Psoriasis at the corners of my mouth??

[Petdoc]

Hi everyone -

I have a question. I have had PA and mild scalp psoriasis for a year. I have also had a recurrent battle with little red vesicles at the corners of my mouth for the same time period. I thought that they were pimples at first, but they take FOREVER to heal, cannot be popped like a pimple, and get worse when messed with. Also, they are often symmetrical and on both sides of my mouth. Just when one is almost healed, another starts to pop up on the other side. Really embarassing. I don't want my co-workers to think that I have some weird chronic cold sores or adult acne. Could this be psoriasis. The timing is right for the disease. The only time I saw a dermatologist for my scalp psoriasis , they were not there. When I tried to describe them, she thought that they could be something else and told me to come back when they were there. Anyone have any thought on the matter?? I'm tempted to try a little OTC steroid cream as an experiment.

Megan

[cakp12]

Is is like a cracking that won't heal?? If so it may be




Angular Chelosis

Winter is a time when many people get chapping and cracking at the corners of their mouth. This is called angular chelosis. It used to be contributed to the pooling of moisture and chapping of the corners of the mouth. Now it is thought to be associated with the accumulation of yeast organisms in the crease at the corner of your mouth. The yeast organisms set up an infection which keeps the area chronically cracked open and raw. If you suffer from this condition and normal moisturizers like Vaseline© don't clear up the condition within a couple of weeks or if it seems to recur frequently, you might want to ask your dentist for a prescription for Nystatin Ointment. This is an antifungal agent which, when applied for 2 or 3 weeks usually clears up the condition nicely.

[Petdoc]

Carol,

Thanks for the info. I'll ask my dr. about that.

Megan

[belldane]

Hi Megan,
I get the same thing, it comes and goes and if you pick the skin off it hurts! lol, so I guess I shouldn't pick it.
I get this tube of lip balm from Sally's I think it's called Bumble Bee, a knock off of Burt's Bees. It's in a yellow tube by the register. I use it on my lips and rub it over where the cracks are, right over the built up skin. You can't see it on really. It makes it feel sooo much better. In a day or two the dried up skin falls away and the skin heals up. Maybe it will help you too.

HTH Patty :)

[twinieten]

I've been dealing with peeling lips on and off for almost 2 years, and I also get those corner sores that you describe. My peeling lips started before my polka dotted guttate experience. I don't know if p can cause peeling lips, but it's seems like more than a coincidence that the symptoms appeared at roughly the same time. My lips began peeling long about December 04, I broke out with guttate in March 05, and was diagnosed with p in April 05.

Sometimes I'll use a little bit of OTC hydrocortizone on my lips (something I read on the internet) or some of the slightly stronger steroid that my son's derm prescribed for his penis. I'll apply a lip balm, lip gloss, or over that. If you wanted to try an antifungal, you could always try some OTC lotramin, the stuff used for jock itch. I might try that, myself.

[NPFLaura]

Just one more thought. I had reoccurring sores a few months ago and my rheumatologist told me it was a vitamin difficiency. I'm sorry for the life of me, I can't remember which one. You also can get herpes. Consider that both conditions may be a reaction of a supressed immune system. feel better

[cakp12]

Laura I believe it is a B vitimin deficincy that can contribute to the sores

[Petdoc]

Thanks for all of the ideas. I take a daily multivitamin, but maybe I will look into taking extra vitamin B. I thought about cold sores since I am on Enbrel. Prior to this I have never gotten a cold sore, but I guess I could have had a latent Herpes infection. But.....aren't cold sores right on the lip margin? My sores are right below with a little strip of normal tissue in between the lips and the sores. Could that be a cold sore?

Thanks to everyone who responded. This site is sure a wealth of information.

Megan

[twinieten]

Thanks for all of the ideas. I take a daily multivitamin, but maybe I will look into taking extra vitamin B. I thought about cold sores since I am on Enbrel. Prior to this I have never gotten a cold sore, but I guess I could have had a latent Herpes infection. But.....aren't cold sores right on the lip margin? My sores are right below with a little strip of normal tissue in between the lips and the sores. Could that be a cold sore?

Thanks to everyone who responded. This site is sure a wealth of information.

Megan

I've seen cold sores go well beyond the lips! They can be pretty bad! I'm not sure if what you have is a cold sore. I guess you could try using Abrevia, the OTC cold sore remedy and see if it helps. I tried it last time I had a cold sore and it made a huge difference! It never erupted, and unless you looked really closely at my lip, you wouldn't be able to tell that I had a cold sore at all! It also shortened the healing time.

[Petdoc]

Drea - good idea. I'll pick up some Abreva and give it a try.

However...I put some Triamcinilone cream (strong steroid) that I had in my medicine cabinet on the sores and after two days (at once a day application), the sores are SIGNIFICANTLY improved. So...I'll keep experimenting and keep you all posted.

Megan

[twinieten]

Drea - good idea. I'll pick up some Abreva and give it a try.

