rubbing it with the cue tip or your fingers. Actually, just try to leave it alone.

By morning 2 you will be on road to recovery. Now along with this take a multi vitamin, a b-complex, folic acid, b-12, iron, vitamin C and acidophilus supplements. Take one acidophilus with each meal.

Now the cause: sucralose (artificial sweetener). A Duke U study whose results were disqualified (squashed) found that in tests with rats that Sucrlose taken in acceptable quantities proportional to their size decreased good intestinal bacteria by 50% by day 10. So, so much for the immune system; let the canker sores and angular chelitis begin! Let the Candida run wild! I was having 2 glasses of wine a day that kept the bad bacteria at bay but I stopped drinking and within two weeks things went out of control. For the 3 months prior to that I had been religiously eating Activia Lite which contains sucralose. The cracks in the corners of my mouth on a few occasion during that time tried to get a foothold but the wine stopped that from happening. I have now switched over to that Greek yogurt (plain). I take my vitamins. I still do not drink but I will soon now that the cankers & angular chelitis are behind me. Oh, and I should point out that the sucralose had other effects on me. I was having bad insomnia and couldn't figure what the heck was going on. I would say within 48 hours of stopping the Activia my sleep returned and the Chilitis started to improved. I guarantee also the sleep had a big effect on helping me get cured of the chelitis. I also had an odd rash on my torso. All this crazy stuff. I really thought it was from alcohol dependence though I really hadn't been drinking enough or for that long to have any problems.

In the end I think in an odd way the alcohol was keeping this thing at bay. It was crazy, I hadn't had a canker in a couple of years and I had never had angular chelitis before - and who knows what that rash on my torso was all about. I thought it was from my tried & true laundry detergent that suddenly decided to turn on me. I have vowed never to consume any artificial sweeteners again. I have almost cut sweets of any kind out of my diet. I have switched to whole grains, lightly steamed vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, and healthy protein sources. No more simple carbs. I was always kind of healthy but now I'm a little over-the-top but why not.

Bee Propolis cured my Angular Cheilitis. I had a painful rip at the corner of my mouth that would not go away for a week. Last night, I added three drops of Bee Propolis tincture and slept on it. The next morning (today) the rip healed significantly. Will keep adding drops today!

Angular Chelitis

I had to share my findings with the annoying discomfort that comes with cracks in the corners of the mouth that is often confused with Cold sores. I tell all my friends as soon as I see that they are suffering. They are always so thankful as they tried everything else. Just TAKE Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin containing foods and it will go away in days. As the cracks are usually caused from a Riboflavin Deficiency.

These foods will provide your body with B2 at an uptake rate of around 15%.
Beef liver, cooked 3 ounces 1.71mg
Mushrooms, cooked 1 cup 0.47mg
Raw, unpasteurized milk 1 cup 0.34mg
Mushrooms, raw 1 cup 0.29mg
Organic egg, cooked 1 large 0.27mg
Almonds, raw 1 ounce 0.24mg
Organic Beef, cooked 3 ounces 0.19mg
Broccoli, boiled or steamed 1 cup 0.18mg
Spinach, boiled or steamed 1 cup 0.18mg
Organic chicken, dark meat, roasted 3 ounces 0.18
Asparagus, boiled or steamed 6 spears 0.13
Salmon, broiled 3 ounces 0.13

Daily requirements:
Adults 19-years and over: Males 1.3mg Females 1.1mg

You can also just eat a Breakfast Cereal with fortified vitamins, take a multi B-Complex or source the foods. Good Luck!