strange lip sores

Back in April, I came down with a high fever and whitish sores inside my lips, on the inner edges of my lips, and on my tongue. It was extremely painful and my doctor originally diagnosed it as Coxsackie virus, though I didnt have any sores on my hands or feet. A few months later, a sore came back on my lip. It starts as a small bump which then grows into a bit of a larger one without any fluid inside. It has a white top to it which eventually just sits there. It doesn't scab over, but goes down after a few days. It happened again at the end of August, and then a few weeks ago. I finally saw a dermatologist who tried to do a test for herpes, but the results came back inconclusive because he said the sore was "too old." it was only about 48 hours old. Another one just popped up on my lip, right after the two just healed. This is getting so frustrating. I just have a feeling it's not herpes, because my mom used to get herpes breakouts and this looks absolutely nothing like it. Plus, every time I have an outbreak it is also on my tongue. Could I be allergic to something?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
In my opinion these are canker sores. Canker sores are small shallow ulcers that appear in the mouth and often make eating and talking uncomfortable. Pain from a canker sore generally lessens in a few days and the sores usually heal without treatment in about a week or two. Avoid spicy or acidic foods during this time.You can use topical ointments like numbing ointments, such as benzocaine (Oragel), anti-inflammatory (steroid) gels,benadryl allergy liquid mouthwash,oral preparations of steroids and vitamin supplements.

But if the sores last for more than 3 wks or start spreading then pls consult a dermatologist. In that case herpes simplex I has to be ruled out. I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.