What is the importance of lips? They play pivotal role in eating, whistling, smiling and of course in kissing. And, it is impossible to look pretty without them. Therefore, almost every one of us tries to keep our lips nourished and moist but there are many people who find it hard to meet the special standards of lovely lips. There are several lip problems such as chapped lips, freckled lips, dark lips which obstruct their efforts to get the perfect lips. Lip freckle or pigmented lip is one of the commonest lip ailments which are often taken very casually. Although, most of the times they are just sun borne freckles but there are cases when these freckles on lips come as cancer alarm. What do those brown spots on your lip say? Browse the article and know all about spotty lips and their consequences on your overall health.
What are Lip Freckles and how do they form?
We often find brown spots on lips of a few people. In most of the cases, these spots are not natural. They are result of clustering of pigmentation cells of lip skin under its top surface. This clustering of pigmentation cells give birth to lip spotting which is often called lip freckles. More common among light skinned people, this clogging of skin pigmentation cells in lips is known as Melanotic Macule in medical terminologies. These freckles on lips appear in different size and numbers and may also spread towards other parts of face.
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Reasons behind its formation
A frequent sun exposure is the most common reason behind the spotty pigmentation of lip skins. When ultraviolet rays of sun rays penetrate inside our skin surface, it damages the natural formation of skin cells. To save the skin from adverse impact of UV rays penetration, the defence system of our body allows melanin constituting pigmentation cells to clog together. This clustering of melanin bearing cells later results into pigmentation. Sometimes, these spots appear immediately after the sun exposure while in some cases they may take years to appear. Tobacco consuming, smoking and alcohol binging are other prominent reasons which root for skin freckles.
Also Read – Does Lemon Juice Work for Freckles?
Difference between normal lip freckles and pre-cancerous lip freckles
Lip freckle do not look much different in their preliminary stages. However, if you are having brownish spots mostly on your lower lip which is often touted as farmer’s lip or sailor’s lip then it can be worrisome, as pre-cancerous spots mostly occur on lower lips. Farmer’s lips or sailor’s lip problem is known as Actinic Cheilitis in medical world. A data suggests that 6% to 10% people suffering from Actinic Cheilitis simultaneously develop lip cancer.
Note – If your lip freckles are combined with the problem of dryness and continual chapping/cracking then it is certainly a reason to worry and you must visit a dermatologist as soon as possible.
Does pregnancy also give birth to lip freckle?
Pregnancy is not a reason for lip freckle. However, if you already have spots on your lips, it may get darker during pregnancy.
Cure
Sun protection is the ultimate cure for lip freckles. If your skin is more prone to tanning, you must wear sunscreen lip balm before moving out in sun. In normal conditions, these spots can be treated easily with help of balms and other oral medicines while in extreme cases you may have to go surgical way.
Note – If you smoke, drink regularly or consume tobacco, book appointment with your dermatologist with single spot appearing on your lips.
Also Read – 10 Effective Ways to Say ‘Bye-Bye’ to Freckles
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