MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Cheilitis, actinic

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Cheilitis, actinic

Actinic chelitis is caused by chronic and excessive exposure to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. There is thickening whitish discoloration of the lip at the border of the lip and skin. There is also loss of the usually sharp demarcation between the red of the lip and the normal skin (vermilion border). This condition is considered premalignant and may lead to squamous cell skin cancer.

Update Date: 1/17/2004

Updated by: Michael Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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