Bumps on Lips

[Jyani]

For about a month now, what started as what seemed as a cold sore has turned into persistent little bumps on my lips that dry them out, itch like crazy and drain if I scratch them. I have tried Abreva and atheletes foot cremes, but nothing works. Any suggestions on what it is and how to treat it?

[Jyani]

My bottom lip is the one that is affected. The top one on occasion show symptoms.  I clean my lips out with alcohol daily and then apply vaseline. I do not have insurance. Any home remedies that I can possibly try? Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Two possibilities are coming to my mind from your symptoms. One is cheilitis grandularis. The other is cheilitis granulomatosa. Cheilitis glandularis affects the lower lip almost exclusively, although it has been reported to affect the upper lip. It presents as black marks due to puncta of the salivary gland swelling. Then viscous clear secretions and crusting may be there.

I suggest you to consult a good dermatologist and get a culture sensitivity of the fluid sample from lip and  biopsy of the lip done to confirm the diagnosis.


It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.