Black dots on and around the lips: what are they and how to get rid of them

• Published by: Laima Jansons

Black dots on the face - comedones - are an annoying cosmetic defect . It is especially unpleasant when they appear on or around the lips: the skin here is most sensitive, so getting rid of blackheads becomes problematic . Why do comedones appear and how to deal with them?

Photo 1: In the skin of the lips and around them, as in other areas, there are sebaceous glands. When their mouths (pores) become clogged with secretion, which subsequently interacts with atmospheric dust and the sun, black dots appear. Source: flickr (aZc.).

Blackheads around lips

As a rule, comedones on the lips are accompanied by the appearance of blackheads around the mouth. Bacteria, interacting with the secretions of the sebaceous glands, provoke inflammation of sensitive skin and the appearance of blackheads .

Black spots on lips

Comedones on the lips are a rather rare phenomenon; people with oily and mixed skin types are more often susceptible to . But it is necessary to know how to painlessly remove blackheads on the lips, because they can cause inflammation of the skin.

Factors that cause blackheads to form

There are several common causes of comedones on the lips.

Hormonal disorders

If the production of estrogen and progesterone in the body is disrupted, the sebaceous glands begin to work in increased mode. The face becomes oily, pores become clogged, and blackheads appear . In parallel with these signs, the voice becomes rougher, sweating increases, and body hair growth increases.

Cosmetical tools

Oil-based creams, masks, lipsticks and glosses clog pores, preventing the skin from breathing and become one of the reasons for the growth of bacteria. When purchasing cosmetics, you should pay attention to its composition to avoid unnecessary skin problems.

Poor hygiene

The habit of going to bed without removing decorative cosmetics from the face is one of the most common reasons for the appearance of blackheads on the face, inflammation and acne. The immunity of the epidermis decreases very quickly. Hence - skin irritation, a “bruised” face in the morning and acne.

Poor nutrition

If there is not enough fluid in the body, and, on the contrary, there is an excess of fat, comedones are formed , including on the lips. By adjusting your diet and making adjustments to your daily menu, you can achieve a significant improvement in your appearance and overall well-being. After all, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and grains cleanse the intestines and contribute to its normal functioning. And this is the key to healthy facial skin.

Side effects of drugs

Drugs that contain testosterone, estrogen, and steroids often cause a side effect in the form of increased activity of the sebaceous glands.

Smoking, alcohol and caffeine

All this activates the sebaceous glands and leads to clogged pores . As a result, black dots appear in the most unexpected places.

Interesting. Have you ever wondered how many microbes live on the common telephone handset? But modern people cannot imagine themselves without a mobile phone, spending many hours talking on the phone. You can protect yourself from bacteria that live on the surface of your phone and cause skin inflammation and blackheads by regularly using damp antibacterial wipes.

Why do blackheads appear on lips?

There are many special glands on the skin of the face that secrete sebaceous secretions through the pores. It protects the epidermis from exposure to the external environment and microbes.

Expert opinion

Anastasia Zaslavskaya

Dermatologist, cosmetologist

In some cases, pores can become clogged with dead cells along with dirt and makeup residue. In this case, spots and blackheads appear on the face.

A cosmetic defect is expressed differently in different people. The color range ranges from dark gray, light bluish to black. Sizes and shapes can also vary.

Reasons for the appearance of blackheads near the lips:

1. Hormonal imbalances lead to increased functioning of the sebaceous glands. The skin of the face becomes oily and the pores become clogged faster. A person's voice becomes rough, sweating increases, and the amount of hair on the body increases.
2. Oil-based cosmetics clog pores immediately after application.
3. Failure to comply with hygiene rules when girls and women go to bed without removing decorative cosmetics from their faces.
4. The presence of large amounts of fatty foods in the diet leads to metabolic disorders. In this case, the skin of the face suffers more than other parts of the body.
5. The use of hormonal medications, smoking, excessive consumption of black coffee and alcohol lead to disruption of the functioning of the sebaceous glands.
6. Using a contaminated mobile phone. When this object is taken with unwashed hands and then pressed against the face, there is a high possibility of pathogenic microbes getting into the pores. To reduce the risk of infection, you should wipe your phone with antiseptic wet wipes every day.
7. Any of these factors can lead to cosmetic defects around the mouth. Most often they occur in adolescents during adolescence.

