Mouth corner cracks.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Cracks at corner of Mouth??/
From: jfaherty.hom.net (John Faherty)
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 1995 10:34:58 GMT

>>What lack does this show?
>>I know that some substance is lacking if you get cracks at the corners of your mouth. (vit-C?)
>Probably one of the B-vitamins.

The condition is called " Cheilosis".

Vitamin B (riboflavin) deficiency can cause Cheilosis (cracking and fissuring of the lips at the corners of the mouth).

food sources: mg

Beef liver, 3 oz ........ 3.52
milk 1cup ........... 0.54
lean hamburger 3oz...............0.22
spinach ½ cup....................0.22

values obtained from USDA: Composition of foods Handbook No. 8 series.

From: cleek.terra.nlnet.nf.ca (CB Leek)

>I know that some substance is lacking if you get cracks at the corners of your mouth. (vit-C?)
>That is just one of the manifestations of herpes simplex or cold sores. Some people get big blisters, some people, like you and my good friend Nancy (as diagnosed by her doctor) get cracks at the corners of the mouth.

This is a condition called 'angular cheilitis', not to be confused with herpes simplex. It looks like cracks, lines, radiating at the corners, angles, of the mouth. They are benign, non-infectious, irritating, and somewhat disfiguring lesions. Totally annoying at times.

A. It very commonly occurs in people who have complete dentures that are several years old and have lost vertical dimension in their bite, leading to over-closure.

a. For over-closure problems, obviously the dentist is best consulted.

B. It also quite frequently occurs in people who have all their teeth, but are intolerant of dry and/or cold weather. Hopefully the situation encountered here! :-)

b. Moisturizers will hellp alleviate the dry/cold problem, whatever moisturizer works best on you. Some people do well with simple Vaseline!

Proper nutriton is recommended at ALL times, for ALL conditions. Good Luck.