Why does a child's lips dry and crack: reasons, what to do, how to treat and smear

The health of a little person depends on many factors. Until a certain age, he cannot take care of himself on his own - this must be done by his parents. They also treat the baby and protect him from all adversity.

If a child's lips dry and crack, this is alarming as a possible reason for something serious. Moms immediately rush to heal and smear the wounds with something, but in order to do it right, you should know why this is happening.

Provoking factors

There may be several reasons. Some of them cause the appearance of cracks over the entire surface of the mucous membrane, others - only in certain areas.

So, the appearance cracks in the corners of the lips may occur due to:

1. Lack of any substance in the body, more often it is vitamin A. The situation is repeated regularly, accompanied by pain.
2. Profuse flow of saliva. A baby who constantly sucks a finger produces a lot of saliva, which leads to overdrying of the mucous membrane and the appearance of cracks on it.
3. Infections - some infectious diseases are accompanied by constant cracks in the mucous membrane.
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4. Allergies - a reaction can occur to a new product introduced into the diet, and manifest itself only when it is consumed. If, after removing the product, new cracks do not form, and the old ones slowly heal, then the reason was an allergic reaction.

The lower lip often suffers, for example, it can crack to blood due to:

1. High dryness of the air in the room, while the lips are cracked due to excessive evaporation from their surface, the situation is aggravated by various air conditioners and fans that increase the movement of air and reduce it humidity.
2. Lack of fluid, since the baby is constantly in motion, his need for water is high, but he cannot always say this. Therefore, parents must ensure that the child is getting enough fluids.
3. High temperatures, when the baby has a fever, his mucous membranes evaporate a lot of water, which leads to their dryness and cracking.
4. Uncomfortable food temperature. If the food is very cold or hot, the baby's sensitive mucous membrane may react to it by cracking.

Also, the reason that the child's lips dry and crack can be:

• malocclusion, due to which the mucous membrane is constantly exposed to the teeth;
• indigestion;
• oral infections;
• the habit of taking in the mouth and licking various objects;
• side effect of taking medications;
• the habit of biting and licking lips;
• herpes and others.

How to treat and care for chapped lips in children?

Before you start treating chapped lips, you should consult your doctor. He will identify the source of the problem and prescribe the appropriate treatment. So, if vitamin deficiency is observed, he will recommend a vitamin complex, and in case of allergies, he will offer an antihistamine.

If the reason lies in the presence of a viral, fungal or bacterial infection, it must be treated with medications:

• antiviral agents are prescribed against herpes (Acyclovir);
• against bacteria and fungi - antibiotics designed specifically for children.

It is easy to eliminate simple infections, the main thing is to start treatment on time.

An important point in the fight against cracks in the oral mucosa is cleanliness. The mucous membrane should be clean, you should not allow the child to constantly touch it, especially with some objects. This can cause the penetration of a secondary infection into the cracks, which will only aggravate the situation. You also need to take care of the humidity in the room, not allowing the air to dry out.

If the reason is a digestive disorder, then it is necessary to visit a gastroenterologist who will prescribe therapy to eliminate it.

Problems with the oral cavity must be addressed by the dentist. When the baby's lips are constantly chapped, and there is also redness of the oral mucosa or rashes appear, an urgent need to contact this specialist.

The dentist is generally recommended to undergo regular visits to prevent the development of pathologies of the dentition and eliminate the emerging disorders.

In addition to medications, "improvised" means are also used to cope with dry and chapped lips and accompanying discomfort in the baby.

These include:

1. Hygienic lipstick and lip balm, due to the fatty base, they will cover the lips with an even film and protect them from external factors. Lipstick will soften mucous membranes, moisturize it and help fade cracks.
2. Wound healing agents, they can be smeared chapped lips in a child, especially if they are cracked and bleeding. Ointments such as Rescuer, Panthenol, Solcoseryl will help to quickly restore the integrity of the mucous membrane and protect against infection, in addition, many of them have an analgesic effect.
3. Baby cream helps to soften the mucous membrane and eliminate cracks, but it cannot be used in the presence of infectious diseases on the mucous membrane. You should not use any moisturizer that comes to hand, because the skin of a small child is different from that of an adult, so the remedy can be ineffective and even harmful.
4. Oils - in this case, not any oil is used, but sea ​​buckthorn or almond, which have wound healing properties and moisturize the surface of the lips. You should not take aromatic oils, such as fir, lavender and others, as they can cause an allergic reaction and even irritation of the mucous membranes.

If a small child has a dry or cracked lip, it is worth first assessing the environment, the humidity of the air, remembering when the baby was on the street, what he did, what he ate. When there is no obvious reason, then it is necessary to pay attention to the baby's health, excluding various diseases. A pediatrician will help to do this, and he will prescribe the appropriate treatment.