Black pimple on lip. Causes of internal acne on the lip

If a pimple on your lip pops up just once, then most likely there is nothing to worry about. Poor-quality lipstick, draft, touching lips - all this can lead to similar phenomena. If acne occurs regularly, then you should approach this issue more seriously, because the reason for their appearance may already be associated with serious diseases of the internal organs. So, the main causes of internal acne on the lips include:

— sweat, pollution, cosmetics, draft, hypothermia and other external reasons; - allergic reactions to any products; — sluggish colds; — diseases of an infectious nature, in which acne is one of the symptoms; - poisoning with food, medicine or alcohol, intoxication of the body, as a result of which harmful substances come out through the skin; - unhealthy diet; - gastrointestinal disorders, which are usually a consequence of poor nutrition; — diseases of the digestive system, abnormal secretions, acute inflammation, etc.; - weak immunity, as a result of which viruses can multiply, for example, the herpes virus, which is very fond of the skin around the lips and the lips themselves; - problems with the liver, heart, kidneys, etc. As you can see, in some cases, a pimple is not a simple one-time inflammation, but a manifestation of a serious internal disorder. In this case, it is better not to delay going to the doctor.

Internal pimple on the lip, what to do first?

As mentioned earlier, if this inflammatory process reappears, the first thing you should do is make an appointment with a specialist. At the same time, it is worth completely (at least temporarily) giving up cosmetics, which very often acts as a catalyst for this process.

As soon as you notice the first signs of a pimple, the main thing to remember is that you should not touch it with your hands! If you start licking your lips, touching the pimple with your hands, and even more so trying to squeeze it out, the infection can quickly spread to healthy tissue.

If you feel that an internal pimple has appeared on your lip, which resembles a subcutaneous ball, you should act immediately, since most likely it is herpes. If left untreated, this small ball can develop into an unaesthetic and painful purulent pimple, which, among other things, will take a very long time to heal.

It is better to attack incipient herpes with a special ointment, for example, Zovirax. The proven old-fashioned method has also proven itself to be excellent - earwax, which works no worse than pharmaceutical products. You can also use fir oil, which is best applied every two hours.

You need to understand that if you managed to get rid of a herpes germ on your lips, this does not mean that you have completely overcome the infection. Herpes is a disease that can lie dormant in the body for many years, and then come out at a very inopportune time.

Quite often there are cases when internal inflammation is caused by ordinary lipsticks. It doesn’t matter what company they are or how much they cost. If your lips are excessively sensitive, then it is better not to use any cosmetic products. Healthy, beautiful lips do not need additional decoration.

How to remove blackheads from the lips

If you act in the old fashioned way - squeezing out comedones, then such a procedure can only aggravate the problem. Firstly, it is quite painful. Secondly, an infection can get into the wounds, after which inflammation will begin. Its consequences are difficult to remove.

There are several ways to help remove blackheads painlessly. Moreover, these do not require visiting specialists. They are as effective as expensive salon treatments.

Home remedies are good if comedones appear in small quantities.

What are blackheads

Human skin is the largest organ that performs many functions. Among them are the protection of other tissues, respiration, thermoregulation, and the release of metabolic products.

The entire facial skin is covered with glands. Sweat glands are of two types:

• eccrine – not destroyed during the production of sweat, located evenly throughout the face, except for the lips;
• apocrine glands - when sweat is secreted, the cells are destroyed; they can be found on the skin of the forehead, eyelids, and wings of the nose.

Apocrine glands are destroyed and become part of sebum, where its unpleasant odor comes from. Most often, this type of gland reacts to stress and is not involved in thermoregulation. The ducts of the two types of sweat glands open into the hair follicles.

