The lips are among the most visible components of your face. Unfortunately, they are overlooked when it comes to care and grooming. This is why many people become alarmed when they develop black spots for the first time. In most cases, dark spots on the lips are nothing to worry about, although it is vital to consult a doctor if the spots are persistent or unusual. Your dentist will conduct a diagnosis and prescribe the proper treatment if anything is amiss. The common causes of dark spots on the lips and the prescribed treatment are discussed below.

Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin B-12 is essential for maintaining even skin tone and healthy skin. If you have a deficiency of vitamins, your skin might experience changes, including dark spots.

If you suspect your foods or supplements lack sufficient vitamins, consult your doctor first for an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. Only your doctor should diagnose the vitamin deficiency as the reason dark spots are forming on your lips. Once accurately diagnosed, the dentist will prescribe the appropriate treatment based on the severity of the deficiency. When you suffer from a mild vitamin B-12 deficiency, your dental expert will prescribe multivitamin supplements and diets rich in B-12. If the B-12 deficiency is severe, diet change and multivitamins alone cannot address the problem. You may require regular vitamin B-12 injections, depending on the severity of the deficiency. If you are uncomfortable with the injections, the doctor will prescribe daily pills of high vitamin B-12 doses.

Dehydration

Dehydration happens when the body loses more fluids and water than it takes in. Your body has a water management system that maintains water level balance. When you feel thirsty, the body signals that you should increase water intake. Drinking water helps replenish fluids lost through daily bodily functions like sweating and urination.

Your body communicates dehydration through symptoms like thirst, reduced urine production, and dark urine. However, you do not have to feel thirsty to be dehydrated when you are older. The common symptoms of the condition are:

  • Headache

  • Dizziness

  • Dry mouth

  • Lethargy

When severely dehydrated, the common symptoms you may experience are:

  • Sunken eyes

  • Dry skin

  • Fever

  • Lack of sweating

The typical symptom of dehydration is dry skin. When your skin becomes dry, the most potent effects are felt in the softest sections, the lips. So, the lips become chapped and begin to peel piece by piece. The peeling skin leaves injuries that heal to turn into scars and dark spots.

Dehydration has several causes. You must consult with your doctor first to establish the source of the problem and prescribe the proper remedies or treatments based on the cause. The common dehydration causes are:

  • Sweating

  • Diabetes

  • Diarrhea

  • Frequent urination

  • Severe burns that damage blood vessels, causing fluid leakages from the body

Your doctor will evaluate the unique symptoms you are experiencing to diagnose you with dehydration. Depending on your symptoms, the doctor can also order a blood exam to check your potassium and sodium levels and kidney function. A urine exam will be necessary if you have dark urine.

Once diagnosed, the doctor will likely recommend increased fluid intake to restore hydration. The standard drinks that can address dehydration are:

  • Water

  • Sports drinks

  • Clear broths

  • Fruit juices

  • Ice pops

Besides, you should avoid alcohol, coffee, or sugary beverages.

In severe dehydration cases, doctors will administer intravenous fluids in the hospital. When the condition stems from underlying conditions like diarrhea, the doctor must begin by treating the condition to stop the problem from recurring.

Excessive Iron

Another cause of dark spots on your lips is excessive iron intake. You can have excessive iron in the body because of factors like:

  • Excessive consumption of iron supplements

  • Too many iron injections

  • Receiving several blood transfusions involving blood rich in iron

Also, your excessive iron could stem from a hereditary condition known as hemochromatosis. The condition causes the body to retain or absorb excess iron from food and store it in body organs, causing skin discolorations like the dark spots on your lips.

Once the doctor establishes the cause of the excessive iron stored in your body, they will make several recommendations, including donating blood regularly to reduce iron levels. Additionally, they can closely monitor the iron levels in the body to identify triggers to manage the condition in the long run.

Particular Medications

Some chemical medications trigger skin color changes, leading to the formation of dark spots on the lips. The common medications that cause these kinds of effects on the skin are:

  • Antipsychotic drugs, like chlorpromazine

  • Antimalarial drugs, like quinine sulfate

  • Cytotoxic drugs are commonly used in cancer treatment

  • Anticonvulsants like phenytoin

  • Antiarrhythmic drugs, like amiodarone

When you experience these symptoms after buying any of these medications over the counter or after a doctor’s prescription, you should return to the pharmacist or prescribing physician to inform them of the dark spots forming on the lips or ask questions about the drugs.

Even if you experience skin changes after taking specific medications, it does not always mean the drugs are harming your body. However, if you are concerned that the dark spots on the lips make you conscious of your smile or appearance, talk to your doctor for expert recommendations. They may put a halt to the medications until the dark spots disappear or change the medication.

Dental Fixtures

During the placement of dental fixtures like braces or dentures, you can sustain lesions on the lips, creating unappealing black spots called Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH), a skin reaction to damage or irritation that causes it to produce more melanin than required. The reaction often happens to individuals with darker skin.

Additionally, PIH can occur when dental fixtures like dentures or braces do not fit properly in the mouth, causing movements that irritate the gingival tissue and lips, leading to sores. When these sores heal, they leave dark spots on the lips. The spots darken further when you are exposed to excessive sunlight.

You can prevent dark spots stemming from dental treatment by hiring a highly skilled dental expert to perform the procedure to minimize the risk of injury to surrounding soft tissue, like the gums and lips. Additionally, an experienced dentist will ensure that your fixture fits perfectly, eliminating any movement that could cause sores on the lips and gums. However, if you have developed the problem, consult your dental expert to adjust the fixtures for a perfect fit not prone to movement. That way, you will not create more sores on the lips. Your dermatologist will suggest wearing sunscreen on the black spots to prevent further darkening of the scars or special creams to lighten the lesions.

