Top 10 Proven Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis Infection That Work Naturally

Updated: 08/07/2019

Angular cheilitis may be a strange condition for some people, but it is actually a nightmare with those who are acquired. There are many people experiencing the mild versions of angular cheilitis, and even they do not know what it is. If you do not care about it cautiously, you will get trouble with the unwanted appearance and be susceptible to other serious diseases. Unlike chapped lips, angular cheilitis is a different condition and far more dangerous than the former, which will be comprehensively analyzed in this article. It is certain that no one wants to appear with the terrible stage of angular cheilitis on the mouth, so it is worth reading some must-know remedies below. Continue reading this article on Beauty Talk to discover top 10 proven home remedies for angular cheilitis infection that work naturally, and then find one way that is suitable for you.

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10 Proven Natural Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis Infection

I. What Is It?

Angular cheilitis is a common skin condition that makes one or both two angles of the mouth inflamed and painful. In other words, angular cheilitis is a form of lip infection that leads to inflammation and blisters of the corner of the mouth. The other name of angular cheilitis is sometimes called angular stomatitis, perleche, or cheilosis. The affected areas of angular cheilitis have a technical term namely the labial commissures. The commissures directly refer to both two angles of the mouth, which is the connection between the upper and lower lips. The inflammation linked with angular cheilitis may slightly spread out and extend to the lips or the other skin areas of the face that give the patients undesirable sight.

Angular cheilitis happens when the saliva becomes trapped and starts to build up around the corner on your mouth. This process results in the complicated growth and multiplication of the fungus and after all, causes the infection. Moreover, certain virus strains and bacteria can also be the reason for this condition.

II. What Causes It?

Ordinarily, angular cheilitis is formed by saliva buildup on the corners around your lips and leading them into cracked and dry. When the saliva starts breaking down and inflaming the skin at the mouth corners, the inflamed patches will get colonized by yeast or bacteria that commonly reside in your mouth.

The cracking and inflammation on the corners of your mouth may cause painful sores. Because of that, this situation will make it difficult for sufferers to open their mouth wide, and for many, they will experience the feelings of hot burning at their lips and their mouth as well. In more serious cases, many people get a bad taste or even tasting loss in their mouth or eating difficulty, specifically when the irritations begin developing into more open and bleeding blisters.

Commonly, people can lick their lips in order to try alleviating their pains, but this action may make it worse. Doing these kinds of things will lead to more saliva build-ups which create the ideal environments for fungi like yeast and bacteria to grow up rapidly.

Angular cheilitis is usually misunderstood with a cold sore, but they are primarily different from each other. Particularly, angular cheilitis appears visually at the corners of your mouth as scaly, cracked skin. Meanwhile, a cold sore will happen anywhere around your mouth and looks like a bunch of a small blister. Distinguishing angular cheilitis and cold sores will help you to choose the right treatment for each type.

III. Proven Natural Home Remedies For Angular Cheilitis Infection

While we are listing the scientific evidence, the recipes we've focused on are traditional home remedies so proceed with caution depending on your condition. Always consult your doctor to check your health to know if a remedy is working for you.

1. Aloe Vera

Throughout all the time, aloe vera is well known for its various health and beauty benefits for the skin, especially facial skin, and as might be expected, angular cheilitis is no exception. Aloe vera contains anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antifungal healing properties so that it is effective in fighting fungi, specifically candida and several types of of bacteria^{[1] [2] [3]}. Moreover, due to the strong antiviral agents, aloe vera is a good choice against viral infection like herpes virus^[4] that causes angular cheilitis. Aloe vera is also great for moisturizing the damaged and dry skin on your commissures^[5].

Remedy

• Extract aloe vera gel from its leaf
• Next, leave the aloe vera gel in the fridge for no more than 30 minutes
• Then, slightly rub the cool gel on both corners of the mouth, especially in which angular cheilitis is occurring
• Subsequently, let it cool down and dry for at most 20 minutes
• After that, wash it out with quite cool water
• Remember to apply this remedy two to three times per day

2. Virgin Coconut Oil

Another speedy and effective remedy for angular cheilitis is virgin coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil may be a strange name with many people because it is different from other usual kinds of coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil appears to be on the top list of interference against almost all the ailments nowadays, including angular cheilitis. The most significant advantage of the normal types of coconut oil is the ability to soothe and moisturize the cracked, dry skin on your own lips thanks to its moisturizing nature^{[6] [7]}. Also, virgin coconut oil brings about wonderful values as the most natural and effective angular cheilitis treatment.

