Do you have blackheads on lips? What are the causes them around your mouth and lips including lip line? Sorry to say, they are one of the most widespread conditions that affect many people. Get more insight on including causes, symptoms, treatments, and remedies. You will also get some preventive measures.
Overview
Table of content
Blackheads are small black or dark bumps, dots or spots that can appear in various parts of your body including the area around your lips, on your nose, arms, and so on. They are prevalent in oily areas that have hair follicles and they hey are a direct result of clogged pores. Medicalnewstoday.com states further that they, “are a specific kind of dark acne lesion, so-called because they contain oxidized melanin, the pigment made by skin cells called melanocytes.”
When pores overproduce oil, plugs made of sebum, dead skin cells and even dirt are formed. If these pores remain completely closed, you will end up with whiteheads around your lips. However, if they are partially open, you will have a blackhead this happens when the mixture turns black once oxidized, or exposed to the air at the top of the pore.
It is also very vital not to confuse them and pimples although they are both kinds of acne. They are small bumps, almost flat, have a darkened head. Actually, they are a mild type of acne around lips. They only occur in plugged hair follicles that remain open.
Formation and causes
What causes this type of acne around the mouth? Well, as we have said before, blackheads occur when one has an open clog or plug on pore in the skin. Each follicle contains one hair and a sebaceous gland that produces oil called sebum, which helps make the skin supple.
Dead skin cells, oils, and even dirt collect in the opening of the skin follicle, producing a bump called comedones. When the skin pore over the bump remains closed, the bump is called a whitehead but when the skin over the bump opens, exposure to the air makes it appear black. So this is the whole process of formation.
So, the following is a discussion of some factors or conditions that intensifies chances their occurrences:
1. Excess production of sebum
Blackhead breakouts around mouth or lips are commonly caused by the production of excess sebum. When sebaceous glands overproduce sebum, the excess sebum will clump together with dead skin and block the hair follicles. The open comedones will expose the sebum plug to the air. This will result in oxidation of sebum plug turning it to the black color.
2. Hormonal variation during teen years, pregnancy and periods
Hormonal variations and imbalance are the greater trigger them including on other places such as back, chest, nose, and so on. During the above indicated periods, some hormones especially androgen will rise. This hormone actually contributes to overproduction of sebum which clogs the pores leading to blackheads on lip line.
It is also important to note that excess production of sebum or body oils can also be predisposed by genetics
3. Certain medications
In some circumstances, black zits around mouth and lips can also be triggered by some medications. Such medications may include corticosteroids, lithium, androgens and birth control pills.
So the next thing is to ask ourselves is how do these medications trigger them? These drugs in one way or the other will tend to influence the level of hormones influencing the production of excess oils leading to these black spots around mouth and lips.
4. Environmental factors
Though the prime trigger is the excess production of sebum, some environmental factors can also lead the formation of blackheads. Environmental factors such as excess pollution, dust and small particles in the air can reach the pores around our lips, thereafter, they will blend with sebum to lead to their formation.
5. Cosmetics and skin products
The application of some cosmetics including lipsticks, balms, gloss as well as skin products can be considered being acne around mouth causes. Some makeup we do on the lips can make the area around the lips to be more susceptible to this mild acne type since this can lead to pores clogging.
Again, some of the skin products made of ingredients containing triglycerides, fatty acids and waxes have the potential to clog the pores leading breakouts of blackheads around lips.
6. Other reasons
Apart from the above common triggers, below are more factors that can as well cause trigger them:
- Excess stress and mental tension
- High humidity and excess sweating
- Propionibacterium acne building up on the skin around lips
- Accidental trauma leading to injury and bruising
Symptoms
How can I spot a blackhead around my lips? Well, according to Healthline.com, their common symptoms include a darkened, slightly raised non-inflamed, non-painful bumps. They are kind of non-inflammatory type of acne since the comedones are not yet lambasted by bacteria. If infected, then this will lead to the development of papules pustules, cysts, and nodules.
In very rare circumstances, they may be accompanied by little pain and irritations but remember these are symptoms of severe acne around lips.
Blackheads can lead to psychological symptoms i.e. reduction of life quality, lower self-esteem, embarrassment, but it can even be more serious when some victims will be avoided or called names by other people.
Treatments options
Best way to get rid of them will depend on the underlying causes. There are many products found at home or at the drug stores that can treat them. However, their effectiveness will also be influenced by the nature of blackhead or acne at hand. Below are some of the most suitable treatments:
1. Over the counter medications
This acne type can be treated using certain over the counter products such as lotions, gel, creams, and pads. These products usually contain ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and resorcinol. They are applied directly to the skin to help in killing bacteria, drying up excess oils and shedding off of dead skin cells.
2. Doctor’s prescriptions
Alternatively, there are several medications that can be prescribed by your doctor. These medications can be applied to treat not only blackheads but also pimples around the mouth or generally mouth breakouts.
Most of these treatment therapies will contain products such as adapalene, tazarotene, tretinoin, and vitamin A. Ingredients such as antibiotics and benzoyl products can be found in those given drugs.
3. Manual removal
It is also possible to get rid of them manually. In such cases, your doctor or dermatologist will use special tools called a blackhead extractor. The process will involve making a minor opening in the plug then applying pressure with looped extractors to get rid of the clogs.
3. Light and laser treatments – effective fast but costly
If there is a most effective and healthy procedure of getting rid of blackheads, then that will be the use of light and laser therapy. The two methods can help reduce the excess production of sebum and also kill the bacteria. Believe me; the two process will deal with them without interfering with the top layer of your skin. However, they are costly.
4. Microdermabrasion
During microdermabrasion, doctors will use a special device that contains a rough surface to sand out the top layers of your skin. This will get rid of clogs that trigger them.
Home remedies
Although home blackhead removal products are not clinically proved, many people have used them and attained noticeable results. Actually, there are many home remedies that can help manage several skin diseases including breakouts around the mouth. Some of the well-known remedies include:
- Application of Honey and milk pore (normally used with cotton strips)
- Use of Cinnamon and honey strips
- Application baking soda and water
- Use of bentonite clay paste
- Use of egg white mask
- Gently scrubbing the skin using sugar
If after using any of these remedies for a while you notice no change, visit your dermatologist for further medication.
How to prevent them?
It is a fact that some trigger cannot be avoided for instance the excessive production of sebum during teen ages, pregnancies and periods, however, some causes can be avoided. Here are some preventive tips.
- Find a way of avoiding excess sweating and high humidity
- Take regular shower to avoid accumulation of sebum, germs, and bacteria
- Gently exfoliate the dead layer the top layer of the skin to reduce incidences of these black spots
- Limit dairy products that contain certain hormones that can stimulate oils gland leading to excess oil productions
- Try to stay away from eating processed foods and sugary drinks that can trigger the rise in insulin level that can induce certain acne producing hormones
- Make sure you get plenty of rest
- Remove much tension and stress in your life
- Get time to do regular exercise as this is a remedy for many disorders
- Keep high body hygiene standards
Conclusion
Blackheads are not usually accompanied by severe symptoms. However, we should not ignore them since they can be infected and develop to severe pimples.
Again, before we could use any treatment approach or medication, we must have a prior knowledge about their triggers
Finally, if you are using home remedies and they don’t seem to yield any good result, be patient since home remedies cannot get rid of blackheads on your lips overnight.
References
- Differencebetween.net: Difference between Blackhead and a Pimple
- Livestrong.com: How to Get Rid of Tiny Blackheads Near the Mouth
- Healthline.com Blackheads:
- Medical News Today: Blackheads: Facts, Causes and Treatments