White dots on the lips are not only a cosmetic defect. In some cases, this symptom indicates a violation in the functioning of the body systems. This may be a sign of infections, abnormalities in the functioning of the digestive tract, vitamin deficiency or excessive accumulation of fat. Often, the displacement of the sebaceous gland (Fordyce granules) leads to the formation of spots. The treatment for this cosmetic defect will depend on the origin of the rash. Next, the main causes of this phenomenon will be examined in detail.
Deviations in the work of the digestive tract
White spots can occur in people with stool retention and bloating. In this case, toxins are excreted from the body irregularly. White spots on the skin of the lips are only one of the symptoms of a violation of the gastrointestinal tract. They will disappear only when the cause of their appearance is eliminated. If white spots are accompanied by dyspeptic manifestations, then treatment by a gastroenterologist is required. You should also pay attention to your diet. It is necessary to try to eat as much as possible sour-milk and vegetable food. This cosmetic defect will help eliminate traditional medicine recipes, which will be described later.
Colds
White dots appear with colds and hypothermia. They are usually localized on the upper lip.
In this case, they look like bubbles filled with liquid. But at an early stage of the pathology, rashes can be spotted. These are manifestations of the herpes virus. The causative agent of the disease is activated with a decrease in immunity. In this case, you need to treat the infection itself. The rash on the lips will disappear on its own after recovery.
Unsuccessful shaving and hair removal
White dots on the upper lip may form after shaving. Also, their cause may be waxing. This is due to ingrown hair and subsequent infection of the skin.
The spots in this case are located on the line of the upper lip and slightly extend beyond it. You can get rid of them with the help of local medicines and folk remedies.
Avitaminosis
The reason for the white spots on the lips under the skin can be a deficiency of vitamins and nutrients. Most often, this is a symptom of a lack of iron in the body. However, in adulthood, such a manifestation is extremely rare. Most often this is observed in young children. In this case, you need to visit a pediatrician and undergo treatment with iron preparations. After recovery, the spots disappear.
Atheromas
White spots on the lips may be wen (atheromas). Such formations appear due to blockage of the duct of the sebaceous gland. This is often observed in adolescents. In the puberty, there is increased work of the exocrine and endocrine glands, this becomes the cause of the appearance of wen. This is a soft, painless formation in the thickness of the skin, which can be easily shifted to the side.
At first glance it seems that atheroma is a purely cosmetic defect. However, it is not. Grease prone to overgrowth and suppuration. Therefore, if white dots appear on the lips, they must be urgently treated.
Therapy of atheroma is carried out only surgically. After a small excision of the skin, the wen is removed with the capsule. In no case should you squeeze out these formations yourself. It is impossible to remove a wen at home. Self-medication can lead to infection in the atheroma and suppuration.
Fordyce Pellets
Sometimes small spots (up to 2 mm) of whitish-yellow color form on the lips. They look like blotches. Their appearance is due to the fact that the sebaceous gland moves to the upper layers of the skin. Such formations are called Fordyce granules. Photos of white dots on the lips can be seen below.
Medicine does not know the exact reasons for the formation of these granules. It is noted that they often appear in adolescents, pregnant women, as well as patients with seborrhea. These rashes do not cause a person any unpleasant sensations. White dots on the lips in this case do not itch or hurt. However, they spoil the appearance of a person.
Fordyce granules usually appear in young patients under the age of 35 years. In older people, such rashes are extremely rare.
Drug treatment
How to treat white spots on the lips? Therapy will depend on the etiology of this symptom. If the rashes are caused by an infection, vitamin deficiency or malfunction of the digestive tract, then the cause of the spots should be eliminated. Zhirovki are treated surgically.
Do not cut or cauterize the spots yourself. This can only aggravate the situation and lead to an increase in rashes and infection.
Therapy with Fordyce granules is carried out using local drugs. The use of Retin-A cream is shown. It is applied to white spots twice a day and held for 5-6 hours. Then the remnants of the product must be washed off the skin. Usually, after several applications, a significant improvement occurs. The granules soften and fall off on their own. It takes 2-3 months to fully recover.
The use of jojoba oil is also beneficial. This drug reduces the secretion of sebaceous glands. It is applied to the lips and left for 20 minutes, and then washed off.
Surgery
If conservative treatment does not help, then the points are removed operatively. The following types of surgical interventions are used:
- Removal with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy). This procedure may leave scars on the skin. For complete stain removal, several sessions may be required.
- Electrocoagulation. This is a more gentle procedure than cryotherapy. The contents of the granules are dried using a high frequency current. Due to the cessation of nutrition, the formation on the lip dies, and then it is removed.
- Removal with a laser. The granule is excised and eliminated using a laser beam.
- Removal by radio waves. This is the most painless and less traumatic method. The granules are excised using radio waves, such an effect does not leave marks on the skin.
Cryotherapy is a rather painful and traumatic procedure. Therefore, it is carried out only in extreme cases. If the spots on the lips do not cause the patient any inconvenience, then they try not to resort to surgical treatment.
Beauty treatments
Therapy of white points is carried out not only in clinics, but also in cosmetology rooms. Two methods of treatment are used: darsonvalization and tattooing of the lips.
In the first case, the Darsonval apparatus is used. With its help affect the skin of the lips with alternating currents of high frequency. This stimulates blood microcirculation and metabolic processes in the skin, as a result of the rash disappear after about 10 sessions.
Lip tattoo is more likely not a treatment method, but a masking of white spots. Special pigments are introduced into the epidermis. As a result, the lips are painted over, and the dots cease to be noticeable. The effect persists for several years, then the procedure is repeated. Many women are satisfied with the result of tattooing. Under the pigment layer the dots are completely hidden. However, this method is purely cosmetic, it does not affect the cause of the appearance of spots.
Folk methods
Treatment of white spots with folk remedies must be agreed with the doctor. Only a specialist can take into account all the indications and contraindications for the use of home remedies.
The following recipes can be recommended:
- Kalanchoe. A sheet of this plant should be put on the affected lip and fixed with a band-aid. Such a compress is done twice a day. After a week, spots become much smaller. You can replace the Kalanchoe with a leaf of a coltsfoot plant.
- Aloe. This method is useful for a small number of points. Squeeze the juice from the aloe plant and moisten their lips before going outside.
- Composition of garlic. The garlic clove is crushed to a pulp mass. The composition is added 2 drops of olive oil. This tool lubricates the lips 3-5 times a day. The effect becomes noticeable after 1 month.
- Means of mummy and honey. Heat honey and mix with 1 tablet of the Mumiye drug. This tool is applied to the affected areas, hold for 10 minutes and rinse with water.
- Propolis Oil This drug can be purchased at pharmacy chains. They need to lubricate the points on the lips three times a day. The tool can be prepared independently. To do this, grind propolis, pour it with sunflower oil and stand for several days.
- Lamb fat. This remedy needs to be melted, applied to the affected areas and held for about 30 minutes.
It must be remembered that herbal preparations can cause an allergic reaction. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the patient is not hypersensitive to their components. Recipes of traditional medicine will not help to radically solve the problem. However, white dots will become less noticeable.