Hyperpigmentation or Melasma

Hyperpigmentation is a common skin concern that causes brown or greyish patches on the face, causing skin discoloration. The patches can appear anywhere on the face, including the upper lip. Other areas where the spots form include:

  • Cheeks

  • Forehead

  • Chin

  • Nose bridge

The spots are rampant in areas that have direct exposure to the sun. Therefore, they can also appear on the shoulders or forearms.

Sometimes, hormonal changes could be the source of the hyperpigmentation, meaning pregnant women are more predisposed to the skin condition. Many pregnant women develop the patches.

If you are experiencing Melasma, you should consult your doctor for proper treatment, even though the patches are harmless. Preventing hormonal changes, especially during pregnancy, can be difficult. Therefore, the best your doctor can do is prevent the symptoms from aggravating. When you see the doctor, they recommend minimizing your exposure to sunlight by wearing sunscreen or hats with wide brims. These protect you from harmful sun exposure.

The patches should disappear with time. However, when they persist, the doctor will prescribe topical medications to restore the skin’s even tone and lighten the dark spots. The medicines you should expect for the treatment of this condition are:

  • Kojic acid

  • Tretinoin

  • Hydroquinone

If these topical drugs fail to produce results, your dermatologist will try laser treatment, chemical peels, or dermabrasion.

Allergic Reactions or Cheilitis

Allergies can also cause the formation of dark spots on your lips. An allergic reaction that has these effects is triggered by several irritants, including:

  • Face makeup

  • Green tea, which can be an irritant on sensitive skin

  • Expired lipstick or lip balm

  • Hair dye or lightening creams

If you believe these products are causing dark spots, stop using them and ask your doctor for further directions. Besides, always ensure your skincare products are fresh and store them in cool and dark places for optimal results. Dispose of old products, as they may be expired or contaminated.

Sunspots or Actinic Keratosis

Sunspots are scaly or hard spots on the lips. They appear after exposure to sunlight and are characterized by:

  • Dry, rough, and hard spots

  • A flaky or hard texture

  • They are tiny, not exceeding one inch across

  • A tone that mimics your skin tone or one that is slightly pink, red, or brown

  • A flat or elevated surface

The spots are more felt than seen.

Apart from the lips, other areas exposed to sunspots are:

  • The face

  • Ears

  • Forearms

  • Neck

  • Hands

  • Scalp

Actinic keratosis, commonly called sunspots, is considered a precancerous condition. So, whenever you notice the symptoms of the condition, you should visit your doctor immediately for a thorough examination to establish if the spots on your lips have abnormal cells that could later develop into cancer.

Your physician will examine the sunspots or keratosis and make recommendations based on their observations. If your sunspots are inactive, they do not require removal. However, the best treatment depends on your unique situation and the doctor’s recommendations. The standard treatments for these problems include:

  • Freezing abnormal cells

  • Chemical peel removal

  • Curettage of abnormal cells through cutting or scraping

  • Use of topical creams

Alcohol and Smoking

Toxic chemicals and products in tobacco can damage the lips and the mouth. If you ingest tobacco through smoking, the heat generated can directly burn the lips, causing dark spots. Additionally, tobacco smoking slows down healing; the burns left on the lips can take a long time to heal, and once they recover, they leave scars, characterized by dark spots because of PIH.

Conversely, alcohol consumption leads to a toxin imbalance in the body, which causes black spots to form on your lips.

If your dark spots stem from these products, all you need to restore the skin tone of your lips is to quit them or limit their intake. You should discuss your options for stopping the products with your doctor, especially if you are struggling with addictions.

Angiokeratoma

Fordyce angiokeratoma is another common cause of black spots on the lips. Angiokeratoma is a skin lesion with varying size, color, and shape. The spots are usually black or dark red and are prevalent among senior citizens. Even though uneven surfaces characterize them, you can hardly touch them.

Even though harmless, you should not leave angiokeratoma alone without medical care. Your doctor should inspect them to ensure they do not contain abnormal or cancerous cells. It is after evaluation and testing that the doctor or skin specialist can rule out cancer and diagnose the spots as angiokeratoma. If the diagnosis comes out as angiokeratoma, you can remove them by freezing or laser surgery. However, your medical expert will advise you on the next steps if they have cancerous cells.

Cancerous Growths

When screening for skin cancer, it is easy to overlook the lips. However, you could have a cancerous growth on the lips manifesting as a black spot, which is why you must undergo screening. The symptoms that could indicate the dark spots on your lips could be cancerous are:

  • Irregularly shaped growth

  • A shiny bump or growth

  • Red patches

  • Scar-like tissue

  • Open sores

  • Wart-like growths

  • A lifted growth

  • A pink growth

Most cancers affecting the lips can be spotted early and treated. Therefore, when you have black spots and are experiencing these symptoms, you should go for screening. Once the doctor determines you have cancerous growth, it can be treated through radiation, freezing (otherwise called cryotherapy), and surgical removal.

Find a Reputable Advanced Dentistry Service Near Me

Most of the dark or black spots on your lips are harmless. However, some could be an indication of an underlying condition. Therefore, you should consult with your dental expert if your spots persist. At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we have the personnel and equipment necessary to conduct an accurate diagnosis for your lip issue and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Call us at 818-701-3010 to discuss your case, conduct a thorough exam for a correct diagnosis, and get the proper treatment.