Experiencing physical pain is one thing. Having the cause of it seen by anybody you would be meeting face to face on a daily basis is another. This will cause the pain to become more painful, right? This is the case with perleche, or angular cheilitis, or cheilosis, or stomatitis. It is painful and, at the same time, it is visible since it occurs on the mouth and the area surrounding it.

What is perleche? How does one become afflicted with it? If ever you become unfortunate enough to contract it, how will you be able to treat it so as not to have it affect your self-esteem? What are the best practices to have them avoided at all costs?

This hubpage will seek to answer all these pertinent questions. Read on.

What is perleche? Perleche is a disease that can affect people from all walks of life. It is a painful condition and, at the same time, an annoying physical problem since it occurs on the face, particularly the mouth area. It is manifested by lesions and bleeding of these lesions which can become swollen and can affect mouth activities in an adverse manner. Among these activities are eating, brushing the teeth, and kissing. Although by itself it is not life-threatening, it can be a precursor to more serious diseases since if the bacteria from it would migrate to the throat and find its way into the recesses of the body, the possibilities for it to develop into other types of diseases are endless. Although at its early stages it would appear not too ugly and feel not too painful, in its later stages if it is not treated as soon as possible, it can manifest itself through ugly, blood-filled or pus-filled sores that would really make one appear hideous.

Perleche is caused primarily by a fungal or bacterial infection. It can also be caused by ill-fitting dentures and, at times, an immune system deficiency or some deficiencies in iron and/or other major vitamins. People who are prone to skin diseases and allergies are more prone to having perleche at one point or another in their lives. The treatments usually being prescribed by medical practitioners for perleche are the following:

1. Application of lip balm on the affected areas in early stages to prevent the lips from drying and breaking, causing pain and bleeding.
2. Topical anti-bacterial or anti-fungal creams are also recommended.
3. Steroids are also recommended.

These treatment options, however, can sometimes not really be effective, especially since some bacteria and fungi can still survive the onslaught of these medications. Because of this worry, a lot of people who have perleche are looking for alternative methods in order to treat it. Among the most widely-used perleche treatment alternatives are the following:

1. Application of olive oil on the affected areas.
2. Application of unsalted butter on the affected areas.
3. Application of aloe vera gel on the affected areas.
4. Application of honey on the affected areas.
5. Putting cucumber slices on the affected areas.

To be able to avoid contracting perleche, one should do the following:

1. Practicing general good oral hygiene.
2. Taking in iron supplements or eating iron-rich foods.
3. Taking in vitamin supplements, most especially Vitamins B1 and B12, or eating vitamin-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables..
4. For those who have dentures, they need to make sure that their dentures fit just right to prevent the onset of infection from fungi and bacteria. Soaking the dentures at night in a bleach solution would really help keep the bacteria and the fungi away.
   
5. Increasing daily water intake.
   

Make sure that you do all the things stated above if you have perleche. Avoiding it, though, through the best practices mentioned would be the best thing.