Pimples on lips rank up there with the most unexplained forms of acne. It seems that the closer you follow your acne regimen, or the harder you try to avoid touching your lips, the more frequent these pesky pimples become. Parents have always preached the outdated philosophy that washing your skin will prevent pimples. Well, most people who suffer from acne happen to care for their skin exceptionally well. So there tends to be little correlation between the two. For the most part, it is safe to say pimples on lips can be difficult to treat. Most commercial acne products make it explicitly clear that they shouldn’t be used around the mouth or eyes. After all, ingredients like benzoyl peroxide may trigger irritation or other adverse reactions. Fortunately, most of the time you won’t have to obtain any sort of special regimen to combat pimples on the lips. What you will have to do is carefully analyze your current routine and look for potential problem areas. What does this exactly mean? Well, it means that certain behaviors which you usually don’t think twice about may be impacting your complexion, especially in the region that immediately surrounds your lips. Once you identify the problem variables, all you need to do is change them and the acne should go away on its own.

Before we start outlining what constitutes potential hazards as far as this form of acne is concerned, we need to get something clear. Popping pimples is never an effective treatment method. That means no matter how large or inflamed a zit on lips may be, you need to leave it alone. What most people don’t know is that squeezing at zits lodges the bacteria further into the skin, and pushes it into nearby hair follicles. That means more zits! Unless that is your intended goal, leave the damn things alone! The issue of scar tissue is another story altogether. You don’t want to have pock marks all over your face from tampering with your acne. If any part of your daily routine deals with popping a zit on lips, you need to reform immediately.

Pimples around lips, as we’ve mentioned before, can be caused by a bacterial component or a hormonal one. As far as the former is concerned, things like biting your nails or failing to clean your mouth thoroughly after eating can be to blame. The area under your nails is a haven for bacteria and other contaminants. While some swear that chomping down on their nails is a good stress reliever, the lip pimple that will appear at the site of the crime will do anything to help alleviate stress. Examine your routine behaviors carefully. Are there any instance of nail biting, or using your dirty hands to remove food residue from your lips? If so, see if you can connect the puzzle pieces. Do you lip pimples become more profound after you engage in these behaviors? An easy way to tell is to quit doing these things for a week. If the zits around your lips begin to clear, you’ve hit the jackpot. Clearing zits around lips isn’t brain surgery. You just have to monitor your habits carefully and begin removing these destructive habits one behavior at a time. Unfortunately, bacteria is not always the culprit in causing zits around lips.

Hormonal acne is a form of acne that has received very little attention since recently. This acne does not respond to the age old remedy of washing your skin. Hormonal fluctuations caused by stress, among a number of other factors, can take a severe toll on your skin. What’s characteristic about hormonal acne is that it tends to appear on the lower extremities of the face. This includes the chin, jaw line, and finally the area around your lips. If you had difficulty identifying regular behaviors that may be worsening your acne in the previous section, you may be suffering from a hormonal variant of lip pimples. This can be more difficult to diagnose. Women may have an easier time doing this, especially if their lip pimples tend to come and go in sync with their monthly period. Males on the other hand, will need to be a little more diligent in order to identify the trigger. For men, a good experiment might entail comparing the frequency of lip pimples during periods of immense stress to those with reduced amounts. Perhaps the tension at your job or at school may be influencing your lip pimples. Irregular sleep patterns can also influence the lip pimple activity. If you routinely get less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep, or are constantly moving your bed time towards the early hours of the morning, this may be your problem. Try hitting the sack earlier in the day and repeat for a week. This may result in some improvement. Even intimate activity that results in fluctuations of the male hormone testosterone can control the frequency of breakouts around the lips. Unfortunately, there are very few solutions to controlling hormonal acne beyond trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Women have the unique option of going on birth control to help regulate their hormones during that time of month. If none of these recommendations seems to help you cure pimples around lips, you are best off talking to a dermatologist.

There is actually a third component to those irritating pimples around lips that is not surprisinly overlooked (even we forget to mention it in our intro). Many commercial products which we use on a routine basis, for tasks like washing our hair or brushing our teeth, contain harsh ingredients. It may come as a surprise that many of these additives are also utilized in an industrial setting. One of the more “known” ones is sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS. This chemical has several cousins that are similar in chemical composition. SLS is nothing more than a detergent designed for use in hard water (which most of us have in our homes). The issue with SLS is that it is a skin irritant, that can produce severe drying. So it is a risky proposition for those who have acne. If you fear that SLS may be to blame in your acne battle, check your shampoo bottles and toothpaste tubes for this ingredient. If you can, toss it out for an SLS-free alternative.

Toothpaste is what you might consider a double offender. Not only do most brand name toothpastes contain SLS, but they also have fluoride. While the fluoride ion does have miraculous properties when it comes to protecting against dental decay, it is bad news for that unyielding pimple under lip or anywhere else for that matter. Fluoride too is a skin irritant that can cause acne-like eruptions. The solution? Switch to a non-fluoride containing toothpaste. This might be a controversial transition for you, but rest assured that your intake has and probably always will be supplemented by the water you drink. If this is a really big concern for you, you can always consult your dentist who may have suggestions for an appropriate toothpaste.

If you follow the suggestions outlined above, you can kiss those lip pimples goodbye. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to cure a pimple under lip, or one on the corner of your mouth. The procedure is exactly the same as repeat offenders are to blame. Implement some of the strategies we have freely provided and you will get relief. Now remember not to be impatient. Give these tips some time to work. However rest assured that if you are proactive in treating them, they will eventually subside.