tiny bumps on lips

[amesw]

I suddenly have developed tiny bumps on my upper lip.  A few months ago this happened in just one little patch but it went away, and I can't remember if I did anything.  But just a few days ago they appeared again on both sides of my upper lip.  Then, the next day they had spread and now go all the way along the ridge of my upper lip. They aren't particularly noticeable except they change the shape of my lip, making it look smaller than it was in the places where they are on the very edge.  They are very very tiny, definitely not cold sores.  I've seen some things about Forcyde spots, but everything describes those as 1-3mm in size and these are even smaller than that.   Everything I read says to ignore forcyde spots, but these are very uncomfortable.  my lips feel dry no matter how much stuff I put on them, and they feel scaly because of all the teeny tiny bumps.  I used to have problems with seborrheic dermatitis around my nose when I was a kid so the only other thing I can think of is that.  Is there something else they could be?  If they are forcyde spots, is there a way to make my lips feel moist again?  I don't care about the appearance, but they are very uncomfortable.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Without examination,confirmation of a diagnosis is tough,but it sounds like oil glands or Fordyce spots.They are small yellowish-white granules on the inner surface and border of the lips.
Treatment of Fordyce spots includes CO2 laser or electro desiccation, TCA chemical peels(temporary treatment),diathermy or laser vaporization.

For your dry lips, avoid licking the lips as saliva evaporates quickly resulting in them being drier than before. Drink plenty of water and take multivitamin supplements(esp vit B) and do not apply lipstick or other cosmetic products for some days. Use a humidifier to moisturize the air in your home and apply shea butter or Vaseline on your lips. Eat foods high in calcium, magnesium and flaxseed oil. If a week of compresses and emollients don't do the trick, you can add over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone ointment to your regimen.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Warm regards.

[amesw]

Thanks, but I'm pretty sure it's not Fordyce spots.  I had a couple RN's I know take a look and they confirmed that they aren't Fordyce spots.  These are smaller than fordyce spots almost like little sand grains.  You seriously can't even see them unless you look really close under the right light, but you can feel them.  They are the same color as my lips, as well.  Not white or yellowish or anything.

[aaolips]

Hi amesw,

Did you ever figure out what the tiny bumps on your lips were?

My symptoms sound exactly like what you have.  I also have thought that it could possibly be Fordyce, but the small patch of bumps on my lip are sooo tiny and are the same color as my lip that it doesn't seem to match the Fordyce symptoms.  Like you, my lips are dry (they normally are not) and the small patch of very tiny bumps feels scaly when i run my tongue over it.  It's really not noticeable to other people (my sister couldn't even see what I was talking about), but I would like to know what it is and what is causing it.  

Any help is much appreciated.
Thank you!

[akbaskin]

this sounds like it matches me too.  in case it's a regional thing, does anyone live in sacramento?  either way, any info would soon be appreciated.  i dont have pain either but there is a spreading of micro sized bumps making a scaly feel and there has been dryness but i've been using carmex so the dryness hasnt been too bad. hopefully that wont exacerbate the problem.  but it still is uncomfortable feeling.  i have been staying up late lately so my immune system has probably been slightly more susceptible.  i have also had mild skin issues in the past.  they used to tell me i had ringworm and then changed it to a mild form of eczema.  i used to have a rash in the crevice on both sides of my nostrils and in my groin area when i was younger but i havent had a problem with that for a long time, but i do still have a problem with moderately itchy bumps that form on my scalp, usually in the very back of the scalp and sometimes they have a pus and sometimes they dont. those come and go.  sorry for the nauseating description but any suggestions with that would also be helpful.  thanks!!!

[abce]

Did you ever find out what these bumps on the lips are, i have it now.

[akbaskin]

so, fortunately i have a loving mom whom i asked about this and she gave me great relief by informing me that it was simply a sort of bacterial infection that usually arises from using chapstick or lipstick or what have you for too long and using it on your lips.  throw away the lip balm, stick, or whatever immediately.  what should happen is that it will sort of harden (like a very thin kind of crust, though hardly noticeable) and soon thereafter should flake off.  i had it a month or two ago and it's completely gone now.  so dont stress.  it'll all be over soon..

[kelly16]

Ya I have tiny little bumps on both sides of my top lip and I was very nervous and my mom did not know anything of it either. They are not noticeable but when I rub my tongue on top of my lip I can feel it. So is it the lip gloss I've been using that I had for a while or is it from dry skin? And I also had a dry patch of skin under my bottom lip. Any suggestions on what to do?? Should I use blistex to make sure my lips are not dry?

[akbaskin]

trust.  get rid of the lip gloss, chapstick, balm, lip stick, you get the idea.  it will likely spread a little, but rest assured, it will be all over soon. it will harden, form a crust and flake off.  it will feel weird to you and youll feel self conscious, but fortunately nobody can see it.  you probably cant even see without looking very closely.  deal with the temporary discomfort, maybe dab it with peroxide or alcohol if you must, feel free to use a fresh tube of carmex to lessen the sandpapery sensation, and thats really all you can do till it goes away, which should be within a couple weeks at most.

[Brainbuster]

I have this too...it's like an outline of tiny bumps along my upper lip.  I can feel it, but fortunately it's very hard to see.  I've been using Burt's Bees Passionfruit chap stick...which is different from any other chapstick I've used...it's white and creamy.

[omar41]

Did you happen to get a medical name for this?  what I have sounds very similar.  

[akbaskin]

hey man.  no i dont have a name for it, but all you really need to know is that it is a bacterial infection.  therefore, try to create inhospitable conditions for the bacteria.  keep it dry (within comfort level).  maybe dab it with a little alcohol.  surely there must be a name, but i'd just chalk it up to a bacterial rash...  all i know is it didnt last very long...

