Active cheilitis: Symptoms, treatment, prevention

If left untreated, active cheilitis can lead to complications of squamous cell carcinoma. The complication rate is small, but it is difficult to determine the risk of disease progression, so as soon as active cheilitis is diagnosed, the patient needs immediate treatment.

One of the causes of cheilitis is sun exposure. When the lips are exposed to the sun for a long time (about several years), it can cause active cheilitis.
Active cheilitis is more common in men over 40, especially those who do more outdoor work. Active cheilitis, if left untreated, can lead to squamous cell carcinoma.

If you experience the following symptoms, you may have active cheilitis:
Dry, chapped lips. Lips are red or white in patches (usually on the lower lip). Red and white patches that are scaly and rough. The lower lip line and skin are not as clear as before. The skin of the lips is discolored or scaly.

The following groups of people are at risk of forming and developing active cheilitis:
Working mainly outdoors such as construction workers, fishermen,... People with light skin tone and living in hot sunny areas, high outdoor temperature. People with freckles or sunburn easily. History of skin cancer. Men over 40 years of age With albinism or a weakened immune system.

Usually, angular active cheilitis is easy to miss in its early stages because the lips only appear dry and chapped, causing no pain. It is not until the lips are covered with white scabs that the patient begins to feel worried and visit a doctor.
To diagnose the disease, the doctor will rely on the clinical manifestations and inquire about the patient's history. The doctor may then order a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.
Active cheilitis can be treated medically or surgically, specifically:
Medical: The commonly used drug to treat active cheilitis is fluorouracil (Carac or Efudex). When applied directly to the lips, the active ingredients in the drug will kill disease-causing cells but completely do not affect other normal skin areas. Use time can last about 2-3 weeks. Some of the side effects that can be encountered when applying the medicine are swelling, burning and pain in the lips. Surgery: There are many surgical methods of active cheilitis, including cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen or electrotherapy, of which cryotherapy is commonly used. For cryotherapy, the inflamed lip area will be removed by covering with a layer of liquid nitrogen, causing that layer of skin to swell and peel off, allowing new skin to form. For electroporation, the skin in the inflamed area is removed with electricity. Before the surgery, the patient is given a local anesthetic.

If left untreated, active cheilitis can lead to complications of squamous cell carcinoma. The complication rate is small, but it is difficult to determine the risk of disease progression, so as soon as active cheilitis is diagnosed, the patient needs immediate treatment.
Usually, medical or surgical treatment is highly effective. However, the most important thing for patients to recover quickly is to limit sun exposure.
Also, always pay attention to mouth abnormalities, especially when lips are dry, cracked and scaly.

For people who often work outdoors, it is necessary to take the following measures to prevent active cheilitis:
Wear a hat with a wide brim, use a mask to cover your face, especially the lip area. Choose to buy and use a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15. Before going out in the sun, apply lip balm according to the instructions for use. Avoid exposure to midday sun. Limit outdoor time when possible. Active cheilitis is a disease that has the potential to form and develop if exposed to the sun for a long time. The disease can be prevented by limiting the exposure of the face to the sun, applying sunscreen lip balm when going out.

Reference source: Healthline.com