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Black Spots on Lips: Pictures, Causes, Get Rid, Remedies & Treatment

Black spots on lips could mean a number of things. It could be as a results of smoking or a medical condition such as STDs or Cancer of the lip. These darks spots can also be seen around your mouth, lower and upper lips. In some cases, you could spots the black spots on roof of the mouth. They could be harmless but annoying giving you a rather boring look. See the appearances of these dark spots in the post as shown by the pictures inserted herein.

Black Spots on Lips and around Mouth
Black Spots on Lips and around Mouth

As said, the spots are rarely harmful, in some cases, however, the spots can be a sign of a serious underlying condition such as lip cancer, for that reasons, proper medical diagnosis is required if you notice colored spots on lips that fail to clear or go away within a week. Here are some of the cause, remedies and treatment option for these spots.

Black spots on lips pictures

Pictures inserted below are to help you understand how these black spots actually look like. Find more of such images throughout the post.

Dark spots on lips picture
Dark spots on lips picture
Picture of Black Spots on Lips
Picture of Black Spots on Lips

Possible Causes:

Establishing the underlying cause of dark spots on lips is the first step in treating and getting rid of the spots. Dark spots not only on the lips but also on other parts of the skin can be caused by different conditions. Common Cause’s dark colored spots on lip or around mouth include the following:

1. Constant biting your lips

Habits such as biting and licking your lips can cause your lips to lose a lot of moisture, this leaves the lips dry, chapped and cracked. It can also lead to fungal infection around mouth and dark spots on lips.

2. Using poor quality or expired lip products

Black spots on lips can also be caused by using poor quality and expired lips products. Cosmetic products are made with chemical ingredients which can have harmful effects when used beyond their expiration dates.

People with sensitive skin can also react with some of the chemical ingredients in some products leading to the formation of dark spots not only on your lips but also on face and other parts of the body the products come in contact with.

When using a new cosmetic product, carefully inquire about the chemical ingredients used, alternatively, try the product on a small portion of skin before you can proceed to use the product.

3. Excessive consumption of caffeinated beverages

High consumption of hot coffee or caffeinated drinks can cause staining of the teeth, lips and around mouth.

Cutting your intake and consumption of such product will help prevent the formation of the dark spots.

4. Large amount of iron in the body

Black spots on skin are common symptoms of a large amount of iron in the body. This condition is commonly referred to as iron overload disorder or hemochromatosis. It occurs when a person absorbs too much iron from the food and drinks they consume. This is a serious condition that when left untreated it could lead to the damage of various organs in the body.

Apart from the black spots on lips, a large amount of iron in the body can be shown by the following symptoms:

  • Low thyroid function
  • The skin may become bronze like
  • Loss of sex drive
  • High blood sugar level
  • Women may stop menstruating

5. Vitamin B deficiency

Vitamin B deficiency is also a possible cause of colored spots on lips. Not consuming enough quantities of vitamin B food, and a problem where your body is unable to absorb these nutrients are what leads o such deficiency.

Angular cheilitis is a common condition that develops in people with vitamin B deficiency. It is condition characterized by swelling, inflammation, and cracking of the lips. The cracking may lead to fungal infection which then causes dark spots on lips.

To correct vitamin B deficiency, you are required to increase your consumption of food rich in this vitamin. This will include foods such as chicken, fish, salmon, milk and milk products, spinach, and turnip greens among others.

Vitamin B supplements can also be used to correct this deficiency. For pregnant women and those on other medication, you will need to first consult with your doctor before taking this supplements.

6. Hormonal imbalances

Hormonal fluctuation or disorder, especially during pregnancy or menstruation cycle, can cause many difficulties for your health and skin.

A common such imbalance in thyroid inconsistency caused by the thyroid glands hormone, this can fluctuation can affect the sexual function, mood, and food metabolism.

For most pregnant women, it is not uncommon for them to develop blotchy spots of dark skin. This condition is called melisma, this condition is commonly referred to as the mask f pregnancy as the splotches typically show up around the upper lip, nose, and forehead and on cheekbones.

The dark spots are triggered by hormonal change that occurs during pregnancy. The changes stimulate a temporary increase in the amount of melanin your body produces. The darkening is like o occur in women with dark skin complexion that in those with a light skin.

