EXFOLIATIVE FORM OF CHEILITIS

Abstract

Exfoliative cheilitis is an uncommon chronic inflammatory disorder of the vermilion characterized by persistent desquamation, keratinous scale formation, crusting, and periodic re-epithelialization. Although the disorder has been recognized for decades, its nosological boundaries remain unstable because clinically similar presentations may arise from factitial injury, allergic or irritant reactions, infection, chronic lip-licking, or other inflammatory cheilitides. The exfoliative form therefore occupies a difficult position in oral medicine and dermatology: it is visually distinctive, yet diagnostically nonspecific. This article analyzes the condition from a contemporary clinical and academic perspective, with attention to etiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology, differential diagnosis, histopathology, management, and prognosis. The review argues that exfoliative cheilitis should be approached primarily as a diagnosis of exclusion, requiring careful correlation of history, examination, psychosocial assessment, and selected laboratory or histological investigations.