However...I put some Triamcinilone cream (strong steroid) that I had in my medicine cabinet on the sores and after two days (at once a day application), the sores are SIGNIFICANTLY improved. So...I'll keep experimenting and keep you all posted.

Megan

Good to know! Well, guess it can't hurt to have a tube of Abrevia on hand just in case some sore ever pops up. I think you'd know if it was a cold sore if you've ever had one.

Here's a classification chart with steroid strength in case you haven't looked it up yourself. Triamcinilone, depending on strength, might not be safe for your face. Not that I haven't gotten despirate enough to try it once or twice! http://www.skinandaging.com/docs/DrugGuide1006.pdf

[NPFLaura]

By the way, when I had the sore from the vitamin B difficiency, my doctor told me that it could takes more than a month to cure. So, don't give up too early. For me, it went away much earlier.

[Dulane]

Hey Petdoc...

Take a close-up picture of those bumps next time you have them. I took a picture to my derm last time I went.

You don't need your smiling face in there...just the bumps.


:D

[GitOverIt]

I have never had a cold sore, but have had canker sores....probably a cousin or something....anyway I always heard LYSINE (an amino-acid ) was good for
both.....
Lysine Many people have reported that taking the amino acid L-lysine has prevented or lessened the duration of their cold sores. Apparently, the herpes virus uses another amino acid, arginine, to grow and replicate while lysine inhibits the virus' ability to replicate itself. Reduce your intake of arginine-containing foods as mentioned above. If you get sores frequently take 1,500 to 3,000 mg. daily as a preventive measure. When you feel a sore coming on, take 3,000 mg daily until the sore crusts over. Experiment with the dosage until you find one that inhibits recurrence by reducing the amount until you find the optimal maintenance dosage, perhaps to 300-600 mg. Lysine may also be applied topically to the sores. If you get a cold sore, taking lysine should shorten the time you have it considerably, generally within five days. Consult your medical practitioner regarding your intake of lysine, especially if you are pregnant or nursing. No amino acid in large doses should be taken for long periods of time. Take the lysine between meals, preferably on an empty stomach.

for additional reading on the subject......

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:MAP9hBO8tnkJ:www.health911.com/remedies/rem_coldso.htm+lysine+cold+sores&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&ie=UTF-8

[rockstoneUS]

this kind of symptom is often associated with a Vitamin B type deficiency..maybe try a low dose supplement?...or even of good quality general multi-vitamin might do?

:)

[docmks]

I get cracks in the corner of my mouth sometimes...long before I knew I had P. A nurse assistant saw them once and told me to buy a small bottle of Lotrimin liquid (it comes in a very small bottle and has a dropper like end). Squeeze a drop or two out and rub it in. Those cracks went away in a few days. I'd always heard a B vitamin deficiency as well. Lotrimin is an antifungal often used for athletes foot or yeast infections. It worked...and it worked quickly. Go figure.

MK

[Petdoc]

Thanks everyone. I am on prenatal vitamins which should have plenty of vitamin B, but I may do some more research on B Vit deficiency. I don't think that they are cold sores because they don't seem bad enough. They start as a single liquid filled vesicle surrounded by slightly red skin --like an early pimple but with clear liquid instead of pus. If I mess with them they become angrier and just fester. As they heal they become patch like and sometimes have a thin flake of dry skin covering them. I know this is BAD, BAD, BAD, but if I just puncture one and put steroid cream on it, it is gone within 24-48 hrs (compared to 7-10 days if left alone). I will certainly talk to my doctor about finding a safer drug to use on my face.

Drea - I couldn't access that link to steroid strength etc. but thanks for the effort. I am still looking into that 777 oil for you.

Everyone out there with true psoriasis on your face - have your doctors prescribed any steroid creams (OTC or otherwise)??

Thanks again everyone

Megan

[twinieten]

Drea - I couldn't access that link to steroid strength etc. but thanks for the effort. I am still looking into that 777 oil for you.Megan

Try this one. http://dermnetnz.org/treatments/topical-steroids.html

[MaryJean713]

I have P on my face, but it cycles much more frequently than my other, more permanent "spots." In the winter (right now) it always gets pretty bad, and pretty painful.

I do use a steroid on my face, I am not suppossed to- but hey, the P is on my face!!

The steroid does seem to make my facial skin more sensitive, and it gets a little redder (which I am sure is why I am not suppossed to use it). The redness and sensitivity go away after about a day or two- and I get a week or two free of P. Of course then the whole cycle just starts up again...

Good luck,
MJ

[raydon14yp]

150 years ago, when I was in college, (Yes, I meant to type 150. It does seem that long ago.) I wrote a paper on RIBOFLAVIN, one of the B-complex vitamins. One condition that a lack of riboflavin causes is cheilosis. So, take large doses of this water soluble vitamin & see if that eliminates the cheilosis. You can not take too much of B vitamins because they are water soluble & the excess is excreted in the urine.