Actinic cheilitis (also known as farmer's lip or sailor's lip) represents confluent actinic keratoses on the lips, most often the lower lip. Like discrete actinic keratoses, actinic cheilitis is also a premalignant condition related to cumulative lifetime sun exposure. It is significantly more common in men, elderly patients, and patients with light skin phototypes.
Individuals with actinic cheilitis often present with complaints of persistent dryness and cracking of the lips. They will frequently exhibit other cutaneous manifestations of sun damage (eg, actinic keratoses, poikiloderma of Civatte, actinic comedones).
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) develops in 10%-30% of cases of actinic cheilitis.
Actinic cheilitis - Oral Mucosal Lesion
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis
Codes
ICD10CM:
K13.0 – Diseases of lips
SNOMEDCT:
46795000 – Actinic cheilitis
K13.0 – Diseases of lips
SNOMEDCT:
46795000 – Actinic cheilitis
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Contact dermatitis
- Chronic lip licking
- Granulomatous cheilitis (Melkersson-Rosenthal disease)
- Oral SCC (see also cutaneous SCC)
- Drug-induced cheilitis (isotretinoin and other retinoids)
- Cheilitis glandularis
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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References
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Last Reviewed:11/02/2020
Last Updated:11/02/2020
Last Updated:11/02/2020
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Actinic cheilitis - Oral Mucosal Lesion