Angular Cheilitis: What Cracked Corners of Your Mouth Are Telling You

The Painful Cracks That Keep Coming Back

Angular cheilitis — cracking, redness, soreness, and crusting at the corners of the mouth — is extremely common in Nigeria and tends to be persistent. Most people apply lip balm and wait, not realising that the condition frequently has a treatable nutritional or microbial root cause.

The Most Common Causes

• B vitamin deficiencies — riboflavin (B2), B6, and B12 deficiency are classic causes. The corners of the mouth are one of the first places nutritional deficiencies manifest visibly
• Iron deficiency anaemia — very common in Nigerian women and children; angular cheilitis is a classic finding
• Candida (yeast) infection — the skin folds at the mouth corners create a warm, moist environment ideal for Candida overgrowth, particularly common in diabetics and those taking antibiotics or steroids
• Poorly fitting dentures — in older patients, dentures that don't support the mouth properly create excessive skin folds

The FXMed Assessment

Recurrent angular cheilitis warrants: B12, folate, ferritin, zinc, fasting glucose (diabetes screen), and a swab for Candida. Our Functional Health Analysis identifies which of these is driving your symptoms — because the treatment differs: antifungal cream won't fix B12 deficiency, and B vitamins won't clear Candida.