Herpes on the lips - how does infection occur? How is it dangerous and how does it manifest itself?

How does the virus become infected?

The virus can be infected in different ways: airborne droplets, contact (through shared towels, cutlery, through kissing), sexual intercourse, self-expression (when the virus from ulcers enters healthy mucous membranes and infects them). You can become infected through a blood transfusion and a child can receive the virus from the mother in utero. The incubation period (from the moment of contact until the first signs appear) is 2-14 days. A person becomes contagious as soon as sores appear on the lip, and is contagious to others until the scabs fall off .

Photo: One of the most common ways of transmitting herpes is contact.

Causes of herpes

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can be transmitted through household contact. Airborne transmission is also possible.

The airborne route is the main route of infection with the varicella zoster virus.

Genital herpes and cytomegalovirus are transmitted sexually.

You can also become infected with herpes through blood or saliva. The virus can be transmitted through saliva through kissing. Small children who put things in their mouths every now and then are also very vulnerable. If at least one child in a children's group is infected, a rapid spread of the infection can be expected.

Why do cold sores appear on the lips?

Those who suffer from herpes have noticed that exacerbations begin along with ARVI. Herpes occurs when immunity decreases, the protective forces of which are used to suppress ARVI. Colds on the lips also appear when the body’s defenses are weakened: with chronic fatigue, lack of sleep, frequent stress, poor diet, alcohol abuse and active smoking, in women at the beginning of pregnancy and in the first 5-7 days after childbirth.

Photo: Colds on the lips can only appear if the immune system is weakened

What to do if pimples appear on your lips?

If you have pimples on your lips, you shouldn’t immediately run to the pharmacy for saving ointment. Despite popular misconception, the term “acne” does not refer to any specific disease. The rash can be a manifestation of many dermatoses. Only a specialist, having studied her character and collected anamnesis, will be able to prescribe adequate treatment.

With acne, inflammation around the lips is usually rare, but if the rash around the lips turns out to be acne, the doctor may prescribe topical antibiotics18. These include Clindovit® gel. Its main active ingredient is clindamycin phosphate, which upon contact with the skin is hydrolyzed to form clindamycin6. The drug is active against propionibacteria and helps reduce the level of free fatty acids6. To reduce the risk of developing antibiotic resistance, it is recommended to combine the use of Clindovit® with azelaic acid preparations (Azelik® gel) or benzoyl peroxide28.

How does herpes manifest?

In medicine, it is customary to distinguish 5 stages of the development of herpes simplex: 1. The first stage occurs when blisters appear. It manifests itself as burning and itching in the lip area, and its swelling. 2. The second stage begins with the appearance of bubbles. At first small, they grow and fill with clear liquid. After a couple of days the liquid becomes cloudy. 3. The third stage of the disease is characterized by rupture of the vesicles. In place of the burst blisters, ulcers with swelling form. This stage is dangerous due to the development of complications. The person at this moment is very contagious. 4. In the fourth stage, the ulcers become covered with a dense crust. 5. At the fifth stage, the crusts dry out and fall off. The symptoms go away. The person becomes no longer contagious.

Causes and treatment of acne on the upper lip

There are many nerve endings concentrated in the lip area, so if any inflammation has formed on the skin in this area, then acne can be very painful. Pimples appear above the upper, lower lip and in the corners of the lips. They are not always pathological; more often they are simply a cosmetic defect.

It was never possible to establish a clear cause for the appearance of defects, and for each case the appropriate doctor selects individual treatment. If acne appears, you can contact a dermatologist, cosmetologist, gynecologist, endocrinologist and other doctors.

