Dry and chapped lips are a fairly common occurrence, and with a little bit of water and a lot of lip balm, the dryness goes away pretty quickly. Sometimes, it gets as bad as actually cracking and peeling, going as far as actually bleeding, but you're lucky if it only stops at that, because it could get even worse. Perleche has to be the absolute worst thing you can expect if dry lips are left untreated. You know that you're developing perleche if you're already feeling a bit of scaliness or roughness in the corners of your mouth and if you're beginning to have a hard time opening your mouth because there is an actual wound beginning to form in each corner of your mouth already. Don't wait for it to worsen; take action right away by applying remedies to make the pain and the dryness go away. It is always best to nip the signs of perleche in the bud before it causes you further pain.
How to treat perleche
The first thing you should do in treating perleche is to get rid of the pain you feel. For starters, you can apply lip balm more frequently to relieve the pain on your lips. You can also apply olive oil on the affected area to soothe it. Also, remember to refrain from licking your lips. It may seem like a natural act to moisten your lips, but the saliva actually doesn't help in hydrating the mouth and could worsen your perleche. It doesn't hurt to get more vitamin B in your system as well in order to build up your resistance and prevent perleche from occurring again. Of course, you should also take a look at the medications you use; you may be using one that is causing dryness. These are some quick and easy ways for you to ease your perleche. If none of these help, you should visit your physician for medical advice.
What is perleche?
Anybody can experience having dry and chapped lips, which usually appears either as a result of lack of water or cold weather, which indeed has drying effects on the skin. But the moment that you notice having extremely painful cracks in the corners of your mouth, which may or may not bleed, is something different altogether. That condition is known as perleche or angular cheilitis. This happens mainly because of overly dry skin, but can also be caused by a multitude of factors, including zinc and vitamin B deficiency; perleche can even be worsened by the effects of bacteria and viruses on the wound. Perleche also takes place in elderly individuals who wear dentures that don't fit properly. If dentures are ill-fitting, saliva tends to pool in the corners of the mouth, drying up the skin and causing perleche to develop. If you are suffering from perleche, don't worry; there are solutions to help your condition.