Black spots in lips

Black spots in lips can also be a sign of the following conditions:

1. Dry lips

Black spot spots lips is a common symptom of dehydration. Studies show that your body loses a lot of water through your lips than any other part of the body. Chapped, cracked and dry lips are not only caused by dry weather but also during cold and windy environment.

Common causes of dry lips would include over exposure to the sun, wind, and biting, licking your lips or drooling in children. When the cause of the black spots is dry lips, one can prevent this by increasing their consumption of water and fresh fruits and vegetables. Covering your lips with a good quality lip balm can also help prevent your lips from drying out.

2. Hyperpigmentation in lips

Black spots in lips can also be a sign of hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is a common harmless condition marked with dark spots and patches on skin. The darkening is caused by an increased production of melanin, which is the chemical component that produces normal skin color.

According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, hyperpigmentation can affect people of any race. Common forms of hyperpigmentation include the following:

  • Lentigines also called age or liver spots. These dark spots occur due to sun damage. Liver spots are often characterized by small dark spots on hands and face but can also occur on any part of the body exposed to the sun.
  • Melasma, common during pregnancy, these spots resembles the dark spots but they are larger and are caused by hormonal changes.

3. Reaction to lipsticks and lip balm

Black spots in lips can also be caused by using poor quality or expired cosmetic products on lips. Most of these products contain chemical ingredients that can be reactive to your lips when used passed their expiry dates.

Some lip balm and lipstick might also be reactive to your skin thus causing the black spots. This is common for people with dry sensitive skin.

4. Long exposure to UV rays from the sun

The other cause of black spot in lips is long exposure to direct UV rays from the sun. Apart from drying your lip, sun rays create melanin pigments on the lips that turn dark after some time. You can prevent this from happening by wearing a sun screen on your lips or reducing the amount of time you spent exposed to the sun.

Black spots on roof of mouth

Dark spot as said can occur on any part of the body, when occurring on the palate or roof of mouth, the spots are most likely to be a sign of oral cancer. In such case, the black spots will often be accompanied by other symptoms such as painless lumps that are resistant to medication.

Urgent diagnosis is required in such cases when the underlying cause is cancer, treatment will include surgery, radiation and chemical therapy to destroy the cancerous growth causing the black spots on roof of mouth.

Not all cases of dark spot on palate are caused by cancer, the spots can also be caused by too much use of tobacco and caffeinated products. In such cases, limiting your consumption of the product will be all you need to get rid of the spots.

Black spots on inner lips STD

Clack spots that develop on inner lips can also be a sign of a sexually transmitted disease such as HIV, syphilis or genital herpes.

Most of these STDs are very contagious and can be transmitted through unprotected oral sex. When the cause of the black spots on lips is syphilis, you are likely to observe other symptoms such as small painless bump on lips, fever and swollen lymph nodes on neck and other parts of the body.

For the cases of genital herpes around mouth, you will notice painful swelling, itching and sores develop around mouth. Practicing safe sex, whether anal, oral is the best way to prevent the spread of STD causing the dark spots on lips.

Black spots on lips cancer

When the dark spot are accompanied by painless lumps on lips, then it could be a sign of lip cancer.  This is common in people who smoke, use tobacco products or spent most of their days directly exposed to harmful UV rays.

Lip cancer can be caused by exposure to harmful UV rays from the sun, too much smoking or chewing of tobacco products. Lip cancer can be shown by the following symptoms:

  • Lip sores that take long to heal
  • Painless lumps on lips
  • Numbness on lips

A biopsy may be required when diagnosing the condition, after which treatment may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery to completely get rid of the cancerous cells from your lips.

Black spots around lips from smoking

Dark spots on lips or around mouth are common in people who smoke or excessively use tobacco products. The nicotine contained in tobacco products can thus cause dark stains not only on your lips but also on your teeth and the roof of mouth.

Dark spots on lips can also be seen for those who consume a lot of alcohol and caffeinated drinks, reducing your consumption of alcohol, coffee and tobacco use can help prevent and get rid of the dark spot. In some cases, the spots can be so large that prescriptions creams may be needed to get rid or remove them.

If after doing the above the spots fail to go away, they can be a sign of an underlying condition, have your doctor do some test to identify what the underlying cause might be to effectively treat and get rid of them.

