While small white bumps on the lips are most likely the result of a benign, self-limiting process, they could represent cold sores, and be the result of infection with a herpes virus. This sort of an infection can be diagnosed by your doctor, who may prescribe one of several anti-viral medications if your sores are particularly painful or occur frequently. Most people will continue to experience cold sores for their whole lives; however, in most people, these are not a major health concern.
General Considerations
Bumps on the lips can result from a variety of processes. For example, they may be an inflammatory response to a plugged up pore -- also known as acne. Alternatively, they may represent seborrheic dermatitis, which is a kind of itchy, irritating skin condition. These conditions are relatively benign and will usually resolve on their own. In contrast, small white bumps on your lips may represent herpes virus infection -- this is a more serious condition because it requires medical treatment and can be spread to partners.
About Herpes
According to Timothy Berger, in "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment," approximately 85 percent of the American adult population has been exposed to the kind of herpes virus that causes cold sores. Clinically, herpes cold sores are sometimes preceded by burning and stinging in the area where the sores eventually erupt. When the sores erupt, they typically appear as clear or white bumps on a red background that crust over in about a week.
Diagnosis
Figuring out what's causing the bumps on your lips may require a trip to the doctor. If your doctor suspects herpes may be the culprit, he will probably use a swab to collect a sample of one of the bumps to send to a lab for processing. Usually, says Lawrence Corey in "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," laboratory confirmation of herpes infection is very reliable and only takes a day or so to complete.
Treatment Options
Generally, herpes treatment relies on use of one of three drugs -- acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famcyclovir. All three stop the herpes virus from replicating. If you only have occasional herpes cold sore outbreaks, your doctor may not recommend treatment at all. However, if you have a severe outbreak, topical treatments may help shorten the duration of your symptoms, and if you have frequent outbreaks, daily suppressive therapy may help lessen the frequency of outbreaks.
Prognosis
Although many people will continue to experience periodic outbreaks of herpes cold sores, if you have a normal immune system, you will likely not experience any long-lasting ill effects of a herpes outbreak. If your immune system is unable to handle the herpes virus, more serious complications of disseminated herpes infection include proctitis -- rectal inflammation -- esophagitis and encephalitis.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony S. Fauci, Eugene Braunwald, Dennis L. Kasper, Stephen L. Hauser, Dan L. Longo, J. Larry Jameson, and Joseph Loscalzo (editors); 2008
- "Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment"; Stephen J. McPhee and Maxine A. Papadakis (editors); 2009