There are a large number of sebaceous glands throughout the body, but the largest number are on the face. In the area of ​​the lip contour, on the eyelids, they open freely into the skin. The ducts of the remaining glands exit into the hair follicle. It is their blockage that leads to the appearance of blackheads.

The number of sebaceous glands per 1 cm2 can reach 380 pieces. They produce sebum, or sebum, which is necessary to moisturize and soften the skin, as well as form a film that serves as a breeding ground for beneficial microflora.

In children, the sweat and sebaceous glands are inactive. In adolescence, under the influence of increased production of testosterone and somatotropin in boys and girls, the work of the sebaceous glands is stimulated, they produce large amounts of sebum. Therefore, teenagers have a shiny face, especially the forehead, nose and chin.

Epithelial cells constantly die and slough off naturally. But some of them are located in the ducts of the glands, from where they cannot always come to the surface. Thick sebum is not brought to the surface of the skin. It mixes with dead epithelium and clogs the ducts. On the face it looks like a black dot.

Due to the fact that the largest number of sebaceous glands and skin pores are located on the nose, forehead and chin, the cheeks, lips, and area around the eyes are usually not affected by blackheads.

If at a young age you can get rid of dots on the face, then in adulthood the edges of the skin pores become covered with dense keratinized cells. Therefore, it is no longer possible to remove pathological elements.

Home methods to remove blackheads around mouth

Under no circumstances should you immediately begin to remove such a problem as blackheads around the lips.

First, you need to thoroughly cleanse your face with makeup remover and lotion. This procedure will greatly facilitate the removal of comedones. Then you should take a steam bath or put a warm compress on your face for 5-7 minutes. The skin will soften and the pores will open. Only now is the time to remove blackheads.

1. The simplest and most popular is to use a special patch. If you follow the instructions and act carefully when removing the sticky product from the lip contour, the positive effect will appear immediately. But you need to remember that the patch cannot be used very often, so as not to cause irritation around the lips.
2. Apply a mixture of starch and vinegar, diluted in equal quantities to obtain a thick paste, to problem areas. Remove with a soft sponge dampened with water after 10–15 minutes.
3. Mix 1/8 cup of warm boiled water with two drops of iodine and 0.5 teaspoon of extra salt. Wipe the area around the upper and lower lips with this solution and let the solution dry. And then rinse with warm running water.
4. Take 3 tablespoons of kefir, heated to room temperature, add 2 tablespoons of chopped oatmeal, mix. Add 1 tablespoon each of freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil and stir again. Apply this mask to blackheads and leave for 5-7 minutes. Then rinse off with running cool water.

If home remedies do not give the desired effect, you should consult a dermatologist.

How to effectively get rid of blackheads on and around lips

The first instinct when you notice blackheads around your lips is to start squeezing them out. But this will not bring results other than irritation, inflammation of the skin or the appearance of purulent pimples if an infection occurs. First of all, it is necessary to find out the nature of the appearance of comedones.

The first specialist you should contact should not be a cosmetologist, but a dermatologist.

A dermatologist is a doctor who identifies the causes of skin diseases and prescribes their treatment. A cosmetologist is a specialist who removes external symptoms of any dermatological imperfections from the skin and can advise products and care rules to minimize these manifestations in the future.

At the first appointment, the dermatologist will assess the condition of the facial skin, determine its type, analyze the facts obtained and make a presumptive diagnosis. A dermatologist may also prescribe a preliminary course of therapy to improve the condition of the skin.

Then it is very important to get advice from other specialists:

• gastroenterologist;
• endocrinologist;
• gynecologist.

The appearance of comedones is closely related to the specifics of the work of these doctors. If problems are identified with these specialists, then you should undergo the entire necessary course of treatment.

Then you can return to the dermatologist (perhaps by this time the skin condition will have improved significantly), who will prescribe the main course of treatment for the epidermis. After this, you can safely go to a cosmetologist. He will teach you how to properly care for facial skin, treat areas around the lips, remove emerging comedones quickly and painlessly, and most importantly, without harm to the skin.

