I have small, white spots on my upper lip. How do I get rid of them?

[charlie applegarth]

I have small, white spots (approximately 40 to 50)on my upper lip. They have been there for several years and are unsightly. Oddly, there are none on my lower lip. What are they and how do I get rid of them?

Charlie Applegarth

[Meggie77]

A related discussion, white spots -- think it's pesticide allergy was started.

[Marianna129]

A related discussion, white bump on my lip was started.

[marcus_e_l_2000]

Kinda sounds to me like cold sores which some L-Lysine will do wonders for, but I could misunderstand the discription.

[Charliebird]

I think I might have the same thing.  Do the spots look like there might be a little whitish fluid in them?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

On the lip, the most common spots of the type you describe are sebaceous (oil) glands.  These cover the face, but you can't see them against the background of the skin.  Against the pink lips, however, they stand out enough to be seen.  This is referred to as "Frodyce's condition," after the doctor who described them.

This is a variant of normal.  No treamtments I know of are reliably successful.  Women can wear lipstick.  In this culture, men have no useful cosmetic options.

Needless to say, you will need to see a dermatologist to verify my surmise.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff