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Lips that split and bleed

A crack that reopens every time you speak or eat has a small number of causes, and cracks at the corners mean something different from cracks in the middle.

By Patrick and Michelle7 min read
Article in one pictureMiddle and corners are different
  1. Centre split: seal itPetroleum jelly hourly, thickly at night
  2. Corners: not just dryAngular cheilitis needs treating differently
  3. Two weeks is the limitA split that will not heal gets examined
One is mechanical. The other usually involves yeast or bacteria.
On this pageWhy the same crack keeps reopening5

Quick answer

The bottom line

A split in the middle of the lower lip is usually mechanical: dryness plus movement, kept open by licking and by every meal. Seal it with plain petroleum jelly through the day and a thick layer overnight, stop all flavoured and tingling balms, and it should close within a week. Cracks at the corners are a different problem — angular cheilitis — often involving yeast or bacteria, and they need a clinician rather than more balm. See someone if a split has not healed in two weeks, keeps returning to the same spot, or comes with sores inside the mouth.

At a glance

Three things worth remembering

  1. A central lower-lip split is mechanical. Sealing it continuously, including overnight, is what lets it close.[1][3]
  2. Cracks at the corners are angular cheilitis and often need an antifungal or antibacterial rather than balm.[2][5]
  3. A split that has not healed in two weeks, or keeps returning to one spot, should be examined.[4][1]

Section 01

Why the same crack keeps reopening

Lips move constantly — speaking, eating, smiling — and a fissure in a surface under repeated tension cannot form a stable scab. Every time the edges are pulled apart the healing restarts, which is why a small split can persist for weeks while a similar cut elsewhere would close in days.[1][5]

Licking makes it worse in two ways: saliva evaporates and pulls water out of the surface, and its enzymes irritate already broken skin. Most people with a persistent split are licking it far more often than they realise, particularly while concentrating.[1]

Section 02

What actually closes it

  • Plain white petroleum jelly, applied every hour or two through the day. It seals water in and contains nothing that stings.[3][1]
  • A thick layer at night, when the lip is still for hours and healing can get ahead of the movement.[1]
  • Stop every flavoured, tingling, menthol, camphor or exfoliating lip product until it has been healed for a week.[1][5]
  • Reapply after every meal and drink, which is when the seal comes off and the crack reopens.[3]
  • No picking or peeling of the loose edge, however tempting.[1]

Section 03

Corners of the mouth are a different problem

Cracks at the corners — angular cheilitis — happen where saliva pools and stays. That warm, damp fold favours yeast and some bacteria, so the treatment is usually an antifungal or antibacterial rather than a moisturiser, and balm alone tends to keep it going by trapping moisture.[2][5]

It is more common with dentures that no longer fit, with anything that increases drooling, in people with dry mouth, and sometimes alongside iron or B-vitamin deficiency. Those associations are the reason repeated angular cheilitis is worth a proper look rather than repeated tubes.[2][5]

Section 04

Causes worth considering if it keeps coming back

An allergic reaction to a lip product, toothpaste or nail varnish transferred by touching the mouth can produce persistent cracking and scaling. The clue is that it improves on holiday or during any period when the routine changed. Patch testing settles it when the history is suggestive.[5][1]

Frequent cold sores can leave the same area repeatedly damaged; those have a tingling prodrome and blister before crusting, and antiviral treatment early in an episode shortens it. Persistent dryness with cracking can also follow isotretinoin and some other medicines, in which case heavy sealing is the management rather than a sign something is wrong.[5][1]

Section 05

When a split needs examining

  • Any crack, sore or rough patch on the lip that has not healed within two to three weeks.[4][1]
  • A lesion that keeps returning to exactly the same spot, especially on the lower lip.[4]
  • Bleeding without obvious trauma, or a firm lump under the crack.[4][5]
  • Splitting alongside ulcers inside the mouth, or with weight loss, fatigue or other general symptoms.[2][5]

Your next step

Turn this into a practical plan

Choose the guide that best matches what you see. Each one starts with what to try, how long to wait and when to get help.

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