Features of removing blackheads in the lip area

Although comedones do not cause physical discomfort, it is quite difficult to get rid of them simply by squeezing them out. Its peculiarity is that the visible dark part is an “iceberg” of sebum that has clogged the pore. Inside it, it can reach very impressive sizes.

By clumsily squeezing out black dots, you can achieve the opposite effect:

• introduce an infection at the right time and provoke inflammation;
• injure the delicate skin around the lips, resulting in abrasions or long-lasting scars.

If an infection begins to develop inside the sebaceous duct, it is possible that it will spread through the blood circulation to neighboring ducts, which will result in a group of inflamed pimples, or even the development of a boil (a large and painful internal pimple).

What and how do experts recommend removing blackheads on and around the lips?

The best way to combat the appearance of comedones is still to visit beauty salons, where this will be done to the fullest extent, with high quality and with a minimum of side effects.

The most common procedure is mechanical facial cleansing, which is carried out using special tools. But in the area around the lips, it is recommended for large comedones and a large number of them, because the skin here is too delicate and susceptible to injury.

Cosmetology clinics also carry out procedures using the following products:

• ultrasound - ultrasonic waves simply knock out all the contaminants from the pores to the surface;
• laser - dissolves traffic jams, removing impurities outward, evens out skin texture;
• peelings using cosmetics that deeply cleanse the skin - they simply dissolve sebaceous plugs and stimulate the epidermis to renew itself;
• liquid nitrogen - it is used to perform cryomassage of the facial skin, which pushes impurities to the surface.

All procedures are completely safe. But you can’t deal with comedones in one go. Therefore, you will have to visit a specialist more than once.

I am just one of those women who constantly struggles with comedones. True, they appear less often around the lips than in other areas of the T-zone. In my experience, the most effective procedure is mechanical cleaning, but it is also the most painful and unpleasant. Ultrasound didn't help me at all. Peels and cryoprocedures are more pleasant manipulations, but their effect is not as lasting. And the dermatologist did not recommend laser facial cleansing to me (by the way, it has quite a few contraindications), saying that in my situation there is no point in spending so much money on this procedure.

What you can do at home

At home, cosmetic procedures to remove blackheads should be carried out in the most sterile conditions possible.

In the fight against comedones, you can use masks. Before the procedure, the skin needs to be steamed. Then the pores open, the contents soften, and therefore are easier to remove. To do this, just make a steam bath for your face:

1. Brew chamomile or eucalyptus in a small container.
2. Cover your head with a towel and hold it over the steam for several minutes (the steam should provide a pleasant warmth, but not burn).

You can simply hold a cloth soaked in hot water on your face. But this method is not as effective as a facial steam bath.

After this, apply a mask on your face (or just the area around the lips), for example, made from soda and starch (soda breaks down the fat that clogs the pores, and starch acts as an absorbent):

1. In a small container, mix soda and starch in a 1:1 ratio with a small amount of water until a homogeneous thick paste is obtained.
2. Apply the mixture to the lip area. Leave for 10 minutes.
3. Rinse off with warm water.
4. Be sure to apply moisturizer, as the ingredients in the mask dry out the skin and can cause irritation.

An oatmeal mask with kefir can also be effective. Kefir is an acidic medium, that is, it is a soft peeling with whitening. Oatmeal relieves inflammation well and acts as a sorbent. For the mask you will need:

• oatmeal - 2 tbsp. l.;
• kefir - 3 tbsp. l.;
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.

The mask is prepared as follows:

1. Mix the ingredients using a blender or whisk.
2. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Apply the mask to your face, hold for 5 minutes, rinse with running water.
4. Rub the treated area with an ice cube.

