Furuncle on the lip: causes, symptoms with photos and treatment methods

The boil on the lip is a painful lump, inside filled with pus. Boils are formed as a result of the inflammatory process in the sebaceous hair follicle and the tissues that surround it. Similar formations are found equally often in adults and children. This unpleasant pathology brings a lot of physical suffering and negative emotions to a person. In order to avoid the negative consequences of a boil on the upper lip, you should know the symptoms of the disease, and therapy should be started only after consulting a dermatologist.

Probable causes of development

Boils on the lip develop as a result of the activity of pathogenic agents that penetrate the hair follicle. Most prone to their appearance are adolescents and middle-aged patients. The following categories of people are at risk:

1. Inadequate hygiene patients living near public buildings where hygiene is also not respected: barracks, places of deprivation of liberty, shelters for people who do not have a fixed place of residence.
2. Women who do not wash face makeup at night, do not regularly cleanse the skin from excess subcutaneous fat.
3. People with excessive sweating.
4. People suffering from alcoholism, having other bad habits.
5. People with a weakened immune system - suffering from diabetes, HIV infection, as well as taking drugs that can suppress the body's defenses (after organ transplantation, in the treatment of cancer pathologies). The causes of the boil on the lip should be identified by the doctor.
6. Staphylococcus carriers.
7. Athletes using common equipment or contact sports. In this case, there is a possibility of the transfer of bacteria to each other.
8. Patients with skin problems.
9. People who are irrationally and malnourished.
   

Provocative factors

Among the provocateurs of furuncle development on the lip, experts distinguish:

1. The use of aggressive, low-quality toothpaste, which corrodes the skin of the lips, causing cracks.
2. The presence of some pathologies: scabies, anemia, eczema, streptococcal pyoderma.
3. Metabolic disease.
4. Body pollution.
5. Damage to the skin of the lips of a mechanical nature.
6. Herpes, which was treated with improperly selected ointment medicines.
7. Hypothermia of the body.
8. Avitaminosis.
   

Duct obstruction

In addition, blockage of the ducts of the sebaceous glands can contribute to the development of furunculosis. In this case, first black dots form, then white acne, which can subsequently transform into boils.

Unfortunately, experts cannot determine the exact cause of the appearance of boils of the upper lip.

Risk group

Doctors tend to believe that patients who suffer from chronic infections and impaired functionality of certain systems and organs can also be classified as a risk group:

1. The protective functions of the skin.
2. Endocrine system.
3. Urinary system.
4. Gastrointestinal tract.

Development mechanism

A boil on the lip is quite difficult to confuse with an ordinary comedone. Since its development mechanism is very different. Dermatologists distinguish three stages of the development of boils on the lip:

1. First stage. At this stage, the patient feels intolerable itching on the lip. The particular area in which inflammation develops is particularly discomfort. In addition, redness and swelling are noted in this area.
2. Second stage. At this stage, the formation of a boil on the upper or lower lip occurs. It remotely resembles a pimple. A distinctive feature of the formation is the presence inside the capsule filled with pus. The maximum boil can reach a size of 3 cm. In the second stage, there is also the possibility of self-opening a boil, from which a purulent mass of yellowish-green color begins to stand out.
3. Third stage. It is a healing stage. The formed wound begins to gradually decrease in size, the tissues begin to gradually contract, a scar forms on the skin. You need to know what the boil on the lip looks like.

If the pathology affects the upper lip, then there is a likelihood of deterioration of health, the appearance of fever. This condition lasts several days. In the absence of the necessary therapeutic measures, the patient may experience sleep disturbances, painful sensations with slight grazing of the affected area.

A photo of the boil on the lip is presented in the article.

Features, varieties

The appeared neoplasm on the lips may not be a furuncle, but another disease that differs from furunculosis by the development mechanism, symptoms, appearance, and treatment methods:

1. Aphtha. It is a manifestation of aphthous stomatitis. This disease differs from others in that the abscesses of white color are located not only on the skin of the lips, but also on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. If the disease is severe, aphthae can be localized throughout the oral cavity.
2. Herpes. Herpetic manifestations are vesicles filled with a clear liquid. Herpes can develop on both lips. Initial symptoms may resemble symptoms of furunculosis. However, after a while there is a tingling sensation on the lips, they are covered with single or multiple vesicles, soon covered with a crust. The cause of herpetic eruptions is a viral lesion.
3. Lipoma. It is not an abscess, but a benign formation, which is a small stationary ball of dense consistency located under the skin. Inside the wen is a capsule filled with dead epithelial cells and fat content. Lipomas do not threaten health if the patient does not try to get rid of them on their own. You can remove this neoplasm surgically.

Is the boil under the lip dangerous?

