Corner of the mouth
introduction
The corners of the mouth are on the outside of the mouth and are exposed to great stress, especially in hot or particularly cold temperatures, which can then lead to the corners of the mouth tearing or cracking.
Inflamed corners of the mouth can also be painful and sometimes prevent the patient from speaking.
Causes of torn corners of the mouth
For detailed information on this topic, please also read our articles torn corners of the mouth and sore corners of the mouth
The cause of torn or cracked corners of the mouth is often a dry mouth due to lack of fluid. A lot of fluid is withdrawn from the body, especially in summer or at particularly cold temperatures. The mouth is particularly sensitive to lack of fluids - the lips become dry and the corners of the mouth crack.
However, these torn corners of the mouth can also be inflamed. In many cases, inflammation leads to cracked corners of the mouth. There are various reasons for this.
One cause of an inflamed, torn corner of the mouth is an infection with the herpes simplex virus. This can also cause cold sores around the lips.
Infection with a herpes simplex virus is very common, since over 95% of all patients Are carriers of the virus.
Other causes of cracked corners of the mouth can be deficiencies. For example, an iron deficiency or a vitamin deficiency can cause the corners of the mouth to tear and then become inflamed, as bacteria start to multiply in the cracked corners of the mouth, for example.
The skin disease neurodermatitis can also be the cause of torn, inflamed corners of the mouth. Since in sugar patients (Patients with diabetes mellitus) the blood circulation is generally worsened, these patients tend to have torn or inflamed corners of the mouth.
In some patients, sore or chapped corners of the mouth are often responsible for causing the corners of the mouth to sag down, often making the patient look permanently sad. Most of the time, however, the reason for this is the loss of elasticity of the skin, which occurs with age and then pulls the corners of the mouth downwards. One possible therapy here is to raise the corners of the mouth.
diagnosis
Whether the corner of the mouth is torn due to a lack of fluids or due to an illness, the patient can often tell Self diagnosis determine: If a patient drinks enough liquid for 2 days without the symptoms improving, the underlying cause is probably an inflammation and a doctor should be consulted, who will then open the cracked corners of the mouth Herpes Simplex Infection and can also do a blood sugar test if necessary.
Symptoms
Cracked or cracked corners of the mouth are often very annoying. You can itch or just be painful. Many patients do not want to open their mouth properly for fear of further cracks.
In addition to the torn corners of the mouth, other symptoms can also occur. At a Herpes Simplex Infection the corners of the mouth are not only torn but also inflamed and it comes to Blisteringwhich are painful and usually crust over after a few days.
If a patient has a deficiency, however, they are more likely to occur further deficiency symptoms on. At a Iron deficiency there is an increase fatigue and Reduction in performance next to the cracked corners of the mouth.
A Neurodermatitis is usually noticeable in heavily stressed skin regions, for example in the Elbow bendwhere it then to itchy, dry skin comes.
In the Diabetes (diabetes) the corners of the mouth are often cracked in spite of a well-controlled diabetes because the blood circulation is insufficient.
therapy
To treat the torn corners of the mouth you should first know why it comes to the cracked corners of the mouth.
In the case of a lack of fluids, the patient simply has to drink more fluids in order to stimulate blood circulation and to bring more fluid to the corners of the mouth.
However, the patient did sore corners of the mouth because of a Herpes Simplex Infection this is how ointments help, for example with the active ingredient Acyclovir, which you apply to the cracked, inflamed corners of the mouth and let soak in. An improvement should be seen after a few days.
If there is an iron or vitamin deficiency, the patient should either through the nutrition or if necessary by Tablets from the pharmacy compensate for the deficiency.
If the cracked corners of the mouth develop due to diabetes or neurodermatitis, the patient should ensure that these diseases are treated and, if necessary, the corners of the mouth regularly with a moisturizing cream to apply cream.
If a patient has sagging corners of the mouth due to anatomical conditions or previous illnesses and would like to lift them, often only that helps cosmetic procedure by a cosmetic surgeon. Before doing this, however, the patient should try to train the facial muscles through specific exercises so that the corners of the mouth are raised.
prophylaxis
To avoid torn or inflamed corners of the mouth you should always enough liquid in order to increase the blood circulation in the area of the lip and increase the corner of the mouth. It should also be balanced nutrition Care is taken that neither an iron nor a vitamin deficiency cause the corners of the mouth to tear.
forecast
The prognosis for torn corners of the mouth is very good. Neither an infection with the herpes simplex virus nor a deficiency cause permanent damage. However, a herpes simplex infection should be monitored if it does not go away after a long period of treatment, as it can, in rare cases, be the cause of brain inflammation (encephalitis). Diabetes is not curable to this day, but most patients can be controlled very well with the help of the medication and thus torn, inflamed corners of the mouth can often be avoided.
