White spots around mouth

5 Reasons for The White Spot on Your Lip

Are you worried about the white spot on your lip? Our lips allow us to smile and express our thoughts with the world, but having a white bump on them might make you uncomfortable. Not only does it lower one’s self-esteem, but a white spot can also look unusual and foreboding. While lip bumps are not concerning in general, they can sometimes signify severe underlying conditions.

What Causes White Spots on Lips?

The white dot on your lips can be many things, including:

1. Fordyce Spots
   The white bumps on your lips are usually the sebaceous, oil-producing glands known as Fordyce Spots. They are harmless, small dots around 1 to 2 millimeters in size. These white dots typically appear on the inner portion of your lips. Moreover, a person can get one or as many as 100 spots on their lip.
2. Milia
   Milia are white bumps that occur on the face, including lips. They are benign cysts that form when dead skin cells become trapped in the skin. Although people of all ages can get milia, they usually appear on an infant’s face.
3. Oral Thrush
   White lesions on the mouth, gums, tonsils, or lips can indicate a fungal infection called oral thrush, usually caused by the fungus Candida albicans. Hence, the white spot on your lip might be a symptom of oral thrush.
4. Herpes Simplex
   White spots or canker sores on lips or other areas of the mouth can also appear due to the presence of the herpes simplex virus. Over time, these white dots turn into cold sores. You might feel a tingling sensation prior to the appearance of oral herpes, followed by white bumps that gradually turn into cold sores.
5. Oral Cancer
   White is usually perceived as a friendly and innocent color, something that foretells peace. However, a flat or raised white bump can indicate oral cancer. At first, the cancerous growth is painless and seemingly benign, but it starts bleeding after some time. Tobacco abuse, sun exposure, and HPV human papillomavirus are some reasons that can lead to oral cancer. Therefore, do not ignore a persistent white spot on your lip or any other mouth area.

Treatment for White Spot on Lip

The treatment for the white bumps on your lips depends on the cause. You can get:

• Fordyce dots surgically removed if they make you feel self-conscious.
• Antifungal medications for oral thrush
• antiviral medicines to temporarily treat oral herpes
• oral cancer screening to confirm if the cyst is cancerous, then treat it accordingly via chemotherapy, radiation, etc.

What Should I Do?

A white spot on the lip can indicate many underlying conditions. No matter the cause, you should avoid picking on it. Moreover, keep your lips moistened to prevent them from getting too dry. Visit your doctor immediately if you experience pain, bleeding, swelling, a numb tongue, fever, sore throat, or any other complication due to the white bumps.

Our experts at Champions Dental can get you started on the journey to improved oral health. Drop by our clinic or dial (281) 866-0442 to get in touch with us.

6 Causes and How to Treat Them

• White spots on your lips can be a sign of milla — harmless bumps that will resolve in a few weeks.
• The herpes simplex virus can cause white spots on the mouth that turn into blisters or sores. 
• If you have white patches alongside the bumps, it could be a sign of oral thrush.

White spots on the lips are common and they can vary in size and shape. Some are asymptomatic and will go away on their own, while others can cause pain or burning and may require treatment.

In most cases, they are natural and harmless, such as fordyce spots, but some may be painful, irritated, and long-lasting, which could be a sign of something more serious, like cancer.  

Either way, it's important to determine the cause so you know whether or not treatment is necessary and if your health is at risk. 

Here are six reasons for white spots on your lips and how to treat them.

1. Milia

Milia are small, hard, white bumps which are filled with trapped keratin beneath the surface of your skin, says Susan Massick, MD, dermatologist and associate professor in the Division of Dermatology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. 

Medical term: Keratin is a type of protein that helps make up your skin cells.

The bumps are usually very small, typically less than three millimeters wide, and are dome-shaped and smooth. 

Milla can spontaneously occur and they are normal, harmless, and common, Massick says. 

Treatment: Since milia aren't harmful and often resolve on their own within a few weeks to a few months, treatment isn't always necessary, says Massick.

However, if you are bothered by the appearance of the milia or if it won't go away, Massick says your dermatologist can:

• Make a tiny incision in order to extract it.  
• Treat it with an electric needle.
• Prescribe topical retinoids if you have multiple milia and it's a recurring issue. 

2. Fordyce spots 

Fordyce spots are slightly enlarged sebaceous glands (oil glands) on the lips, says Jason Miller, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group. 

The spots are very tiny, slightly raised, around one to three millimeters in size, and often appear in clusters or patches. They can range from white to yellowish, and it may be easier to see them when you stretch out your skin.

Fordyce spots are typically asymptomatic. They are harmless, but some people may be bothered by their appearance, says Miller.

Treatment: Treatment isn't necessary unless it's a cosmetic concern. In this case, Miller says treatment involves cauterization or lasers to reduce the appearance of the spots.

