Mouth, Teeth & Gums
Cheilitis (Cracked, Inflamed Lips)
Sore, dry, cracking lips — often at the corners of the mouth — caused by irritation, moisture, infection, or low B-vitamins, and usually soothed and healed with simple care.
Also known as: Angular cheilitis, Perleche, Lip inflammation, Cracked mouth corners
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Habitual lip-licking or drooling, which over-wets and irritates the skin; Cold wind, dry air, or sun exposure; A reaction to a lip product, toothpaste, or food.
First thing to try: Stop licking or biting the lips — this is the most important step.
See a doctor if: A crack or sore that will not heal within two to three weeks
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Habitual lip-licking or drooling, which over-wets and irritates the skin
- Cold wind, dry air, or sun exposure
- A reaction to a lip product, toothpaste, or food
- A yeast (Candida) or bacterial infection settling in a moist corner
- Shortage of B-vitamins (especially B2 and B12), iron, or zinc
- Ill-fitting dentures or deep mouth-corner folds that trap moisture
Change what you can
- Stop licking or biting the lips — this is the most important step.
- Keep the corners of the mouth dry; gently pat away saliva.
- Apply a soothing, fragrance-free balm or a thin film of coconut oil several times a day.
- Protect lips from sun and wind with a balm containing sunscreen.
- Eat a B-vitamin and iron-rich diet of whole grains, leafy greens, legumes, and nuts.
- If a corner stays cracked or looks infected, have it checked for yeast.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
This is the safest, most foundational step because it removes the ongoing irritation and lets the skin barrier recover on its own.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Saliva evaporates quickly and leaves lips drier than before, so repeated licking creates a cycle of dryness and cracking; a plain moisture barrier protects the skin while it heals.
- Notice and consciously stop licking, biting, or picking at the lips — this is the most important step.
- Gently pat the corners of the mouth dry after eating or drinking rather than letting saliva sit.
- Apply a thin layer of fragrance-free balm, petroleum jelly, or coconut oil several times a day.
- Apply balm again before bed to protect lips overnight.
- Avoid flavored or scented lip products that can further irritate healing skin.
A few weeks to fully heal · Several times a day
Caution: Cracks that last more than two weeks, spread, or keep returning should be checked by a doctor or dentist. Pus, fever, or fast-spreading redness can signal infection that needs treatment, not just moisturizing.
When to get help: Seek medical care for spreading redness, pus, swelling, or fever, or for a sore that will not heal within two to three weeks.
Source: Cleveland Clinic Health Library
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
Worth adding when cracking keeps returning despite good lip care, since a nutrient shortage may be part of the cause.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Low B-vitamins, iron, or zinc can weaken the skin's ability to repair itself at the corners of the mouth, so a more nutrient-dense diet supports the body's natural healing.
- Add a serving of leafy greens or legumes to most meals.
- Choose whole grains over refined ones for daily bread, rice, and cereal.
- Include a handful of nuts or seeds as a snack a few times a week.
- Add lean protein sources through the week to support tissue repair.
- Give dietary changes several weeks to show effect, since nutrient stores rebuild gradually.
Ongoing dietary pattern · Daily
Caution: Repeated bouts despite good lip care may point to a vitamin shortage or yeast infection that needs medical evaluation, not diet changes alone. Diet changes are supportive and gradual — they are not a substitute for care of an active infection.
When to get help: Seek medical care for spreading redness, pus, swelling, or fever, or for a sore that will not heal within two to three weeks.
Source: Cleveland Clinic Health Library
Comments & experiences ▾
A helpful preventive layer alongside stopping lip-licking, especially for weather-related chapping.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Lips have no oil glands and thinner skin than the rest of the face, so they lose moisture and burn more easily; a protective balm layer reduces both moisture loss and UV damage.
- Apply a lip balm containing sunscreen before spending time outdoors.
- Reapply lip balm every couple of hours when outside, especially after eating or drinking.
- Cover the lower face with a scarf in cold, windy weather.
- Use a humidifier indoors during dry winter months to reduce overall skin dryness.
- Keep balm handy in a bag, car, or by the bed for easy reapplication.
