The sensitive transitional skin of the lips is a favored site for primary skin diseases, especially eczematous dermatitis. An inflammatory condition of the lips, eg chapped lips (cheilitis sicca) in atopic eczema, may be the only manifestation of a skin disease or appear as part of a generalized dermatosis. Inflammatory changes to the lips also occur in the context of systemic disorders such as lupus erythematosus or in allergic diseases. This article presents the most frequent and the most important forms of inflammatory cheilitis. Schlagwörter: angioedema, atopy, cheilitis glandularis, cheilitis simplex, contact eczema, granulomatous cheilitis, lichen planus, lip-licking eczema, lupus erythematosus