How to remove black spots on lips from smoking

Black spot around lips from smoking is harmless unless they are caused by any type of cancer. Cutting down on smoking and use of tobacco product is the first step of removing or getting rid of such spots. Before you attempt to remove those spots, a medical diagnosis may be required to rule out any other cause that might be causing the spots.

If no other cause is found, then you can remove black spots on lips caused by smoking by doing the following:

1. Cut down on smoking

As said tobacco products contain a chemical product nicotine that can be harmful to your health. Cutting your consumption of such products is the best way to get rid of the spots and prevent other life threatening conditions such oral cancer.

  1. Use sun protection

Long exposure to the sun triggers increased production of melanin which causes an increase in the black spots on lips. If you smoke, using a broad spectrum of sun blocking lip balm can help keep your lips protected from the harmful UV rays from the sun. To get rid of the spots, you will also need to reduce the amount of time you spent exposure to the sun.

3. Cover the spots with a concealer

Dark spots can be very annoying embarrassing at time. A simple way to remove them will, therefore, be to cover the m up with a concealer, use a yellow or white undertone to cover them or temporarily get rid of them.

Home Remedies to Cure Black Spots on Lips

Black spots on lips treatment

Treating black spots in lips will vary depending on what the underlying cause is. In most case, black spots on lips are often not harmless and will clear with simple lifestyle changes. In other cases, the black spots can be a sign of something serious. A medical diagnosis will need to be carried out to establish the cause so that your healthcare provider is able to prescribe the right and most effective treatment for you.

A diagnosis is made by taking the medical history of the patient. A physical examination may also be required in cases where your health care provider is suspicious of a neoplastic growth. In such cases, a biopsy will be done to establish whether the growth is malignant or benign.

After the diagnosis, your doctor will be able to prescribe the right treatment depending on what the cause is in cases of lip cancer, for instance, depending on the stage and type of cancer, you doctor may prescribe a surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy to destroy the cancerous growth in your lip.

Other treatment options for dark spots on lips will include:

  • Wearing a broad spectrumsunscreen when going out
  • Creams containing hydroquinoneto bleach and fade the dark spots by slowing melanin production
  • Prescription creams  containing tretinoin and cortisonemay be used
  • Large black spots on lips can be removed using laser treatment. Most effective procedures include q switched ruby procedure

For minor cases, there are some remedies you can use to remove and get rid of black spots on lips. Here are some effective home remedies you might want to try at home:

1. Healthy diet

Maintain proper diet is the best way to keep your body healthy and prevent the development of black spots in the first place. Moderate intake of vitamin B and iron will help prevent the deficiency of vitamin B and control the amount of iron n the body thus preventing dark spots from forming.

Adequate water intake, on the other hand, will help keep your body hydrated, this prevents dry lips which might be the underlying cause of the dark spots on lips.

Other things you can do is reduce the intake of hot food, and beverage that might cause damage to your lips and the inner lining of your mouth.

2. Lemon juice

At home, you can use the bleaching properties of lemon juice to get rid of the dark spots on lip or around mouth.  All you need to do is:

  • Squeeze a fresh lemon to obtain the juice
  • Apply the juice on the affected lips before going to bed and when heading out
  • Do this until the spots disappear

3. Apple cider vinegar

Applying apple cider vinegar is also great way to get rid of dark spot on lip and around mouth. Apple cider is said to contain natural bleaching properties that can help remove and get rid of the dark spots naturally.

4. Beet root juice

The other great remedy you can use to remove or get rid of the dark spots around mouth is beet root juice.

  • Prepare a fresh beet root juice by blending some fresh fruits
  • Apply the juice on the affected area twice, when going to bed, and before heading out
  • Apart from removing the spots, the remedy will leave your lips soft and looking more attractive.

References:

  1. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/14767/1/Black-Spots-on-Lips.html
  2. http://www.homeremedyfind.com/8-natural-ways-to-get-rid-of-dark-spots-on-lips/
  3.  http://mddk.com/black-spots-on-lips.html
  4. https://darklipstips.com/what-causes-dark-spots-on-lips.html
  5. https://www.babycenter.com/0_skin-darkening-during-pregnancy-melasma-or-chloasma_222.bc

Published in Lips