Title : Lip Acne Causes, Treatment, and Home Remedies
link : Lip Acne Causes, Treatment, and Home Remedies
Lip Acne Causes, Treatment, and Home Remedies
Can you get acne on your lip? Yes you can, and that is the topic of our discussion today. Because lip acne (pimples on lip) is easily confused with herpes (cold sores) we will start by looking at the difference between lip pimples and herpes, then go ahead to discuss some of the most common causes of the condition before exploring the treatment options available. Lastly, we will review upper lip acne meaning with regards to acne mapping charts and Chinese face mapping.
Lip Acne or Cold Sores (Herpes)?
At their onset, lip acne and cold sores look so similar and are often a cause for confusion.
However they will feel and look very different as they continue to develop.
Knowing the difference between lip acne and herpes is important though as it can help you determine the best course of action.
1. Cold Sores Are More Painful Than Lip Acne Pimples
To start with a cold sore is preceded by a sharp tingling sensation and itching in the skin around the lip. A lip pimple, on the other hand, begin with minor soreness and tenderness on the lip as opposed to the sharp pain that is typical of cold sores.
2. Lip Acne Lesions Are Usually Firmer Than Cold Sores
The sharp tingling sensation that is typical of cold sores is then followed by a breakout of a cluster of small, fluid-filled bumps (blisters) that ultimately burst, crust over, or develop into a yellow scab as Joshua Zeicher, MD, a dermatologist as the Mount Sinai Hospital says.
Lip acne is, on the other hand, characterized by red, and sometimes white, firm bumps (pimples) on the lip line or any other further part of the upper or lower lip. The pimples tend to be standalone as opposed to clusters.
3. Unlike Cold Sores, Pimples Cannot Develop Directly On the Lip
Acne always involve a hair follicle. Cold sores on the other hand are caused by the herpes simplex 1 virus. This means that cold sores can occur anywhere on the lip and around mouth (and sometimes on the nose, cheeks, and inside of mouth), but lip acne pimples cannot appear directly on the lip. Therefore, a red bump that sits within the lip line on the upper or lower lip, then it most likely a cold sore.
4. The Underlying Causes of Lip Acne and Cold Sores Are Different
Cold sores develop when someone gets infected with the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, often abbreviated to HSV-1. The virus is transmitted from one person to the other through touch e.g. through kissing, and through contact with infected items e.g. utensils.
Lip pimples are, on the other hand, attributed to clogging of hair follicles and skin pores as a result of accumulation of skin oil and dead skin cells (factors underlying this are discussed below).
You cannot get lip acne from kissing
Lip Acne Causes
As the Mayo Clinic explains, lip acne is caused by plugging of one of the hair follicles on the lip by skin oil (sebum) and dead skin cells. This can occur as a result of any factor that causes the production of excessive or poor quality sebum (the oil that keeps the skin hydrated). Any substance that causes blockage of the skin pores from the outside could as well cause a pimple.
The plug (comedone) results in a white bump called whitehead. The tip of the whitehead may get exposed to the air, resulting in oxidation and thus darkening of the substances trapped in the skin pore. The bump then become known as a blackhead.
Plugging of the hair follicle causes an inflammation in the tissues surrounding it, thus causing the typical redness, soreness, and swelling that is typical of pimples. The bacteria naturally found on the skin may also cause infection, thus resulting in a pustule – a red bump with a pus-filled tip. Excessive inflammation can cause a particularly large and painful zit on the lip or significantly swollen lip (or fat lip as some people describe it).
Both lower and upper lip may be affected but upper lip acne is more common.
NB: Technically speaking, not all acne lesions on the lip are true pimples (red, inflamed bumps with pus-filled tips). You can as well get whiteheads and blackheads on the lip.
Among the most common underlying causes of pimples on the lip are:
Hormonal Imbalance
Among the most common causes of lip acne is the hormonal changes associated with various stages of life. This is particularly true of teenage years when a shift in hormonal balance due to overactive androgen glands (to facilitate the changes that occur in adolescents such as breaking of voice, breast and hip enlargement etc.) causes an increase in sebum (skin oil) in sebaceous glands, often culminating in acne breakouts.
Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy may also cause a pimple around the mouth area.
Wrong and Poor Quality Cosmetic Products
The cosmetic products you use around the lips and mouth could as well be the underlying cause of that pimple on your lip if they are loaded with comedogenic (clogging) ingredients. This applies to lip balms, lip stick, and lip gloss products as well as moisturizers. The scented and flavored varieties tend to be particularly clogging to the skin pores.
