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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Breakouts around vermillion border - perioral dermatitis? Coldsores?
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
This forum is for questions regarding Dermatology issues, such as: skin rashes, acne, birthmarks, skin infections, rosacea, and general skin care.
Breakouts around vermillion border - perioral dermatitis? Coldsores?
by nosroma, Jul 18, 2007 12:00AM
I'm a 27 yo female who has perioral dermatitis, eczema, cystic acne and papular acne. A month ago, a small, single red dot appeared on my upper lip. I freaked out. I thought it was a cold sore (no history of them-looked like papule). I began picking at it constantly turning it into a big angry red dot (but still no blister or anything). I used abreva and even started taking lysine and stopped picking-no change. After two weeks, it turned into small whitehead-so I popped it. A couple weeks later it's now smaller red bump that's slowly flattening (looks like it will scar). Over past couple weeks-I've gotten 3 other small, single spots on the vermillion border of my lip, not near eachother. They were tiny (one pore large) whiteheads. I gently popped them-they were swollen for a day or so, but after a few days faded to a pink dot. I'm distressed. Afraid to go to a doctor because they'll tell me it's herpes or something and my anxiety is growing worse by the day. My questions are: 1. What are these tiny whiteheads on my lip line? POD has always spared lip line even though this looks similar. 2. The original red dot: If it's lasted this long (almost one month) and never blistered - it's likely not a cold sore, right? 3. The sebaceous glands around my lip are large. Always been like this. Could this be an infection of the sebaceous glands of some sort? 4. Am I completely over-reacting, need to calm down and hope this condition will resolve on it's own?
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Jul 19, 2007 12:00AM
, Jul 19, 2007 12:00AM
The answer to question # 4 is absolutely yes. I'm not even sure why getting a cold sore would freak you out to start with, but what you have sounds nothing like herpes. It sounds like a pimple that you've been attacking. Please leave it alone and let it go away. If there's still anything to see on 6 weeks, let a dermatologist have a look then.
Thanks.
Dr. Rockoff
Thanks.
Dr. Rockoff
My main question though was what are these little whiteheads that keep popping up on my vermillion border? They go away in a couple days and are only about one pore large. I get one every 3-4 days, never near the previous one. I found a couple people online who also had this strange problem and one suggested it might be the heat?
I didn't notice it until this summer where it's hot. And I work at a restaurant where I'm always hot, in the kitchen, etc,
Do I need to go to the doctor or just drink more water, use chapstick, etc?