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The sudden appearance of dark spots on your lips may occur due to many reasons. Some of them may be minor ones like:
- Smoking: Nicotine in cigarettes stains lips causing them to turn dark and sometimes cause spots. Cutting down on the number of cigarettes smoked per day will eventually decrease the discoloration.
- Lipstick: Using old expired lipsticks or ones of inferior quality is also known to cause dark spots on lips. Avoid using un-heard of brands and stick to quality products.
- Dry lips: Keeping your lips well moisturized may help prevent dark spots as dry lips are known to darken due to lack of moisture. Apply a gel containing petroleum jelly before sleeping. This will help in keeping your lips moisturized.
- Sun exposure: Lips also darken due to prolonged exposure to sunlight due to pigmentation
- Hormonal imbalances: Abnormal fluctuations in hormonal levels can sometimes cause dark lips.
Dark spots of lips may also be indicative of a bigger problem, such as:
- Oral melanotic macule: Also known as labial melanotic macule, this is a non-cancerous (benign) dark spot found on the lips or inside the mouth. This condition can be diagnosed with a biopsy which can tell you if the spot is after all only a benign oral melanotic macule, or if it is malignant.
- Peutz-Jegher's syndrome: This condition is also known to cause dark spots on the lower lip and other areas. It is an autosomal dominant syndrome and is characterized by pigmented macules on the buccal mucosa, lips or digits
Dark spots on lips occurring due to minor reasons can be cured in many ways, some of them being:
- Applying lemon juice, which is natural bleach, should help lighten your lips. You should apply a mixture of lemon and glycerine to your lips and leave it on overnight.
- Cutting down on tea and coffee may help as they are known to darken lips. Instead, opt for healthier drinks like fruit juices and milk shakes.
- Avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight and when out in the sun; use a mild petroleum jelly to keep your lips from drying up.
- Avoid using a lipstick for some time as the dark spots may have been a reaction the lipstick you use.
- Licking your lips often is also not advised as saliva is known to dry lips.
- Cut down or if possible, completely avoid smoking. Nicotine is known to cause lips to darken.
- An easy home remedy to cure dark spots is to mix a piece of saffron in milk cream overnight. You can scrub the saffron with your finger till the color of the milk becomes totally saffron. This can then be applied on the lips the next morning. Leave it on the lips for about 2-3 hours and then wash it off.
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