36 replies to this topic

[dwhaa]

Guys/Gals,
First off, I am going to say this - go to a doctor if you can. Hopefully you will find the right one that can help you. Along with that - arm yourself with knowledge and information of what you have been going through - keep track of days, when it started, any other colds or sickness you may have had prior to and tell your dr all of it. You have to assume that no one is going to take care of you or understand what is going on more than you. Someone giving you 15 minutes of their time is not going to completely understand what is going on, unless you tell them everything or you have a dr that really cares about finding out what is wrong with you.

It is hard to tell with everyone if you are all suffering from the same condition. I am reading around the org too and wonder if for the men, shaving isn't an issue. One of the guys that had a problem like this had an infection around his mouth because of shaving.

Cecelia posted above that vitamin deficiencies can cause this to happen too. One of the posters said lysine helped them. Look into that - I am going to.

Impetigo is an issue the first dr. thought I had - which is like getting strep and it going to your face, I think since we battle acne, our face is at risk to pick up some stuff easier than others, since it is already compromised.

Perioral dermatitis - google it- a dr has to diagnose it and I was lucky to find a dr to treat it right. It is internal and once you get it, it can flare up at anytime, especially during certain times of the year or during very stressful periods. It is something that takes a long round of antibiotics to get rid of. He gave me 500 mg or erythromycin twice a day for more than a month - up to 3 months with metrogel topical. I still use the metrogel around my mouth every day.

A few things - if you treat with bp and sa or any other topical antibiotic and they don't clear up - then you need to see a derm or a gp to help you. All the washing in the world wasn't clearing up my condition. Impetigo and perioral dermhave similiar type of whiteheads with yellow fluid to them when you attempt to drain.

Next:
do not dry your face with anything other than a paper towel or a towel that you use just for your face and no other body part.

change your pillowcase - often

don't touch it - I know it is hard- but leave it alone

i say this a milion times - any acne that I see around anyone's mouth - i always say change your toothpaste - Jason or something like it - with no sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate -people with peri oral they have found have issues with toothpaste contributing to this condition.

Sorry for the long read- I know what it is like to have this going on -it is awful. That's why I say first and foremost - go to a dr.

[brandoncolorado]

Thanks for the great reply DWHAA. I will look into some of those things, and I plan on going to see the doctor tomorrow.

To add another clue --- at least for --- nodes on the side of my neck are swollen, so I think this is some kind of infection maybe?

[dwhaa]

Thanks for the great reply DWHAA. I will look into some of those things, and I plan on going to see the doctor tomorrow.

To add another clue --- at least for --- nodes on the side of my neck are swollen, so I think this is some kind of infection maybe?

When I first started this - which is why they thought it was impetigo, I had major swollen glands, the dr didn't put it together until I showed how swollen they were.

[brandoncolorado]

For everyone's information:

I went to the doctor today. He said that I had a staph infection. This can happen because of shaving or plucking ingrown hairs or whatever. He has me on antibiotics for this.

[dwhaa]

I am very glad that you didn't wait and went to the dr. I have read/chatted with those that ended up having staph and they had to go to the dr's more than once to get it diagnosed correctly. They can do this by taking testing the fluid that comes out, if they just take the time.

take care and keep us posted.

[jimmyismyname]

Brandon,
I have been dealing with the exact same problem. Always in the same spot (are of no hair in between lips and beard). I'm so sick and tired of dealing with this shit. It is SORT of like acne, but not really. The worst ones have looked like big cysts, looking whitish/yellow when i press the skin with my tongue (and drain a lot of nastiness if I lance with a pin). I dealt with fairly mild acne for a while, but that has pretty much gone away and now its just this area (JUST LIKE YOUR PHOTO) that continues to be a pain. I am a 24 year old male and did not start getting these bumps until college (also in CO, coincidence?). I've always wondered if it's some sort of STD, but I've gotten a comprehensive exam and a clean bill of health. I just want this shit to go away and look like most normal people my age...