Possible complications and risks

Regardless of the location (on the lip or above the lip), the danger of the boil lies in the proximity to the facial vein. That is, the inflammatory process can spread to the brain. Such a complication does not exclude death.

There are cases when acute pathology causes the development of necrosis and suppuration, spreading to the deeper layers of the dermis. In this case, the process of inflammation is able to reach subcutaneous tissue and provoke the formation of an abscess and phlegmon.

When a significant size is reached, the boil begins to cause severe pain under any mechanical influences. It is painful for the patient to touch the lips, open his mouth, chew. In such cases, many patients decide to independently remove the boil by squeezing it, but this is strictly prohibited. There is a chance of a boil degenerating into a malignant formation, leading to very negative consequences:

1. The development of facial vein thrombosis, subsequent damage to the meninges.
2. The spread of pathology to the orbit.

Another complication of furunculosis is the development of phlegmon or abscess. These phenomena are observed in the following cases:

1. The wrong therapy.
2. The presence of concomitant pathologies.
3. Weakened immunity.

How does the boil appear on the lip in a child and an adult?

Clinical manifestations

The symptomatology is quite specific, so boils are difficult to confuse with ordinary acne:

1. Soreness, swelling. Pathology begins with a burning sensation, tingling of the dermis, gradually swelling and reddening. Touching the lips, the patient feels pain. In the affected area for a short time there is a purulent formation that causes pain even in the absence of mechanical stress.
2. In some cases, the patient's temperature rises, weakness occurs, symptoms of intoxication develop, an increase in cervical and submandibular lymph nodes occurs.
3. Purulent exudate mixed with blood begins to stand out from the formation. This manifestation occurs about the fourth day after the occurrence of a boil. As the boil increases, the purulent contents begin to stand out more intensely.
4. Swelling with the release of purulent exudate subsides, the pain weakens, the boil begins to heal. The entire life cycle of the boil takes 1-3 weeks.

Treatment for boils on the lip

They should be treated exclusively under medical supervision, since self-medication can be life-threatening. Treatment is always carried out comprehensively. In the case of advanced furunculosis, surgical intervention is indicated.

The specialist may recommend drugs of the following pharmacological groups:

1. Antibiotic drugs. The most effective medications to quickly get rid of furunculosis are tablet or injection forms of Amoxiclav or Cefixime. It is strictly forbidden to use antibacterial medicines without a doctor's prescription, especially for the purpose of treating children, during pregnancy, in the lactation period.
2. Immunopreparations. Most often, nicotinic acid, vitamins B, C, antistaphylococcal immunoglobulin, staphylococcal antifagin are prescribed.
3. Disinfectants. The use of Miramistin, hydrogen peroxide, a weak manganese solution is allowed.
4. In order to accelerate the opening of the abscess, the use of compresses based on Baziron, salicylic ointment is recommended.
5. Antiviral drugs. The most common are Acyclovir and Zovirax.
   

Physiotherapy

To speed up the process of regeneration of the boil over the lip, a dermatologist can recommend UHF and electrophoresis. These physiotherapeutic procedures prevent the development of abscess and phlegmon.

In the case when the boil is at the stage of maturation of purulent exudate, it is injected with Novocaine or an antibiotic to eliminate pain and prevent infection. In therapy in children, this technique is not used.

Treatment of boils on the lip at home

In order to eliminate boils, traditional medicine recipes can be used, however, it is important to consider that self-medication can lead to negative consequences. In addition, the use of home therapies should be agreed with your doctor.

To open the boil and stretch its contents, herbal decoctions and other healing products can be used:

1. Nettle broth. Such a tool perfectly cleanses the blood. To prepare it, you will need 5 grams of dry nettle foliage, which is poured with boiling water in the amount of two glasses. The mixture is simmered for 10 minutes in a water bath and left to infuse in a pan for a few more hours. Take nettle broth three times a day in half a glass until the boils completely disappear.
2. Ointment based on soap and onion. It is necessary to bake the onion, cut in half, to an almost black state. After that, the baked onions are mixed with laundry soap grated using a grater. The resulting ointment is applied to the abscess, covered with a bandage, fixed with a band-aid and left overnight. This tool contributes to a faster opening of the boil.
3. Aloe juice. Equal parts of olive oil and aloe juice should be mixed. The mixture is applied to the boil, left until completely absorbed.
   

Surgical treatment of furunculosis

If the treatment of the furuncle on the lip is delayed, and there is a likelihood of an abscess, experts recommend surgical therapy. It is carried out under local anesthesia in stationary conditions.

After opening the boil, the doctor rinses the wound and treats it with wound healing medicines. The most effective drugs used for this purpose are Synthomycin, Erythromycin.