What deficiency causes cracked lips?
No deficiency causes cracked lips in most people; lip licking does, because saliva evaporates and takes moisture with it. The deficiencies that really can are iron, B12, riboflavin and zinc, and they usually crack the corners of the mouth rather than the lips themselves.
Use a bland ointment, plain petrolatum or lanolin, many times daily, and drop flavored products for two weeks.
Cracks at the corners suggest a yeast overgrowth or iron and B vitamin deficits, both checkable and fixable. A single scaly patch on the lower lip that never heals, especially in sun-exposed adults, needs a professional look.
Source: American Academy of Dermatology, healing dry, chapped lips
See a doctor promptly if
- A single scaly, crusted or ulcerated patch on the lip that persists beyond three weeks, especially in smokers or sun-exposed outdoor workers
- Painful cracks at the corners of the mouth that keep returning, which can signal yeast overgrowth, iron or B vitamin deficiency, or denture problems
- Cracked lips with mouth sores, eye irritation or skin rash after starting a new medicine
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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