Hmm. Interesting

[izzy233]

Ok guys this is getting way out of hand, the pimple I have is red and it's been there for the past 4 months but never hurts at all even when I poke it, I went to a dermatologist and he gave me a cream antibiotic which i have to apply 3 times daily, called "Fucidin H". Now it's been a month since I started using it and no change! Please help me out guys, I want my lips to look pretty again
P.S. could it be from too much kissing? or giving head maybe? because I don't know what the cause of it is, and is kissing making it worse? can't heal maybe?(embarrasing I know lol)

[dwhaa]

Ok guys this is getting way out of hand, the pimple I have is red and it's been there for the past 4 months but never hurts at all even when I poke it, I went to a dermatologist and he gave me a cream antibiotic which i have to apply 3 times daily, called "Fucidin H". Now it's been a month since I started using it and no change! Please help me out guys, I want my lips to look pretty again
P.S. could it be from too much kissing? or giving head maybe? because I don't know what the cause of it is, and is kissing making it worse? can't heal maybe?(embarrasing I know lol)

Go back to the derm and have it re-check it - if he doesn't help you or give you something else to try, find one who will. Ask him if it can be anything else other than what he thinks it is.

Try using ice for a bit (10 minutes) and 10% bp - every night until you get to the dr and see if it goes down. Is it large or small?

[kady75]

I just found this thread doing a google search on perioral dermatitis and I already was a member
here soI guess it is fate right! ha!! lucky me

I totally thought I had cold sores I even got an Rx for valtrex, started popping lysine and was tossing
out lipsticks and electric toothbrush heads left and right very expensive!!! but finally my GP got me
right in to the derm to biopsy one of the "lesions" (I hate that word) it was negative for Herpes
virus bacteria and staph and I was diagnosed with perioral dermatits yada yada

It sucks though because it has only been a few days and they still look like cold sores! I still feel like
they are even though they supposedly aren't they are like pimples that form out of nowhere at my
lip border but don't itch or hurt or anything.

Also the derm made me stop using all my products and just stick with a gentle cleanser and
mosit. and antibiotic (oral) minocycline 2x daily. I keep thinking what if I really have cold
sores and just the one he bioposied was not a cold sore and now I am not treating the cold sores
ect ect mental health is not my strong suit....

well good luck to everyone out there!!! take care sorry this was sooooooo long!

[drummerhideaway]

i have had a sore inside corner of my mouth very painful im going to get Camphophenique its for the pain andyou can find it by the mouth care section in the pharmacy.....

[adamrodriguez]

I have had to endure years now, zits that appear right by my mouth and look like they are cold sores. They do not come up to a white head (usually) and can't be easily popped. No, they stay big and red and filled with blood and puss...gross I know. I have to pop them with a thumb tack and try to shrink them that way and when they do go down I am left with a pink scar by my lip. I have tried taking an acne vitamin and other creams to help them go down but the creams don't reach the problem and the vitamins only helped my smaller zits. I feel I need to take something that will make them stop appearing by my mouth but does't have horrible side affects. Any advice on why they appear there and how can I get rid of them?

You need to use moisturizer in that area, is mainly due to dryness in my experience. Ive had plenty of those over the years and i finally solved the reason behind it, it was always flaky or dry in that area and i would have massive breakouts on the chin and vermillion border of the lips. I NEVER HAVE THEM ANYMORE! its been 4 or so months since ive had a severe breakout of those things, i do have one on my mustache a week ago but that was it.. i never have those clusters of zits that look like a herpes breakout anymore.

[drummerhideaway]

Yes ive had the same and sores in my mouth ive been on accutane for 3-4wks now and the sore in the corner of my lip is doing a lil better.... chin up its gets better from what ive read.

[Aphrodites]

I have had to endure years now, zits that appear right by my mouth and look like they are cold sores. They do not come up to a white head (usually) and can't be easily popped. No, they stay big and red and filled with blood and puss...gross I know. I have to pop them with a thumb tack and try to shrink them that way and when they do go down I am left with a pink scar by my lip. I have tried taking an acne vitamin and other creams to help them go down but the creams don't reach the problem and the vitamins only helped my smaller zits. I feel I need to take something that will make them stop appearing by my mouth but does't have horrible side affects. Any advice on why they appear there and how can I get rid of them?

It is called cystic acne. They dont turn into whiteheads because the pus is trapped and doesn't come to the surface which makes them harder to get rid of and slow healing. You have to see a derm.