3. Herpes simplex virus (HSV)

Herpes simplex virus causes white spots on the lips that turn into cold sores. These sores appear in three stages:

1. You may feel a tingling or burning sensation before these spots crop up, signaling that an outbreak is on its way. 
2. White spots appear, typically somewhere on the edge of the lips 
3. These white spots blister, scab, and crust over — resulting in a cold sore. 

After your first cold sore outbreak, HSV will typically recur in the same location if you're exposed to cold sore triggers like stress, viral infections, fevers, or hormonal changes. 

Treatment: The most common treatment is oral antiviral medications, says Massick. These may be taken to shorten the course of your outbreak. You can also try at-home treatments such as:

• Docosanol (Abreva), an over-the-counter topical cold sore treatment
• Prescription antiviral medication
• Numbing gels such as benzocaine or lidocaine to reduce burning and itching
• Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
• Avoiding acidic, spicy, or salty foods
• Applying cold, wet compresses

HSV is highly contagious, especially when blisters are present, so when you have a cold sore you should avoid kissing or other close skin-to-skin contact, as well as sharing items like utensils.

4. Oral thrush (Candidiasis) 

Oral thrush, or candidiasis, is a fungal infection due to an overgrowth of yeast. This condition most commonly results in white bumps and patches inside the mouth or on the tongue, but occasionally it can present on the lips or corners of the mouth, as well, Massick says.  

You may also experience additional symptoms such as:

• Redness
• Cottony feeling inside the mouth
• Pain when you eat or swallow
• Decreased sense of taste

Treatment: Prescription antifungal medications are necessary to clear up the infection. In milder cases, treatment is usually a topical antifungal medicine, but in more persistent infections, especially in people who are immunocompromised, oral systemic antifungal medications may be necessary, says Massick. 

5. Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune condition that results in the loss of pigment in the skin, leaving behind smooth, white spots or patches, says Miller. The condition can begin at any age, but it will most commonly pop up between the ages of 10 and 30.  

These spots vary greatly in size. They can be as small as five millimeters, which are called macules, or they can be larger, widening out over time.

They happen when the immune system attacks and destroys melanocytes, which are cells responsible for skin pigment production. While this phenomenon can occur anywhere on the body, it commonly occurs on the face, including the lips, Miller says. 

Treatment: There isn't a cure for the condition but you can try treatments to restore pigment. Miller says the most common treatments are topical anti-inflammatory medications (corticosteroids) and light/laser therapies. Other types of vitiligo treatments include:

• Topical immunomodulators (which suppress the immune response locally)
• Topical vitamin D analogs (which modulate the body's inflammatory and immune responses locally)
• Skin graft surgery
• Micropigmentation with tattooing

6.

The most serious potential cause for white spots on the lips is cancer. The most common type of cancer found on the lips is squamous cell carcinoma, says Miller. This cancer accounts for up to 30% of all oral cancers.

"Persistent white or red scaly patches that do not resolve on the lips could be a sign of early skin cancer, particularly in patients with history of extensive sun exposure, sunburns and smoking," says Massick. These patches may be flat or raised.

If your white spots are persistent and don't improve or resolve, Massick says some red flags are if the spots:

• Are painful
• Bleed easily
• Are growing
• Are accompanied by oral or throat pain 

These are signs that you should seek medical evaluation.

Treatment: First, there must be a biopsy of the lesion to confirm if the spot is cancerous, says Miller. If it is, treatment options include:

• Surgical removal
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted drug therapy

Insider's takeaway

The causes of white spots on your lips can vary greatly from something temporary and harmless like milia to something more serious and dangerous, such as cancer.  

If you're concerned about the appearance of the white spots on your lips, or if you're experiencing any discomfort, see your dermatologist so you can get a proper diagnosis and decide on the best course of treatment, if necessary.

Ashley Laderer

Ashley Laderer is a freelance writer from New York who specializes in health and wellness. Follow her on Twitter @ashladerer

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What do white spots on the face mean?

Many people at some point in their life may develop white spots of varying sizes on their face, arms or chest. Below are the top 5 causes of white spots on the face.

1. Milia

Milia are small, round, hard white dots on the face that are often mistaken for whiteheads. They develop when the protein keratin found in the top layer of the skin and other components of dead skin cells build up under the surface of the skin. The most common areas for milia to appear are around the eyes, cheeks, and nose. Milia can be noted in all age groups in both men and women. It is also common among very young children and is then called milk spots.

Milia can be caused by an allergic reaction to face cream or sun damage.

A person usually gets better without treatment within a few weeks. Dermatologists recommend not squeezing or punching rashes at home. Changing the face cream or other products that may have caused the allergic reaction may help.

If the condition does not improve on its own, a doctor or dermatologist can treat milia in a variety of ways: opening the capsules (to extract keratin with a medical needle), applying a retinoid cream (on the face, but not around the eyes), microdermabrasion (a procedure that removes the most upper layers of the affected area).

2. Seborrheic eczema