Is anyone dealing with angular cheilitis since their surgery

[shutmymouth]

I have been fighting it off and on since my surgery 2 years ago. It came back with a vengeance in December.
I'm using the ointment my dentist gave me and it will not go away.

I don't think it is a B2 (riboflavin deficiency) Because I drink lots of milk, eat at least 1 thing of greek yogurt daily,
and lots of almonds and cheese. I also eat meat at each meal. All of these things have riboflavin in them naturally.

All I can figure is that because my upper lip hangs over my lower lip more than it did in the past is why I am having this problem.
(I had a Lefort 1)

Thoughts?

[katsface]

Haven't had this, but a quick look at Wikipedia tells me that it can be exaggerated by a candida infection, and that sets off some bells and whistles for me. In fact, when I saw the picture on wiki I thought "that looks like a candida infection". I do suffer from various candida related weirdness (like dandruff) when I eat certain things. One of those things is milk. I'm also gluten and fructose intolerant and accidentally eating those things can make any skin conditions and allergies flare up. Do you know if you have any food sensitivity? I didn't know for a long time that I was sensitive to any food. It took me years to put together all of the pieces. So even if you think you're not sensitive to anything, I wouldn't completely rule it out.

You might be seeing this kind of infection/irritation after your surgery because of the strain on your immune system from healing, or from the antibiotics that you were given (my guess is the antibiotics are a more likely cause). Antibiotics mess up your natural balance of 'flora' aka bacteria/yeast/other microbes. You need the right balance of flora to keep certain microbes, like candida, from over growing. When they aren't kept in check by your natural balance, they seize the opportunity and take hold in places they wouldn't normally be, like, the corners of your mouth, your scalp, the inside of your mouth (thrush) fungal infections of the nails etc.

There are tons of immune strengthening dietary protocols designed to re-set your gut and help reduce the cause of candida (and other) overgrowth. They're usually 30 day protocols that are designed to eliminate any foods that are potentially problematic (most will eliminate refined sugars, gluten and lactose, and many will have a broader scope like eliminating all grains, most sugar, eggs, tomatoes... the list goes on). This gives your gut/immune system time to get healthy. At the end of thirty days you start re-introducing foods, one by one, and keep note of how you feel. If you re-introduce a food and you feel awful, it's likely that you are sensitive to that food.

It's a great way to find out if you are sensitive to foods. Even if you aren't sensitive to any foods, it's a good way to cut down on the sugars and starches that things like candida tend to thrive on.

It's important to note that protocols like this are NOT a 'cleanse' and do not involve wacky vinegar and syrup solutions, or starvation.

I tend to favor high protein, lower carb protocols, like the Whole 30 paleo style protocol. http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/ That's what I know works for me. But, you may fare better choosing a different kind of protocol.

I would also add a good, multi-strain pro-biotic to help restore your gut balance. I like the "Ultimate Flora" line because they are potent enough to start to help within days. (Most yogurt in the US is pasteurized, and not stored to keep cultures alive. Unless you're getting one that specifically states it has live active cultures, it probably isn't a reliable source of pro-biotics by itself.)

Wikipedia also suggests that there may be a link between angular cheilitis and Zinc deficiency. But, I would be cautious to remember that correlation is NOT causation. Just because a lot of people who have angular cheilitis are deficient in one or more nutrients, it does not mean that those nutrient deficiencies cause angular cheilitis. For instance (and I'm just pulling this out of the air as an example of how correlation is not necessarily causation), people who tend to eat lots of processed foods, or who have leaky gut syndrome, may have a Zinc deficiency because they either don't eat enough zinc or the leaky gut is preventing them from properly absorbing it. People who eat lots of refined foods/have leaky gut may be more likely to suffer candida infections which could cause such an irritation as angular cheilitis. If that's correct, taking more Zinc won't help the cheilitis, because while it's correlated with zinc deficiency, it doesn't cause zinc deficiency. (Again, I don't have any idea if that's true, I'm just illustrating a point.)

That's probably not even close to the kind of answer you were looking for! But I hope maybe it helps a little.