Over-the-counter care for angular cheilitis

Choose a fragrance-free product such as plain petroleum jelly, and use it to shield the mouth corner from saliva after gently drying the skin.

Angular cheilitis begins when the skin barrier at a mouth corner becomes inflamed and fissured. Saliva exposure and rubbing can maintain the crack, while yeast or bacteria may complicate damaged skin. Contact allergy, eczema and cold sores can produce a similar-looking area.

Because redness and splitting do not reveal the cause reliably, a product labelled for fungal infection or inflammation is not automatically the right choice.

Wash your hands before touching the area, dab it dry rather than rubbing and reapply the barrier when saliva or eating removes it. Pause new lip cosmetics and avoid licking the corners. A pharmacist can check whether a non-prescription antifungal is appropriate and explain how it should be used.

Avoid combining several medicated creams. Do not use a topical corticosteroid around the mouth unless a clinician or pharmacist has considered infection and confirmed that the product and duration suit you.

Book an assessment if the split is getting worse, keeps recurring, spreads, or does not improve despite careful moisture control. Increasing warmth, swelling, pus, heavy crusting or significant tenderness can suggest a complication requiring targeted care.

Urgent help is appropriate if facial redness spreads quickly, you feel systemically unwell, swallowing becomes difficult or swelling interferes with breathing.

Show the pharmacist or clinician every product already tried. Ask whether the pattern suggests irritation, infection or another lip disorder, and whether dental fit, dry mouth or a recurring health factor should be addressed.