Is cheilitis a skin disease?

Written by Fang Xiao
Dentistry
Updated on December 26, 2024
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Cheilitis is not a skin disease; it is a disease of the oral mucosa and falls under the category of oral mucosal diseases. Cheilitis is a mucosal disease characterized mainly by dryness, cracking, and scaling of the lips. Its types include dry scaling cheilitis, allergic cheilitis, benign lymphoproliferative cheilitis, granulomatous cheilitis, glandular cheilitis, fungal cheilitis, and photosensitive cheilitis. The onset of cheilitis is greatly related to long-term irritation and poor lifestyle habits. Seasonal changes and dry weather also increase the incidence rate, and windy conditions can easily lead to dryness and flaking. Cheilitis is also related to sun exposure, which can cause erosion of the upper and lower lips, known as actinic cheilitis. Patients with actinic cheilitis should first focus on avoiding light, reducing outdoor activities, and protecting their lips.

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Written by Wang Peng
Dentistry
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Can I drink Pu'er tea with cheilitis?

Patients with cheilitis can drink Pu'er tea. The exact causes of cheilitis are not entirely clear, but clinically, it is generally believed to be related to environmental irritants, allergic factors, poor lifestyle habits, and the irritation of certain foods. However, tea itself does not cause allergic reactions. Patients with cheilitis should eat foods that are antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and rich in high-quality proteins, and they should avoid oily, spicy, and irritating foods. Tea is neither spicy nor overly greasy, and it is relatively beneficial for health. Therefore, it is acceptable for patients with cheilitis to drink some Pu'er tea appropriately.

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Written by Wang Peng
Dentistry
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What should I do if I have cheilitis with yellow fluid and scabbing?

The common clinical symptoms of cheilitis often include dryness, peeling, cracking, and bleeding, and some patients may also experience the leakage of tissue fluid, or even a yellowish discharge. When patients with cheilitis notice yellowish discharge or crusting, it usually indicates that the disease is healing. At this time, patients should avoid touching it with their hands or other objects, and should not pick off the crusts. It is recommended to apply anti-inflammatory lip balm, which can promote the healing of cheilitis and also prevent infection. After the crusts heal and fall off, patients should pay attention to keeping the lip area moisturized and should also address and remove any triggering factors to prevent recurrence of cheilitis.

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Written by Wang Peng
Dentistry
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How can exfoliative cheilitis be completely treated?

Exfoliative cheilitis is currently very difficult to completely cure. Exfoliative cheilitis is considered an immune disease, caused by external irritants, allergens, and various other factors triggering an abnormal body reaction. Clinically, it mainly presents as scaling and peeling of the lip tissue, along with chronic inflammation. Patients with this condition can undergo symptomatic treatment, but curing it entirely is very challenging. During outbreaks of exfoliative cheilitis, it is important to keep the lips clean. Methods like moist compresses can help maintain lip moisture and prevent the cheilitis from worsening due to dryness. Patients should avoid peeling off dry skin from the lips with their hands as this can lead to infections.

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Written by Li Cui
Dentistry
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What kind of cancer is cheilitis a precursor to?

Cheilitis is a general term for inflammatory diseases occurring on the lips. The symptoms of cheilitis generally include peeling, dryness, cracking, bleeding, and tightness. Some patients may experience itching and pain, which can cause inconvenience in daily life. Cheilitis does not lead to cancer in patients; however, long-term cheilitis is detrimental to a patient's health. Therefore, after being diagnosed with cheilitis, it is crucial to seek prompt and appropriate treatment. Treatment for cheilitis should be initiated as early as possible because the difficulty of treatment is relatively smaller at the early stages. Since cheilitis is prone to recurring flare-ups, which can cause significant emotional distress in patients, psychological counseling should also be considered.

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Written by Li Cui
Dentistry
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Can the melanin left by cheilitis be removed?

When a patient has recovered from crusted cheilitis, their lips might appear slightly darker in color. This condition generally improves over time. It is recommended that patients should not be overly concerned and can apply some aloe vera gel or vitamin E appropriately. These can effectively eliminate pigmentation from scars and aid in the recovery of scar coloration. Additionally, if a patient develops cheilitis, it is crucial to maintain local hygiene and avoid infections. Persistent infections and inflammation can increase local irritation and potentially damage some soft tissues, leading to worsened scarring. Patients are advised to maintain a light diet.