To know “What does actinic cheilitis look like?” You should know, What is it? But if you already know about actinic cheilitis then you can skip it. Scroll toward the information which you are here to collect.
What is actinic cheilitis?
Actinic cheilitis is a skin condition. The cause of it is chronic sun exposure or artificial ultraviolet light. It can create rough, scaly, discolored patches on your lips and most of the time it affects the lower lips.
It also called
- Actinic cheilosis.
- Farmer’s lip.
- Sailor’s lip.
- Solar cheilitis.
- Solar cheilosis.
Cheilitis means “inflamed lips” in actinic. It usually begins with badly chapped lips that turn white or scaly.
Moreover, It can be painless, but if you don’t pay attention and consult a doctor, it can lead to skin cancer. Which is also known as squamous cell carcinoma. Plus Actinic Cheilitis is a part of Actinic Keratosis.
What are the Causes?
Actinic cheilitis lips damage is usually caused by ultraviolet light (UV) rays. If you don’t follow the skincare routine, then it can affect your skin. Lips are more susceptible to the sun than any other area of skin. The skin of the lips is thinner and contains less pigment to protect cells from the sun’s harmful rays. It causes by consistent and long-term UV radiation exposure to the lips.
What are the Symptoms of Actinic Cheilitis?
When you are aware of what actinic cheilitis look like, then it will be easy to control it. It manifests itself in a variety of ways. It gets identified because of red patches on the lips and around the mouth.
The most vital symptoms are below.
- Dry patch on lip
- Dry skin around the mouth all the time.
- The Burning sensation of the lips and mouth.
- Pain
- Tenderness
- Cracks in the mouth’s corners
- Folded in spots.
- Scaly.
- Swollen.
- Thin or fragile.
- Discoloured
- The line between the lower lip and skin becomes less clear.
Actinic Cheilitis lips are mostly painless, but that depends not on the situation. That is why you can feel the pain, burning, numbness, etc.
Is actinic cheilitis more common in men or women?
According to research, It is mostly common in men rather than women. Men are the ones who spend most of their time in the sun.
It also appears usually in people who are over age. Therefore, before going out in the sun you have to protect yourself.
What does actinic cheilitis look like?
These pictures can bestow you an idea about “What does actinic cheilitis look like?”
As you’ve seen in the pictures. If any of them are familiar to you, you should be aware of the actinic cause and symptoms in order to combat it.
How is actinic cheilitis diagnosed?
If you are having any symptoms which are above mentioned, then you should contact the doctor. They will inform you in what stage of actinic cheilitis you are. After that, The treatment will implement according to it.
The doctors will inform you whether you have
- Cheilitis
- Actinic cheilitis.
- Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Or any other condition.
If you will catch your diagnosis in the early stages, then actinic cheilitis treatment will be easy for you. If you feel symptoms such as a dry patch on lip, your lips turning white, burn, or you have dry skin around the mouth. This means you are in the early stages, and you should immediately contact your dermatologist.
How can you Treat It??
As you know, Actinic Cheilitis can turn into cancer. Which is why necessary to take its treatment. If you are suffering from it. Then according to your skin condition, it will get treated with surgery or medicines. Your Doctor will guide you about the treatment and skin care. Which you will need according to your diagnosis stage.
These are a few crucial ways for treatment.
- Creams that can directly apply to the skin. These creams do not affect your normal skin. Creams are retinoids, 5-fluorouracil, or imiquimod.
- Cryotherapy is one of the common methods. In this treatment, the doctor uses extremely cold temperatures to freeze and destroy abnormal cells.
- The method that a doctor uses is Electrocautery. In which doctor uses heat they get from electric current. It destroys the abnormal tissues.
- Another method is Laser ablation. In which laser destroy the abnormal cells.
- Moreover, In Photodynamic therapy, doctors use light to kill all the harmful cells.
- If you go towards the surgical procedure, there is a treatment known as Vermilionectomy. It is a surgical procedure that removes part or all of your lower lip border.
How to Prevent Actinic Cheilitis?
If you don’t want to face swear problems, then the best thing is to prevent it by doing skin care. For that, the first and best way to prevent actinic cheilitis lips is to avoid sun exposure. We know it is difficult to completely avoid the sun which is why you can follow the steps.
- You have to apply lip balm regularly, and your lip balm should contain sunscreen.
- You should wear a hat which has a wide brim which can give shade to your face.
- You should limit the sun and should take a break from it often.
- You have to avoid the sun when it is strongest such as in the midway.
By following these points, you can prevent AC treatment.
In a Nutshell
If you have read the above information. It means you got the answer to your question, “What does actinic cheilitis look like?” Not only that, but we have wrapped every detail from what is it? to its treatment and prevention.
Therefore, If you have a dry patch on your lip or dry skin around the mouth. You should contact your doctor and should start preventing it. To know how to prevent it, you have to grab from the above information.
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