Causes

When acne appears once and in small quantities, most often the cause may be internal pathologies of the body. Despite the fact that a specific disease in which the skin above the lip and around the mouth “sprinkles” has not been identified, there are many factors that provoke the rash. Among them are:

Hormonal drugs and glucocorticosteroids. Most often, ointments and creams containing hormones are used to treat certain skin diseases. The use of drugs with prednisolone or hydrocortisone without prescription or after an incorrect diagnosis can aggravate the disease. Treatment with medications based on other hormones can worsen the rash. They may be found in skin care products.
External environmental conditions. Acne can appear when a person acclimatizes, when exposed to frost, sun, and wind.
Poor quality or incorrectly selected cosmetics. Inflammation on the skin occurs after the pores become clogged as a result of daily skin care. Acne can appear after any cosmetic product: lotion, skin cleansing milk and others that a person uses daily.
Microorganisms. On the surface of human skin and in hair follicles there are pathogenic microorganisms, which, when the body’s immune defense is reduced and multiply, provoke inflammation of the follicle and the appearance of purulent contents.
Toothpaste. Fluoride-containing toothpaste worsens the condition of the skin and provokes inflammation.
Hormonal imbalance. In women, pimples above the lip most often occur on certain days of the menstrual cycle. Taking oral hormonal contraceptives causes hormonal imbalance.
General decrease in immunity, stress and hypothermia. When the body's general defenses weaken, pathogenic agents begin to grow, so acne may appear during this period.
Various diseases. Pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract).
If skin problems are caused by a hereditary predisposition, then they appear after birth and are chronic throughout life.
Allergy. Allergic rashes occur after various irritants enter the body.

Rashes above the lip most often occur in women; in men they are less common. In representatives of the stronger sex, acne appears in 2 cases:

in case of disruption of the intestines, liver, stomach and pancreas;
with a lack or excess of hormones.

What kind of acne

Small rashes that do not have purulent content inside and are characterized by redness, itching and peeling are classified as simple dermatitis. Purulent acne is characteristic of an infectious lesion, which is accompanied by an increase in body temperature.

It is believed that pimples with a white purulent head provoke various pathologies of the pilosebaceous follicles. The rash can also be caused by perioral dermatitis or any other skin disease.

Diseases

With seborrheic dermatitis, acne occurs when the sebaceous glands become clogged with sebum and become inflamed. These rashes are accompanied by severe itching and upon detailed examination, yellow or white scales are found in the area of the hair shaft.

Demodex is a disease that appears when the subcutaneous mite becomes active. Impetigo occurs due to a staphylococcal or streptococcal infection. Herpes is most often localized directly on the lips and is characterized by severe pain.

Treatment with medications

In case of hormonal imbalance, you should contact an endocrinologist for treatment. The doctor will order a blood test for hormones and prescribe appropriate therapy. It is worth stopping taking hormonal medications for a while.

If the cause of the rash is hidden in unsuitable environmental conditions, then you should use products with UV protection; in winter, a cream with a greasy structure. The means should be selected according to the weather. Cosmetic products must be chosen carefully. Most often, pimples above the lip appear due to cosmetics that contain petroleum jelly, paraffin, and cinnamon flavoring. These components clog the skin.

To eliminate microorganisms on the surface of the skin, it is necessary to increase immunity and use drugs that contain imidazole, a substance that affects the vital activity of pathogens. If you have allergic acne, you should stop eating foods and using products with irritants. If inflammation is caused by toothpaste with fluoride, you should stop brushing your teeth with it.

You can get rid of acne of a viral nature of herpes if you cure it in a short time with the use of medications. You can buy Acyclovir or its more expensive analogue Zovirax at the pharmacy. Medications will speed up healing and get rid of the virus in a few days.

Acyclovir eliminates acne on the upper lip

The ointment is applied pointwise to the area of the rash every 4 hours.

Common dermatitis on the face should be treated with anti-inflammatory and emollient creams and powders. Seborrheic dermatitis requires treatment with antifungal drugs with miconazole and nizoral.

Demodex is treated with local medications to eliminate mites and systemic remedies for this pathology. Antiparasitic medications include Metronidazole and Ornidazole, and desensitizing medications include Suprastin, Tavegil and Diazolin. Impetigo is treated on an outpatient basis.