Ongoing, as needed outdoors · Every couple of hours when exposed to sun, wind, or cold
Caution: Persistent lip changes or a sore that won't heal should always be examined to rule out other causes, including sun-related skin changes. Avoid balms with fragrance, menthol, or camphor, which can irritate already-cracked skin.
When to get help: Seek medical care for spreading redness, pus, swelling, or fever, or for a sore that will not heal within two to three weeks.
Source: Cleveland Clinic Health Library
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- A crack or sore that will not heal within two to three weeks
- Spreading redness, pus, swelling, or fever
- Repeated bouts despite good lip care (may point to a vitamin shortage or yeast)
- Lip changes in someone with a weakened immune system or diabetes
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your cheilitis (cracked, inflamed lips) — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Cheilitis is the catch-all name for lips that have become dry, red, scaly, or cracked, and for the painful little splits that form at the corners of the mouth (a form called angular cheilitis). It can sting when you eat, smile, or open wide. The causes are everyday ones: licking the lips, cold wind, sun, a reaction to a lip product or toothpaste, drooling at night, ill-fitting dentures, a yeast or bacterial infection settling into a moist corner, or a shortage of B-vitamins and iron. Most cases clear up well once the irritation stops and the lips are kept clean, protected, and moisturized.
The lips have very thin skin and no oil glands of their own, so they dry out and crack more easily than the rest of the face. When the corners of the mouth stay damp — from saliva pooling there — the skin softens and splits, and yeast or bacteria can move in, turning a small crack into a stubborn, sore patch. That is why simply applying more lip balm over wet corners sometimes makes it worse; the trick is to keep the corners dry and clean and treat any infection.
Gentle home care does most of the healing: stop the lip-licking habit, protect lips from sun and wind, dab on a soothing balm, and nourish the body with the B-vitamins and iron that keep skin and mucous membranes strong. If a corner stays cracked for more than a week or two, looks crusted or pus-filled, or keeps coming back, it is worth checking for a yeast infection, a vitaminA natural substance your body needs in small amounts to stay healthy, like vitamin C or D. More → shortage, or an underlying cause a doctor or dentist can spot.
Common signs
- Dry, scaly, or peeling lips that feel tight
- Painful cracks or splits at the corners of the mouth
- Redness, swelling, or a burning, stinging feeling
- Crusting or oozing if infection sets in
- Discomfort when eating, smiling, or opening wide
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
Drinking enough water keeps the thin lip tissue from drying and cracking in the first place.1000
A dab of raw honey soothes cracked skin and has mild germ-fighting action while it heals.880
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Whole grains and legumes for B-vitamins
- Leafy greens and beans for iron and folate
- Nuts and seeds for zinc
- Plenty of water to keep tissues hydrated
Go easy on
- Salty or acidic foods that sting open cracks
- Sugary foods that feed yeast in moist corners
Cracked corners that keep returning are often a clue to low B-vitamins or iron — a richer plant-based diet frequently solves them.
⚖️ Good to know
- Cracks that last more than two weeks, spread, or keep returning should be checked by a doctor or dentist.
- Pus, fever, or fast-spreading redness can signal infection that needs treatment.
- Persistent lip changes — a sore that will not heal — should always be examined to rule out other causes.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Doctors treat cheilitis by identifying the cause — infection, irritation, or deficiency — and pairing barrier protection with an antifungal or antibacterial cream when needed.
Commonly offered
- Topical antifungal cream (e.g., for Candida) for infected corners–
- Topical antibiotic ointment if bacteria are involved–
- A short course of mild topical steroid for stubborn inflammation–
- Barrier ointments and correcting any B-vitamin or iron deficiency–
Worth knowing
- Prolonged steroid use on the lips can thin the skin — use only as directed.
- Recurrent cases warrant testing for diabetes, deficiency, or denture problems.
- A non-healing lip lesion should be biopsied to rule out other causes.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📜 A note from history
The cracked-corner form has long been called *perleche*, from a French word for the licking that so often causes it; older physicians used it as a visible sign of dietary lack, especially of the B-vitamins, in their patients.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
💚 Was this page helpful?
A quick tap helps us improve these guides. Saved on your device in this preview.