If you don’t really want to tinker with masks, and you don’t have time, then medications to combat blackheads come to the rescue:

• zinc ointment - tightens pores well, zinc oxide relieves inflammation, and petroleum jelly softens the skin; the product will be more effective after removing comedones to prevent their formation;

  
  Zinc ointment has a drying, adsorbing, astringent and disinfectant effect

• salicylic-zinc paste is a combined preparation for topical use, salicylic acid has an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and keratolytic effect, and zinc has a drying effect;
• salicylic ointment is an excellent antiseptic, in addition to cleansing the skin, it disinfects it, but also dries it out, so it is better to use short-term courses (5-7 days) no more than 2 times a day with additional moisturizing of the skin;
• Differin is a cream analogue of retinoic acid, it perfectly dries out acne, relieves inflammation, prevents the expansion of pores, accelerates the desquamation of the epidermis and controls the production of sebum, has contraindications, before use you should consult a dermatologist;

  
  Differin is a drug for the treatment of acne and post-acne; the drug should be used only after consultation with a doctor

• Skinoren is a good remedy for combating acne and comedones at the initial stage, but it dries out the thin skin around the lips very much, so it is used only in combination with moisturizing creams.

Video: removing blackheads at home

Cosmetic and therapeutic methods for eliminating blackheads around the mouth

After conducting a series of tests, the doctor prescribes various medications:

1. Zinc ointment dries out inflammation, narrows pores, and prevents them from clogging.
2. Salicylic gel as an antiseptic removes inflammation of the epidermis.
3. Thanks to special components (retinoic acid), Differin cream dries out comedones.
4. Skinoren gel (azelaic acid) has an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect. It dries the skin very much, it should be used with moisturizing creams.

Medications that help get rid of blackheads around the lips can cause allergies. Therefore, you should not use them without consulting a specialist.

In specialized stores and pharmacies there are cosmetics for the face that help cope with cosmetic defects:

1. Fabric masks contain a concentrate of medicinal plants that can penetrate deep into the pores.
2. Clay-based masks remove excess sebum and tighten pores, thereby preventing them from clogging.
3. Gel applicators with salicylic acid have an exfoliating and anti-inflammatory effect.

These drugs are used in accordance with the instructions.

Inflamed blackhead. Black dots

Blackheads are a very unpleasant problem that causes a lot of trouble for many people and develops complexes. How to deal with this phenomenon? You definitely need to figure this out!

Treatment of blackheads

Appearance is what people pay attention to first when meeting someone. And if there are black dots on the face, then this immediately spoils the impression of the person (they are visible to the naked eye even in a photo). So this problem needs to be fixed. Below is a proposed treatment algorithm.

1. First of all, you need to visit a dermatologist so that he can find out the cause of the appearance of blackheads.

2. A very important point is cleanliness of the skin and personal hygiene. So the washing procedure is mandatory and should be carried out twice a day: morning and evening. It is advisable to use special cleansing lotions or tonics.

3. What else helps? Before removing the spots, it is necessary to expand the pores so that the dirt comes out easily and effortlessly. They can be expanded by exposure to steam from hot water.

4. You definitely need to perform peeling procedures using scrubs (preferably made from natural ingredients).

5. You can also use masks, especially those based on clays (they help tighten pores).

6. Blackhead removal is carried out by experienced cosmetologists in salons. There are different types of procedures: dry cleaning, ultrasonic or manual, as well as the application of special deep-penetrating compounds

7. Products such as Zenerit, Baziron and others containing components such as zinc and hydrogen peroxide can help.

8. Do not neglect folk remedies. So, masks based on honey, cucumber and activated carbon will help.

Causes of blackheads

What causes black dots on the nose? The main reasons for their occurrence are listed below:

- improper skin care;

— environmental pollution;

— the cause of the appearance of black dots may be disturbances in the hormonal background or in the metabolic processes of the body;

— skin features, namely: enlarged pores and increased activity of the sebaceous glands;

- stress;

- decreased immunity.

Black spots on babies

Can blackheads appear in a child who has just been born? Yes, they can, and this is a completely normal phenomenon associated with the development of glands (in particular sebaceous ones), as well as with changes in hormonal levels. Typically, acne in newborns appears a few weeks after birth and goes away on its own within 1.5 - 2 months.