[lareznar]

when i changed toothpastes all of a sudden i started breaking out SPECIFICALLY around my lips and nowhere else (i dont get acne anywhere else anymore). its crazy, its a whitening toothpaste that has SLS in it

[ella1979]

Hopefully someone knowledgeable can shed or those of ne spot. This seems to happen every few months. It may be stress related or something, and it definitely feels like it is an "internal" problem.

I have had adult acne for 3 yrs now getting worse each year. This year due to hormones my derm said, it's getting worse so I'm on benzoyl peroxide gel 2.5 %. I was on antibiotics but my acne was not as bad last spring so I need a refill. I noticed tiny whiteheads & blackheads around & right on my lips. I popped a few & my upper lip (where the blackheads were) kept oozing out little bits of white pus & draining clear liquid. They are very painful once popped & I'm wondering what I can do to make the swelling (I have 2 large bumps) go down & the pain. I know it is not a cold sore because I intitially saw my derm for cold sores I was getting them so frequently by my nose & lips that I was put on & still am on Acyclovir 2x a day to suppress the virus. Does anyone have any idea what i can do to help the swelling go down? Or do I have to let it run it's course? For those of you who are unsure if you have a cold sore they typically start out as a bump that has a tingly/itchy feeling, there is no pus that will come out of a cold sore like a pimple no matter what. As the days go on, the sores will crop up as more little red & yellow fluid filled bumps, they will then begin to "weep" that's when the fluid flows out of them & they are at then most easy point to pass on that is when the virus is let out in the fluid. Eventually a dried up crust will form over the sores & your lips will begin to crack this is the most painful part. Then it will clear up leaving behind a scab, and a red mark where the sore was. I hope that helps explain cold sores for those of you who might think you have one. If you see a derm or doctor you can ask for a cream to help clear it up faster & heal better. The key is to apply the cream or take the pill when you feel one coming on hope this helps! This link has a lot of info on cold sores vs. acne too hope it helps someone.

[Needhelp2]

After a quick internet search about my issue, i came to this thread. As i read through it, it seems that most of you have the same situation as i do.

The zit like spots come out of nowhere and last anywhere from 2-4 days. They start out as an irritated red spot that is slightly painful then it leads to the puss stage which will be able to be popped up to 3-5 times a day. Once its popped, it only seems to relieve the surface and there is still some painful swelling lurking underneath.

They usually form along the lip line that is between the lips and the hair line, but occasionally they do pop up in the hair area but do not seem to be as "deep" or long lasting.

From what i have heard about herpes, they come to the same spots, on and off, and last for a few days. This is exactly what i have, but i almost always get only one spot at a time and sometimes two at most.

I spent the whole summer going back and forth to the dermatologist, explaining the problems, showing pictures because it was hard to make it in while the zits were exposed, then actually having samples taken of the puss/clear stuff and having it sent to a lab. Everything came back as negative, even for staph. The doctor was stumped because it acted like herpes, but did not come back as herpes. He also said that herpes will never emit puss and that it would only release clear fluid.

Other than a second opinion, what do i do now? I just had one come up yesterday and its god awful ugly! I have not had one in a few months, but during the summer i was having around one a week for a month or so. Its embarrassing to carry around all day!

I personally feel that it is herpes. What a frustrating situation to be involved with!

Oh yeah... all of the terms that were mentioned in here about what it may be, don't seem to be what i have. I yahooed all of the infections and nothing looks even close to what i have.

[TexMurphy01]

Holy shit this thread is awesome. It's presented me with ideas I've never considered before. My 'acne' is always worse between my lower lip and my chin (these stated areas). The rest of my face gets annoying, but that is definitely the worst area.

So... firstly... change my toothpaste.
Secondly, go and see a doctor and get examined for staph and herpes (or something else)?

Anything else in summary?

By the way, I have gone to lengths to not get toothpaste on those areas of my face. Would that not make a difference?

Also! I found treating the area with moisturiser makes it worse, unlike the rest of my face which, so far, didn't seem to mind so much.

Edited by TexMurphy01, 09 May 2011 - 09:53 AM.