Really worried

Hi, I am very worried. I have had a cold for a week now and I have had sore lips from this. Red and very dry where skin is peeling off it. From where I have been studying my lips i have noticed little raised bumps along the liips, probably seen two. I am constantly studying them and it is getting me down. The bumps are completely pain free, when i run my toungue or finger along them you cant feel them but I know they are there. They look like they are underneath the skin. I have also noticed where I am peeling skin away from my lips it is leaving little red pimples/spots on the lining of my lips. I have kissed people and I have given oral sex without protection but I have really worried that this is something very sinister. I also have been having a very sticky mouth in the mornings and this morning I woke up and it feels like a graze on the inside of my mouth on my gum by my top lip. This I can feel, feels like I have caught the gum in between my two top teeth (i do have a little gap there)

Do we naturally have little bumps along our lips,kind of like glands? I am hoping that I have only really just noticed them because I have been studying my lips way too much! Like I said, no throbbing, no stinging, just noticed tiny bumps and spots along the lines of the lips. Also, when I put lip gloss on, you cant notice thme so much and when smile you cant or when I stretch my lips you cant.

Should I be worried???!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These small bumps that you have noticed are hair follicles or Fordyce spots.Pls don’t worry as they are completely normal.Regarding the dry lips,the symptoms are due to cheilitis. Chronic chapped lips can result from nutritional deficiencies(vitamin B)and dehydration, or over exposure to sun or cold and windy conditions.

Avoid licking the lips as saliva evaporates quickly resulting in them being drier than before. Drink plenty of water and take multivitamin supplements and do not apply lipstick or other cosmetic products for some days. Use a humidifier to moisturize the air in your home and apply shea butter or Vaseline on your lips.You can also use a homemade ointment mixed from 1 tsp glycerine, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp castor oil. Spread on lips overnight, refrigerating the leftovers for future use. Eat foods high in calcium, magnesium and flaxseed oil. If a week of compresses and emollients don't do the trick, you can add over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone ointment to your regimen.

If the condition still persists or there is deep cracking in the region of your mouth,then pls consult your doctor as it can be due to infection(Angular Cheilitis).Antibiotics are needed in such cases.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[pleaseanswer321]

Thank you so much for your response! I am worrying that I have somehow contracted herpes on my mouth and i have been overstudying my lips! I think the "graze" in my mouth on my gum is a start of an ulcer. Can you get herpes inside your mouth on your gum? If the bumps were "blisters" would they have turned into coldsores by now? I guess i noticed them about 5 days ago! Many thanks