Virgin coconut oil contains a wide range of antimicrobial properties^[8] [9] that prevent the rapid growth and spread of pathogens, fight viral infections, and reduce the stage of dry skin and the irritation and pain caused by angular cheilitis. According to numerous researches, virgin coconut oil may help to clear almost all the symptoms of scaly, dry skin with ninety-five percent compared to olive oil with just forty percent^[10]. From that, it is undeniable that virgin coconut oil is a miracle for people who gets in trouble with angular cheilitis.

Remedy 1

Use some extra-virgin coconut oil to apply it to both two corners of your mouth, especially on the affected areas. Repeat the solution three or four times daily.

Remedy 2

The second way to utilize virgin coconut oil is to cooperate with other treatment such as aloe vera gel. After having done the treatment for angular cheilitis with aloe vera gel for about an hour, apply virgin coconut oil to the sensitive areas and the commissures, and then leave it overnight to promote the healing process and relieve the inflammation and pain due to angular cheilitis.

Remedy 3

• Mix extra-virgin coconut oil and lemon juice with equal amounts
• Apply the mixture directly and mildly to the particularly sensitive sores
• Wash it off by using warm water after approximately 15 minutes
• Repeat the precise treatment twice a day

3. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is one of the wonderful home remedies for angular cheilitis that you should try. Several studies have shown that tea tree oil is one of the most effective antifungal properties that help to fight approximately 100 types of Candida albicans and fungus^{[11] [12] [13]}. Skin irritation may seriously be a cause of angular cheilitis, so it is important to take it into strong consideration. Fortunately, tea tree oil will help to reduce the irritation of the skin around the corners of the mouth and relieve this situation quickly.

In addition, due to the anti-inflammatory agents^[14], tea tree oil plays a crucial role in healing angular cheilitis. It has a positive effect on the fungus infection and inflammation, which makes it a specifically valuable solution for angular cheilitis. If you follow the steps precisely, the results will be out of your imagination. You can also mix tea tree oil with coconut oil for better results.

Remedy

• Mix 2 or 3 droplets of tea tree oil and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• Apply this mixture to your affected areas
• Rinse it off after an hour
• Repeat the solution exactly three times per day

4. Baking Soda

The antibacterial agents in baking soda^[15] are excellent to be a natural method among home remedies for angular cheilitis and improve the signs and symptoms faster. A group of dental scientists used to carry out studies showing that baking soda amazingly killed off the strain of bacteria that cause mouth infection^{[16] [17]}.

It is simple to use baking soda as a natural treatment for angular cheilitis at home. As long as you are patient enough, your situation will get better soon; and you are also able to prevent it from recurring. After having done this treatment, you can absolutely use a little of virgin coconut oil to moisturize the sensitive skin areas.

Remedy

• Mix baking soda with one teaspoon of water to make a kind of thick paste
• Apply the treatment directly to the angles of your mouth
• Leave that baking soda paste on the affected areas for a period of 10-15 minutes
• Rinse it off with cool fresh water
• Repeat the remedy about 2 or 3 times every day

5. Honey

For curing angular cheilitis, honey can also be used as one of the most natural home remedies that you should take it into careful consideration. The reason why honey is beneficial for healing this problem is that honey contains a lot of active properties that will help the patients kill off the infection causing the sensitive sores around their lips and heal the blisters quickly.

Many physicians have applied honey to wound dressings because some researches before have found that the antifungal and antimicrobial^[18] and antibacterial effects of honey^[19] are the same as those of their traditional surgical dressings.  As a matter of fact, medical experiments these days use the extract of some active ingredients and the polyphenols from honey to form medical-grade and stronger honey to treat many kinds of wounds.

Surprisingly, almost all strains of raw honey consist of antimicrobial agents that help to heal damaged and blistered skin. Manuka honey is a specific type of honey that is believed to be the best choice in treating angular cheilitis because of its active properties that are great in fighting candida strains and fungi^[20].

Remedy

• Choose the raw form of honey which is from a reliable source
• Apply it directly to the cracked and sore areas around your lips
• Leave it on there as long as possible before washing it off
• Do this solution as many times a day as you can

6. Castor Oil

Another wonderful remedy is castor oil. It plays an important role in toning down the angular cheilitis whilst minimizing inflammation and pain with the resort to the help of its anti-inflammatory agents^[21].

Castor oil also contains strong antibacterial properties^{[22] [23] [24]}, making it possible to fight against many types of bacteria that cause the problem and the fungal strains that cause the infection on the mouth corners.

