Angular Cheilitis!!! What to do?

Hi friends!

After some research, I just discoverd that I have angular cheilitis, which is cracked corners of the mouth. Its lasted almost 2 months now and not getting better. At first I thought I had just irritated my skin by eating too much pineapple so I cut that out. But it hasn't gotten any better. I've been apply coconut oil and jojoba oil to moisturize and heal it.

Then, today I was researching "cracked mouth corners" and thats when I found out it was called "angular cheilitis" and that it was caused mainly by vitamin deficiencies such as b vitamins (mainly riboflavin and b-12), iron, and zinc.

I do notice that when I track my calories on Cronometer ( I seem to average around 2,100 but it varies alot) that I'm a little low in zinc, iron, and calcium. But only by about 10% usually. I get plenty of b-vitamins, and I take a large dosage of a chewable b-12 supplement about every other day.

I also found out in my research, that it isn't good to moistuize the cracked corners, because it could be candida or a bacterial infection and the moisture only causes the fungus or bacteria to stay.

Has anyone experienced this? What helped?

I am experiencing so many issues with my skin that it is making me want to give up! I keep reading about people whose candida, acne, ect, went away in weeks, and all my skin issues have seemed to get worse!

I love this way of eating and I don't want to go back to eating a high protein, low carb diet like I ate last summer. But my skin was alot better then! I did end up going on a 7 month long binge over the fall and winter, eating total crap, processed, fried food, junk food, etc, so I know my body needs time to recover from that. It been 2 months now of lfrv and I just keep getting more skin issues!

I also rarely eat any overts, so my fat % is at around 5%.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any comments or advice!!

Have a wonderful day!

Peaches :)

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Permalink Reply by Sweetfruitlover on May 9, 2012 at 7:07am

That sounds very frustrating and probably painful too. My first reaction is that it's probably detox. It took my body a long time to get through my first detox phase - my skin was broken out for months and months and I'd always had beautiful skin before - I never even got pimples as a teenager. The body is going to take whatever time it needs.

It doesn't sound like you're that low in your consumption of zinc and other vitamins and minerals. But that doesn't mean that you're absorbing them well. Or maybe you might have a higher than usual need. So it might be a deficiency in something... but I would guess it's just your body's way of detoxing. You could try supplementing and seeing if it makes a difference though.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Peaches on May 10, 2012 at 7:14am

HI Sweetfruitlover!

I really hope that it is just detox. It seems I keep getting more and more symptoms of candida the more I stick with this diet. I'm barely eating any fat, so I don't understand. You are right that I might not be absorbing the vitamins and minerals. I recently found out I had a intolerance to gluten. So it may be taking my body time to adjust and start to absorb things now that I'm not eating it.

As much as I don't want to, I may take a a couple supplements to see if it helps.

Thanks for your response!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Bakhos on May 9, 2012 at 7:55am

Hello Peaches, i put some lotrimin on it a couple times a day .... and attempted to keep them from getting moist. I also started taking a raw vegan multivitamin and getting plenty of sleep. My lips cleared up in about a week after that.^_^

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Permalink Reply by Peaches on May 10, 2012 at 7:16am

Michael,

Thanks for your advice. I've been looking into some treatments and I think I will go get some sort of anitfungus cream and try a multivitamin. I have one at home, I just haven't taken it in a long time.

Thanks again for sharing your experience. :)

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Permalink Reply by Myca on May 9, 2012 at 8:22am

Yes, many times. I have always treated with cortisone cream and A&D ointment. Improvement has always been noted in 24 hours. The opposite of what you read. Mine is caused by food I eat...Mango, Pineapple or stress and cold weather. I drink all my smoothies through a straw now.

Because you have been dealing with it for 2 months, I would recommend a cream for candida like the others have. Drink smoothies through a straw. If things aren't improving in 3 days, I would consider getting it checked out, because of the length of time. Plus they can give you something for the pain.

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Permalink Reply by Peaches on May 10, 2012 at 7:18am

Hi Myca,

I have noticed that pineapple and mango definitely irritate it, especially if I eat alot of it. But I love both those fruits! I've been thinking about doing banana smoothie island for at least a week to see if that helps.

Thans for your advice. :)

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Permalink Reply by Peaches on May 10, 2012 at 7:20am

Hi Cloudyknight,

Yeah I think I am going to have to eat smaller bites! I love peeling and eating a juicy whole mango though! haha

Thanks for your response.

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Permalink Reply by Sunshine on May 10, 2012 at 7:41am

unless you are a super athlete i would eat overts and keep that fat at 10%

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Permalink Reply by Nic on December 1, 2012 at 3:16pm

NO, I do not believe diet alone can cure this. I had it. it's a virus, so it will keep coming back. mine kept coming back, until I guess I got healthier, ate more fruits & veg, etc., and I haven't seen it back in 6+ months. Lysine (and products with lysine) will help it disappear. also, use carmex. yes, take B12 and other vitamins too (fruits, veg, and multivitamin if possible/ desirable)

hope this helps :)