What Causes Perleche?

By Bart Icles

Perleche is one of the irritating discomforts people usually experience. It is formed in the corners of the mouth. This is a result of a fungal (Candida albicans) or bacterial infection usually caused by open cuts or ulcers. The elderly are the more common victims of this condition. If an older person's dentures do not fit well, folds may form on the sides of the mouth. In these folds, saliva may occupy and thus form the bacteria or fungus.

The younger ones are also at risk to get Perleche. Other ways to acquire this is if your lips get too dry. They could get very dry if you lick your lips too often after being exposed under the sun for a long time. Being exposed under a cold temperature could also get your lips dried out and irritated. Sometimes, perleche could be caused by an allergic reaction to anything you put in your mouth or lips. Sometimes, a certain kind of lipstick or even toothpaste could cause contact dermatitis and end up with chapped corners. People tend to lick their chapped lips and this may cause saliva to once again accumulate on that area and thus result to perleche.

Perleche is also known by other names. These include angular cheilitis, cheilosis and angular stomatitis. Though this may not be a serious disease, it is quite painful and irritating for some people. Having perleche could decrease one's appetite and limit laughing or talking because moving the mouth could cause even more soreness. Aside from this discomfort, having that kind of facial wound is kind of embarrassing. This is why we should be aware of how to prevent having perleche.

To prevent having this irritating condition, it is better to avoid habits which could lead to this. These activities include finger nail, pen and pencil biting. Doing this can only make your skin more at risk for drying up and cracking. Sometimes, the makeup or other cosmetics we use on our faces contain various chemicals which could irritate sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, try the product on a small part of your skin to test for any untoward reactions.

If you already have perleche, there are various ways to treat this. Some dermatologists recommend the use of anti fungal creams for fungal infected perleche. If it is a bacterial infection, anti bacterials or antibiotics are prescribed. Some studies show, however, that home remedies are more effective compared to the commercialized ones. What they do is they dry the wound and bacterial or fungal death follows in as fast as a few hours. - 30540

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