In addition, castor oil is effective to prevent the skin around your mouth from becoming dry and cracked. You can make your own remedy with castor oil at home with the following guidelines to get rid of angular cheilitis.

Remedy 1

In this remedy, you just need to prepare some drops of castor oil and then gently apply it to your affected areas. After about 30 minutes, you can rinse off and let it dry naturally. Remember to repeat the treatment several times a day within a week.

Remedy 2

• Mix half a teaspoon of castor oil and about 2 droplets of tea tree oil
• Employ a cotton ball to rub this mixture on your mouth corners
• Wait 30 minutes and wash it off with cool water
• Repeat at most twice per day

7. Lemongrass Oil

Candida is mostly detected in the vast majority of angular cheilitis lesions, and many scientists have found that lemongrass oil is specifically effective in fighting candida species and fungi^[25]. Because of that, lemongrass oil may work well as one of the natural remedies for angular cheilitis lesions.

It is noticeable to remember that yeast, fungi, and bacteria grow best in such an environment where the pH changes in the chart between mildly acidic and neutral. For that reason, any strong acid or alkali may kill off them completely. Fortunately, lemongrass oil may do it. It is also a substance which may moisturize and soothe your skin when killing these organisms without aggravating the irritation and the sores on the corners of your mouth. Following the process below and it will show you positive results only after seven to ten days.

Remedy

• Prepare a cup of water and then pour the lemongrass oil to this cup with a few drops
• Heat up the liquid with a stove
• Keep it under the boiling point to give a wide berth to burning yourself
• Lean over the heating point for about 5 minutes so that the vapor reeks and contacts with your lips and also both two corners of your mouth
• Remain the same process 2 to 3 times a week

IV. Prevent It From Recurring

1. Healthy Diet

It is significant for you to conduct a well-balanced and healthy diet. There are plentiful resources of minerals, amino acids, and vitamins to prevent any kinds of mineral or vitamin deficiencies. You should keep away from excessively refined starches, sugar, and other culprits that strongly promote yeast infections.

2. Drinking Water

You should consume at least seven cups of water every day, which are equivalent to two liters. Doing this consecutively will help to flush toxins from your system^[26] and also will make your lips less dry and chapped. It is best to drink as much water as you can because it not only helps you stay away from angular cheilitis lesions, it is also useful to protect you from other diseases.

3. Healthy Life Style

Many doctors advise that if you want to get rid of angular cheilitis completely, you should develop and remain your own healthy lifestyle habits. For example, doing exercises transports white blood cells and antibodies in your body at a faster rate so as to bring about a much more powerful healing capacity^[27]. Taking exercises also accelerates the body temperature that is good for the process of diminishing inflammation, blocking stress-related hormones, and deterring bacteria growth. When you have a stress problem, opportunistic fungi, and pathogenic bacteria are more likely to proliferate so that it is not exaggerated to heighten the importance of preventing stress while treating angular cheilitis lesions.

4. Avoid Smoking

Smoking is detrimental to every biological structure in your body, which includes your skin^[28]. Furthermore, a lot of the latest studies recommend that smokers do not simply inhale the smoke, but actually, they are ingesting the bacteria originally deriving from tobacco, which include the bacteria contributing to angular cheilitis development namely Staphylococcus aureus^[29].

5. Hygiene

Angular cheilitis is a situation taking place in the skin areas around your mouth, so you have to ensure that your mouth area is always kept dry and clean. With everyday cleaning, you should use the types of non-irritating and mild facial cleanser, and then completely tap the skin area on every side of your mouth, especially the two opposite corners, with a clean towel. Noticeably, you should never try to lick your lips in any circumstances.

6. Consuming Some Good Supplements

You are able to visit your nearest local health food shop and buy some supplements that provide purported immune-enhancing effects. They are all related to the process of treating angular cheilitis. Or else, you had better talk to the physician or nutritionist to get some recommendations. You also can visit the dermatologist or viral doctor regularly. You should take into consideration for food that contains vitamin B, C, D, and vitamin E, and iron, minerals, and zinc. Everything's better with adequate amounts; so, you should keep in mind that you should not overdose on one type of supplements.

Above are the top 10 proven home remedies for angular cheilitis infection that work naturally. All content provided is for informational and educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you. If you want to learn more about the natural treatments for other hair care problems, please visit our Health page. Do not forget to take time for writing down your comments in the form below to show us your thoughts.

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