The best lip balm for acne prone skin is one that is made of pure wax (without any fragrance or flavoring). Better yet, stop using lip balms and other similar cosmetics altogether if you can. Also makes sure that the lip care products you use are not expired.
Certain Medications
Some medications are also known to trigger pimple flare-ups and could be the root cause of that lip acne. Corticosteroids and lithium containing medications are such examples.
Sugar Surges in Blood
Surges in the levels of blood sugar is also claimed to trigger acne breakouts. If you have a “sweet tongue”, try cutting down a little and you just might have found the cure for those bothersome lip pimples.
Reaction to Toothpaste
Toothpaste irritation is another likely cause of lip acne, especially among women. As is the case with flavored and perfumed lip balms, the flavors in some toothpastes can cause clogging of pores around the lip and mouth. But that is not all. The sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in most toothpaste products add to the challenge.
Also referred to as sodium dodecyl sulfate, SLS is a sudsing agent which is added to toothpastes and other products to facilitate foaming. On the downside however, it tends to cause tiny cracks in the skin, especially around the corners of your lips (lip borders).
The sebum produced in sebaceous glands of nearby skin pores helps to address this problem but if toothpaste also enters these pores, irritation then results. This in turn increases sebum production that result in clogging, eventually culminating in a whitehead, blackhead or pimples on the edge of the lips.
This type of lip acne can be overcome by always rinsing the skin around the mouth thoroughly after brushing. Switching to SLS-free toothpastes that contain no clogging fragrances or flavorings may also help. Some of them are listed below:
Stress
Stress - including stress about acne itself - is also believed to worsen acne breakouts. Managing your stress using various techniques such as yoga could be all that you need to take control if your life.
Waxing
Waxing is also notorious for triggering acne breakouts, especially upper lip acne. This is believed to be the result of irritation and inflammation of the hair follicles. This often create a favorable ground for bacterial infection.
The pimples formed are usually small and may or may not be painful. They may appear immediately after waxing or days later. Applying tea tree oil to the pimples may help but using a tea tree based waxing product will help prevent these bumps in the first place.
Threading
Threading has a similar effect to waxing. It also has a tendency to cause upper lip acne.
Cold Sores vs. Lip Acne Self-Care
A general rule of thumb applies to both lip acne and herpes; do not squeeze or pick at the bumps. This can cause scarring. In the case of pimples on lip, squeezing them can push the bacteria deeper into the skin and make the infection and associated inflammation (swelling), and redness worse.
For cold sores particularly, the HSV-1 virus in the clear fluid inside the blisters, may be transferred to your hands upon popping or picking at them and then passed on to other parts of the body.
The fluid-filled blisters that are associated with herpes typically burst, ooze and crust over within a couple weeks. According to the Mayo Clinic, no treatment is required for cold sores with the exception of cases of cold sores eruptions that appear too frequently or around the eyes.
Lip Acne Treatment
You are now eager to know how to get rid of acne on your lips, aren’t you? Well, there are many safe lip acne treatment medications and over the counter products that can be used to get rid of this problem.
Benzoyl Peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is arguably the most popular lip acne treatment. It works by curbing bacterial growth and activity in the affected area of the skin. Although benzoyl peroxide has been shown to help heal zits quickly, but caution needs to be taken when applying it near the mouth. Ask for a benzoyl peroxide containing acne product at your local drugstore.
Retinoids
Persistent and chronic lip acne that just won’t go away may benefit from prescription treatments that contain Retinoids. These are vitamin A derivatives that have been shown to be very effective at unclogging hair follicles and skin pores and may also help to curb inflammation. This helps to cure existing pimples and other acne lesions while preventing the formation of new ones.
Among the most popular retinoids are Retin-A, Tazorac, and Differin. Ask with your dermatologist.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics may also be necessary for treatment of pimple infections. Antibiotic creams such as erythromycin, clindamycin, and metronidazole are typically used but oral antibiotics may as well be prescribed if your dermatologist finds it necessary to use them (e.g. when the pimple is so close to your mouth or lip line).
Hormonal Treatment
Hormonal imbalance is often the underlying cause of adult acne. Your doctor may recommend hormonal treatment (usually involves birth control pills) to help regulate your hormones and thus treat lip acne.
Home Remedies for Lip Acne
In addition to the treatment options highlighted in the previous section, you may benefit from using the following home remedies for acne on the lips:
Citrus Fruits
Oranges, lemon, and lime have high quantities of alpha hydroxyl acids. When applied topically, they aid in exfoliation of dead skin cells from the skin, hence clearing of acne pimples. Dabbing some fresh lemon or lime juice on the pimples 2-3 times daily is enough, but you may want to throw in the healing powers of carrot oil and jojoba oil as explained below:
- Combine 1 tablespoon each of jojoba oil and lime juice with ½ tablespoon of carrot oil.