Deep blackheads

If the blackheads are very deep, then you should not try to squeeze them out yourself, as this can lead to damage to the skin and infection. The fight against this phenomenon should be entrusted to professionals. A dermatologist will find out the cause of acne and prescribe effective treatments. A deep cleaning will most likely be required. But one procedure is not enough (even if the effect is visible immediately); it is important to constantly monitor the condition of the skin and pay special attention to its care. Any dirt can lead to acne, and if it is not removed in time, it will increase in size.

If blackheads become inflamed

Blackheads are a problem. But even more trouble can arise when acne becomes inflamed. Redness begins, black dots increase in size and begin to rise above the skin level. The spectacle is unpleasant. In this case, you should not squeeze acne, as this can only aggravate the situation and lead to infection. Before going to a dermatologist (and he is required), you need to use antiseptics: alcohol solutions, hydrogen peroxide, and also regularly cleanse the skin of impurities.

Preventing blackheads

When a person wants to get rid of a cosmetic defect for a long time, it is necessary to take measures to ensure that they do not appear again.

You need to know that mechanical removal of comedones is part of the problem. Blackheads cannot appear on their own. It is necessary to determine the main cause of their occurrence and eliminate it.

1. If a person has oily facial skin, then you should not buy masks, glosses and oil-based creams.
2. You need to drink enough clean water and minimize the consumption of fatty foods.
3. Daily removal of decorative cosmetics before bed is required with a special product, and then with salicylic acid-based lotion. It removes the head of the comedone.
4. Under no circumstances should you use cosmetics that have already expired.
5. Do not eat hot foods or drink cold liquids. Their use leads to mini-burns of the skin above and around the lip, resulting in the appearance of blackheads.

By adjusting your diet and making adjustments to your daily menu, you can achieve a significant improvement in your appearance and overall well-being. After all, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and grains cleanse the intestines and contribute to its normal functioning.

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What are blackheads around the lips?

Unpleasant black dots that can appear around the lips are called comedones. Comedon is nothing more than sebum mixed with dead particles of the epidermis and dirt and clogged the pore to capacity.

Comedones acquire a black color under the influence of oxygen: its contents oxidize and darken in air.

There are two types of comedones:

• white (closed);
• black (open).

The nature of both types is the same. The difference between them is that the white ones are located under the skin and do not have an outlet, while the black ones, on the contrary, block the mouth of the pore and are therefore clearly visible.

Blackheads on and around the lips are open comedones caused by clogged skin pores.

The favorite places for comedones to appear are those parts of the face where there are more sebaceous glands and they are more active. In addition to the circumlabial area, these are:

• lip edge;
• nose;
• a small area of ​​the cheeks around the nose;
• eyebrow space;
• forehead skin;
• chin.

This zone is shaped like the letter “T”, which is why it got its name. Even with good skin condition in general, it is the T-zone that can cause significant trouble with its appearance.

The T-zone includes problem areas of the face where the skin is oilier

The reasons for the appearance of blackheads are very simple:

• violation of facial hygiene - improper skin care (untimely cleansing, incorrectly selected cosmetics, often touching the face with hands); pores become clogged with dead skin particles, dust, powder, lipstick, too greasy cream, the comedonal fraction turns out to be quite dense, and the comedon itself is clearly visible;

  
  Dermatologists say that the condition of facial skin worsens with constant touching of it, as a lot of bacteria and dirt accumulate on the hands

• internal causes are those factors that increase the activity of the sebaceous glands, as a result of which they intensively secrete sebum: hormonal surges;
• stress;
• bad habits - if alcohol acts from the inside, increasing blood circulation and stimulating the sebaceous glands, then the products of tobacco combustion also have an external effect, settling on the skin of the face and primarily around the lips;
• gastrointestinal diseases;

Milia on the face: photo

In the photo below you can see what milia look like on the face. They can appear not only on the face, but also on the eyelids, under the eyes, and on the nose.