Pimple on lip

[Sofa1111]

Hi,
Over the past few weeks I have been developing single random whitehead pimples on my top lip - on the actual lip, nowhere near the lip line.

The first whitehead appeared mid morning and I didn't notice it until I was washing my hands after going to the toilet. It was tiny and not noticeable unless looking closely. I scratched it and the skin broke and the white puss came out under my nail. A small scab formed which lasted for around a week. The scab was so small my wife had to use the torch on her phone to see it.

6 days after the first pimple, a second one came up on the other side of my top lip. I don't think this one formed a head or if did, it was indistinguishable from the fordyce spots I also have in the area. Again, I only noticed this one as I was closely inspecting the original spot on my lip. Neither spot was preceded by any itching, tingling, burning etc. and neither was painful in the slightest.

Finally, a week ago I was watching tv and felt a sudden throbbing on my top lip. Upon inspection I noticed a red swelling (again on my lower top lip nowhere near my lip line) which had whitehead pimple on it.  This one was a bit angrier and felt a bit sore due to the swelling. I went to the doctor and he visually identified it as HSV-1 but did not swab. He recommended Zovirax and that was that. I applied zorvirax to the area and have been using Chapstick regularly to keep my lips hydrated - something I've never really done previously. I scratched the head off after a couple of days and a bit of puss came out, but it reformed with a smaller head so I left alone. After a couple more days the head disappeared and the swelling went down. One week later there is just a small, painless red blemish where the spot once was. Since using Chapstick my lips look in better condition and despite the increased severity of my latest outbreak, it seems to have healed quicker.

My question is, is this typical symptoms of an oral herpies outbreak? I'm 32 and Neither myself or my wife have ever had cold sores, although I occasionally get an itch and tingle on my top lip which never localized and goes away seconds after giving it a good rub. I don't have any blisters or clear fluid and no pain, tingling of burning which is usually indicative of herpies.

I've been to 4 weddings in recent months and was at a wedding 4 days before the first spot appeared. Could this be a primary OB from hello / goodbye kissing someone who was either asymptomatic or in the early / late stages of an OB themselves and could have still been infectious?

Alternatively, could I have caught the virus years ago and be having a first OB now? I've been under quite severe stress recently and been having anxiety attacks. I know this can trigger a herpes OB and if it were a cold sore I'd accept it and move on, but I can't find anything online which describes herpies symptoms as pimples on the lip nowhere near the lip line, so I'm not convinced. I could have Bloods done but am in the UK so would have to pay a lot of money privately to find out so before I do I thought I'd ask for your thoughts.

Cheers

[Life360_Dave]

Using cheap quality lipstick, lip gloss or lip balm can cause pimples on lip. The low-grade chemical  ingredients in these products can easily penetrate the skin of the lips and the skin surrounding the lips to cause damage that will manifest as a bacterial infection which causes pimples on lip.

[Sofa1111]

Thanks. My understanding is that pores susceptible to blockages are not present on the lips and therefore typical acne type spots, caused by dead cells and bacteria clogging, do not occur. I assume a lot of people would experience lip pimples if it were possible but as I mentioned, I'm struggling to find any tangible examples or literature on these symptoms.

If you could let me know if you receive many questions centered around the same symptoms (pimples on the inner / actual lip, not lip line) I'd be extremely grateful.

Many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[Life360_Dave]

White is puss inside a pore caused by bacteria dying.

[Sofa1111]

If pimples on the lip consisting of white pus aren't typically caused by oral herpes, do you know of anything else which could typically cause them? Maybe licking lips due to stress? Casual smoking at the weddings (although I've been an on/off smoker for 16 years without these symptoms)? Lack of vitamin B2? As far as I'm aware there are no open pores on the lips which can possibly get blocked and cause spots, so I'm interested in identifying the cause.

Also, is it common? Do you get many people with similar symptoms enquiring about the possibility of herpes? The internet isn't throwing out many viable alternatives so I'm interested to know whether you've come across this before?

Thanks again for your time.

[Life360_Dave]

which particular issue?

[Sofa1111]

Thanks for your reply.

Very quickly, any theories on cause?

[Life360_Dave]

Hi, lip herpes are not white heads but clear liquid. The best way to confim oral herpes is a blood test or a swab of a new sore.