Q. I suffer from occasional bouts of angular cheilitis. I find that applying Listerine to the sores helps to eliminate the problem within a few days.
A. Angular cheilitis is a fancy name for sore red cracks at the corners of the mouth. These may be triggered by a fungal infection, explaining why Listerine with its antifungal herbal oils might be helpful.
Other readers have reported benefit by treating sore corners of the mouth with Mentholatum or Vicks VapoRub, which have similar anti-fungal ingredients.
Another reader points out that occasionally this type of sore lip is due to a vitamin deficiency:
“Cracks in the corner of the mouth can be the result of lack of vitamin B as well. I would suggest that you have your doctor check your blood for this, it is a simple test. Many elderly people are low in B vitamins.”
Good advice. If there is no deficiency, however, one of these simple products might do the job.