- Apply the mixture onto the area around your lips and leave it to dry naturally (don’t rinse it out)
- Repeat twice daily until the acne clears
Zinc supplementation
Zinc is also touted to help clear acne when used in supplement form.
CBS 5926
CBS 5926 strain of brewer’s yeast has been found to have positive impact on acne breakouts, thanks to its “probiotic” properties, but it can also result in migraines and stomach upset.
Ice Pack
Ice pack is also one of the best home remedies for lip acne pimples (and indeed those occurring in other parts of the body). It helps to curb inflammation and the associated swelling and may help speed up the healing process.
- Place some ice cubes on a small cloth and then fold it nicely.
- Hold the cloth against the acne pimple for a few seconds.
- Repeat again several times at intervals of a few minutes.
- Do this several times each day until the zit on your lip has subsided.
Steam Treatment
Exposing lip pimples to steam can also help to open the clogged pores and thus aid in the release of the culprits (dead skin, sebum, etc.) trapped in it. It can also help to cut down on inflammation and redness. Simple lean over a bowl of how water with your head covered with a towel for 20 minutes.
Lip Medex on Acne
Now should you use Lip Medex on acne pimples? Well, I sought to find out if this products that was originally formulated to address dry lips and soreness could as well help to clear pimples on the lip. As at the time of this writing there wasn’t sufficient anecdotal evidence to lay claims to the effectiveness of Lip Medex for management of lip acne, but there is thing one user who finds it so efffective for pimples on the lip that she terms it her “miracle zit sure”:
Upper Lip Acne Charts and Chinese Face Mapping for Upper Lip Breakouts
Chinese face mapping has long been used to identify the potentially underlying causes for problems – particularly acne breakouts – in certain parts of the face. Chinese face mapping forms part of ancient Chinese medicine and was allegedly developed from hundreds if not thousands of years of observation.
Chinese medicine practitioners and reflexologists hole the opinion that different zones of the face correspond to specific internal organs. This then means that. This essentially means that noting the facial region where acne pimples tend to occur can give an idea what is wrong inside.
Taking a quick look at some of the diagrams floating around on the internet, I can see right away that I agree with their interpretation of breakouts along chin and jawline (=hormonal imbalances) and forehead (= digestion problems).
If you tend to develop lip acne every now and then, chances are you are dealing with a digestive system problem e.g. indigestion, constipation, and intestinal coli etc. involving the liver, spleen, small intestine, or colon as indicated in the diagrams below:
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| Upper lip acne face mapping diagram (courtesy: Skinacea) |
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| Acne face mapping diagram (courtesy: FacingAcne) |
For lip acne, the following recommendations are usually given:
- Increase your fiber intake
- Add fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet
- Cut down on spicy foods
- Switch toothpaste
- Massage your stomach in gentle clockwise strokes
There are also numerous acne charts such the one by Fran of HighonHealth which is shown below:
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| Acne chart |
Important Clarification
The underlying causes of acne listed for each facial area are just general guidelines and may not apply to all cases of acne breakouts. For instance, the fact that you tend to breakout on the lips, doesn’t automatically mean that you have digestive problems.
While internal problems may trigger lip acne (as well as acne in other areas of the body), there are many factors that may be to blame for the pimples or cysts a discussed earlier on, including puberty, harsh skin care products etc.
It is nonetheless still a good idea to understand this facial mapping and keep it in mind. Just remember that everyone is different and the guidelines may not apply universally.
Cystic Acne on Lip or Lip Line
Cystic lip acne typically hurt more compared to other “types of acne pimples” - whiteheads, blackheads, and pustules (real pimples) - that typically occur on the lip. This is because it is usually associated with intense inflammation and extend far deep into the skin. Cystic zits also tend to be more swollen.
As with other lip “pimples”, you should refrain from popping or picking on cystic pimples and instead treat those with over the counter treatment containing benzoyl peroxide. Products with salicylic acid may also help.
Lip Acne Pictures
Let us now take a look at a couple pictures showing subjects with lip pimples? And because we started by differentiating between cold sores (herpes) and lip pimples, we will also have a picture showing an acne lesion (a pimple) on one side and a cold sore on the other:
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| Upper lip pimple |
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| Whitehead on lower lip |
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| Swollen lip due to acne lesion |
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| Acne pimple vs Cold sores |
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