[never12run]

Thank you so much for the advise. I have the exact same symptoms but my burns sometimes. Anyway as soon as i read what you had to say first thing I did was reah in my pocket and throw away my chap stick(That I have had for a while now).So Im hoping that not using chap stick for the next couple of weeks and jus using a lilttle alcohol to dat my lips with that this will go away. Thanks again cuz I was getting kinda worried.Oh and by the way I live in Sacramento too.

[NYFashionista]

Thank you guys, I was freaking out for a second there.  I have the same symptoms, it started on one side of the inside of my lip and now I have it on both sides, a small patch, but my mouth is very dry.

I will throw away all of my chap sticks, but it’s getting cold in NY.

Wouldn't antibiotic cream work faster?

Thanks again!

[kaisa28]

I have this too. Same symptoms. Mine blistered up though and then would go away, so I thought I had an allergy to certain foods? Then one day, it blistered up and I got tiny little bumps all over my upper lip and they stayed. They are barely noticeable, but are very irratating and feel like sand paper. I've been caking on the carmax (new container) but it's still like that. I have a doctor's appointment today b/c it's freaking me out. I hope it's a bacterial infection like someone above said. I just want it to go away.

[kiplin]

I have that too!  It started when I bit my lip and then for some reason it turned into an ulcer.  then it felt like the soreness of my ulcer was spreading, which I thought was strange.  It's been a week and a half and my ulcer is about gone now but I have tiny bumps the same color as my lips all over my top and bottom lips.  

Maybe from what you're saying I bought a bad tube of canker sore stuff for my ulcer & it caused this infection.  For about 5 days now I've been using blixtex medicated ointment (new tube) to keep my lips moisturized because they seem to dry out SO fast.  By the way, I'm from Pa.

I hope it will go away soon, because my lips feel so dry & textured from the bumps, I try to refrain from using them and my husband hates it b/c it feels wierd even to kiss him.  I was hoping that using them less would irritate them less and therefore help them to heal faster, but if what you're saying is right & its a bacterial infection, I guess using them won't irritate it & make it worse, right?

[Nally101]

I have it too!!! I just woke up this morning with it. Im only 16 so u could prolly imagine what went through my head. But Ill throw away my chopstick.. I think its like a year old anyways lol... But yeaa... it get really cold in NY...

[codyco]

I have the same problem, mine are tiny bumps, but mine aren't irritating,nor hard or anything. i just can see them when I look really close to the mirror. I am kinda worried. Its on the edges of the middle of my upper lip, like the skin part. I thought it was from shaving but idk. i am kinda worried. They are very tiny. I use carmex. i have always had dry lips, but i never had this problem before. I thought it could be pimples or something. little little ones...

[bellahoney]

Yesterday I sprayed some perfume on and a little got on my lips. I washed my mouth area with soap and water and I woke up this morning with tiny bumps on my lips.

[dragulcius]

Hey everybody,
I got the same stuff on my lips as everyone of you mentioned above. Actually, it got even worse, it spread out on bottom of  my nose, and lately I got blisters on top of my hand. I went to the doctor and she said: "POISON IVY". I told her that I wasn't doing anything outdoor before the bumps pop up. She said that could take 2-3 weeks to develop. I wasn't sure that she was right, but I remembered couple weeks ago I did remove some crawling plant off of my house. I went back to check if it looks like poison ivy, and there it was. She was right. I hope that will help you guys!

[Deedee86]

Through reading everyon's comments it seems like a lot of us (including me) with these symptoms are using Carmex chapstick... Maybe that has something to do with it? How many of you use or used Carmex before or when the symptoms began??

[monkeys7]

I used carmax before the symtops and this isnt the first time ive had this. I had these tiny lip colored bumps about a year ago. The funny thing is I just got them again after repeatedly using the same carmax lip balm that I was using then. I think it really is the carmax. Anyway, it is really irritating and last time I made sure to keep it dry with some rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and they went away after a few days. No more than two weeks before they were gone. This time however it seems they are pussing a little and they didnt do that before

[possibyl]

Hi All,

After reading all your comments I must say I do feel slightly relieved. I've had these little bumps on both my upper and bottom lip. It usually starts from one and somehow spreads to the other, leaving my lips dry, inflamed feeling, and very uncomfortable. After a few days it seems like you've all said to turn hard and crust off. I've had this for actually the past 2 or 3 months, it only very rarely before but now I'm getting it almost every week. After the dry skin has crusted off, I get a free week of normal lips, and then the little bumps reappear. I've read online that it may be allergy caused possibly by certain toothpastes with whitening ingredients. I've changed my toothpaste but it doesn't seem to be the problem... What strikes me as strange is I don't use carmex like most of you, all I've ever really used is vaseline yet they keep coming back! Can anyone please help me out ?? The little bumps usually make my lips appear much more red than they normally are... I've seen my doctor and she recommended I see an allergist, but I just wanted to see if anyone else here knew what it was before taking the next step!

[poohbear85]

i have this 2....and like everyone else i dnt kno what it is! but its very irritating! im kinda relieved 2 find out im not the only 1 tho! mine go and come! i"ll have them for one week.....they leave for one week and the come bk!! i can also tell when they are planning a return because my lips are sensitive to the touch!! i plan on finding out what this is very soon and will let you all kno!!

[saunderssweetbunny]

i got this to and i heard someone said it is a bacteria infection and that it crust up and falls of eventually, i am starting to think that sharing my lip gloss isn't such a good idea, or a couple of weeks ago i got this new lip gloss and it fell out of my pocket when i was walking to school one day and then like 3 days later i found it in the grass.....and then i used some. so yeah i think thats how i got my infection.