Diazolin eliminates acne on the upper lip

In cases where self-treatment does not bring results or the acne covers a large area, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor in order to identify the pathology and begin treatment as early as possible.

General treatment recommendations

If acne appears, you should consult a doctor and undergo examination. If the appearance of inflammation above the upper lip is caused by diseases, then there is no general treatment algorithm, and everything is decided individually together with a specialist.

General treatment recommendations:

Squeezing pimples above the lip is strictly prohibited; damage leads to the formation of a boil or the spread of infection.
Treating the inflamed tissue will help speed healing and prevent infection. Rubbing with alcohol will dry out the inflammation and stop the development and spread of infection.
Before applying a cosmetic product (cream, lipstick), you should spread a small amount of the product on the back of your hand.
To improve the condition of your skin, you need to eat well, give up coffee, hot, fatty, salty and spicy foods.
It is necessary to avoid stress and hypothermia.
You can take a vitamin complex; nicotinic and folic acid, riboflavin, ascorutin, and vitamin B6 are especially useful.

You can treat inflammation with folk remedies, but you need to wait longer for results. The following methods are used as auxiliary treatment:

You can lubricate the inflammation with garlic juice; this recipe is good for treating infectious rashes.
Rubbing with fir and tea tree essential oil helps. These substances dry out inflammation, accelerate maturation, and stimulate regeneration.

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How can herpes be dangerous?

Herpes can cause many complications. Some of them are life-threatening.

Bacterial complications. Most often, bacteria simply attach to the virus and the blisters fill with pus. If the blisters have already burst, then the ulcers become covered with pus, the pain in the lip becomes unbearable and a crust does not form.
Herpetic stomatitis is a lesion of the oral mucosa. The disease begins with a sharp increase in temperature, salivation and sharp pain when chewing food. There are many blisters in the mouth, similar to herpes on the lips.
Herpetic eye damage begins with pain in the eyes and lacrimation. A person cannot open his eyes due to severe pain. A dangerous condition that can result in blindness.
Herpes of the esophagus. Occurs when herpes spreads from the lips. There are difficulties when swallowing, severe pain, refusal to eat and weight loss.
Herpetic pneumonia and herpetic hepatitis occur in people with immunodeficiency and occur together with bacterial and fungal processes.
Herpetic damage to the nervous system occurs in the form of meningoencephalitis and is the most severe form of herpes. It begins with a sharp headache, nausea and vomiting, high fever, movement disorders and convulsions. The disease is unfavorable.

Photo: To avoid complications, you need to start treating herpes in a timely manner.

What to do with acne* on the chin?

Let's start with what you shouldn't do if you have acne - squeeze out blackheads*. Painful subcutaneous pimples* often appear in this part of the face. Their extraction can lead to rupture of the follicle and spread of the inflammatory process into the deeper layers of the skin. To prevent this, you need to properly care for your face and contact a specialist to select a treatment method.

Here's what skin care should be like if acne appears on it:

use only gentle care products, forget about scrubs for a while;
do not try to dry your skin with alcohol-containing cosmetics, it does not need it;
don’t forget about moisturizing, even oily skin needs it;
be sure to wash off your makeup at night, especially if you used a large amount of it to mask rashes;
use cosmetics that do not contain comedogenic elements;
review your diet, exclude potentially dangerous foods (milk, sweets, alcohol, fatty foods, etc.)

If you often experience a chin rash, but the disease is now in remission, you can try to reduce the risk of relapse. To do this, follow these recommendations:

check the expiration date of your cosmetics and its composition, it may contain comedogenic components;
change tools for applying cosmetics more often or use products to clean them;
change bed linen every 1-2 weeks;
use different towels for hands, body and face;
get rid of the habit of propping your face with your hand, and generally try not to touch it unless necessary.

These tips do not protect you 100% from acne, but they can reduce the likelihood of acne.