Cracked lips due to iron deficiency

Especially children with a strong saliva flow or during teething suffer from brittle and cracked lips, which may also become bloody. Since this is very unpleasant for the child, the lips should be cared for separately. Care products containing as much fat as possible are suitable for this purpose, but they should not contain petroleum derivatives or aromatic substances.

Petroleum derivatives should not be used because they are suspected of being carcinogenic, especially if they are ingested through the mouth. The care should also be without flavorings, as they encourage the child to suck the lips, which means that the care cannot work and the saliva continues to dry out the lips. If the lips remain permanently chapped, it must be clarified whether an infection in the mouth area is responsible for the permanently chapped lips.

A sign of this can be a strongly reddened oral mucosa as well as coatings on the oral mucosa or tongue. If it is an infection, it must be treated with medication. By eliminating the infection, the cracked skin of the lips also improves.

Kawasaki Syndrome

In infancy, severely reddened, chapped lips can be signs of Kawasaki syndrome. This always manifests itself with a high fever around 40°C and is often confused with scarlet fever or measles due to the rash on the trunk. As long as the rash has not yet appeared, the high fever in combination with conspicuously reddened and partially scaly, itchy lips and inflamed conjunctiva are the first signs.

In the course of the disease, redness and swelling of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet also occur. In addition, swelling of the lymph nodes often occurs, especially in the neck and groin area. However, cracked lips in small children without these additional symptoms do not indicate a Kawasaki syndrome.

Prevention

To avoid chapped lips, there are some measures that can be easily implemented in everyday life. Applying creams containing fat makes the lips supple and prevents them from drying out, especially in very warm or cold weather. The application of care products with sun protection factor protects the untanned lip skin from UVA and UVB radiation of sunlight.

At least a sun protection factor of 20 must be applied to provide adequate protection for the lips. In addition, the care products with sun protection factor must be renewed several times a day, since on the one hand the effect diminishes after a while and on the other hand the care products on the lips are removed from the lips during eating and drinking, which means that the product no longer provides sufficient protection. These preventive measures only help to protect the lips from harmful environmental influences.

To protect against chapped lips due to an infection there is only the possibility of strengthening the immune system. The therapy for chapped lips depends on the cause of the complaints. In many cases an oil-containing care cream helps, especially the use of argan oil is recommended for the care of chapped lips.

But also other fat-containing products are possible. Also a mask with fat-rich cream quark or honey can provide remedy. In addition, quark has a pain-relieving effect due to its cooling effect.

Lip care sticks with additives and fragrances are not recommended, however, as they additionally dry out the lips and thus worsen the symptoms. If the causes of chapped lips are deficiency symptoms due to iron deficiency or vitamin B2 deficiency, dietary changes are possible in mild cases. With a pronounced iron deficiency, an iron-containing preparation must be taken over several weeks, since a change in diet has no effect.

If the intake of iron tablets is not sufficient or is poorly tolerated, it is also possible to switch to infusions. In the case of infectious diseases, it is usually necessary to take medication. All forms of chapped lips can be treated well and heal with the appropriate therapy.