Blackheads Around Lips: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention 

Blackheads are one of the types of acne. These blackheads can appear on any part of your body. Although common on the nose, blackheads also form on the area around the lips making one of your prettiest facial features appear ugly. 

Not only do they appear horrible, but they are painful as hell as well because lips are a sensitive area. Not to mention, it is also one of the parts you want to look flawless. 

Therefore, are you getting blackheads often on the area around your lips and wondering what might be the cause and how to manage them? Well, this article has information on the causes, treatments, and prevention of Blackheads around lips. 

Table of Contents:

• Part 1: What are Blackheads?
• Part 2: Why Do I Get Blackheads Around My Lips?
• Part 3: How to Get Rid of Blackheads Around Lips?
• Part 4: How to Prevent Blackheads Around Lips?

Part 1: What are Blackheads?

Blackheads are small bumps on the skin that have a little black dot in their center which can appear on any area of the skin including lips. 

These bumps are formed because of clogging of the pores of the skin with impurities like pollutants from the environment, dirt, dead skin cells, excessive oils on the skin, makeup, and microbes from the air. 

Remember that these pores are clogged and not closed. So, initially, the stuck impurities have a light color but with time, the impurities become dark. Also, the skin keeps producing its secretions which forces the contents of the clogged pores to appear on the skin. 

Resultantly, blackheads appear on the skin. Any part of the body with pores is prone to blackheads. 

Part 2: Why Do I Get Blackheads Around My Lips?

Here are the 5 causes why you might be developing blackheads around your lips. 

1. Skin Conditions

Skin conditions that make the area around your lips prone to blackheads are the conditions causing, 

• Irritation of the skin as it increases the production of natural oils to cope with irritation 
• Overproduction of the oils as it can clog the pores of the skin 

A few examples of such skin conditions include seborrheic dermatitis, the presence of closed comedones on the skin, and acne-prone skin. 

2. Improper Skincare 

Improper skincare is also one of the major factors causing blackheads around the mouth. It is because we mainly focus on our cheeks and T zone while cleansing the face. So, the product buildup stays around the face.

Using products with the following ingredients irritates the skin, clogs the pores, and results in acne,

• Oils
• Wax
• Fragrance

. Additionally, inadequate cleansing and exfoliations make it worse. 

3. Unhealthy Lifestyle 

The health of your skin is mainly determined by what you eat, how you keep yourself clean, which products you use, and how often you go for dermatologist consultations. Following unhealthy lifestyle habits is associated with acne and thus blackheads around the mouth, 

• Harshly shaving the area around your lips or using comedogenic shaving products 
• Going out in a polluted environment without wearing a mask 
• Wearing a tight mask that traps the excessive sweat from the skin
• Sleeping on an unclean pillowcase
• Wearing tight helmet straps around your mouth 
• Using a mobile phone full of microbes to voice call frequently 
• Not washing your face after sweating 
• Having messy eating and drinking habits 
• Consuming too much fast food and sugary drinks 

4. Hormonal Effects 

An imbalance of hormones that causes an increase in the level of androgen is associated with acne around the lips and jawline. This is because androgen is a triggering agent for the release of sebum in the skin.

This sebum can clog the pores and when clogged pores are exposed to air and light, their contents oxidize to form blackheads. Thus, conditions like pregnancy, periods, puberty, and PCOS are also associated with blackheads. 

5. Weather 

Have you noticed how the weather in certain months makes your skin so greasy? Well, humidity in the environment causes excessive sweating and excess release of oil in the skin. 

Both of these are risk factors for the formation of blackheads. 

Part 3: How to Get Rid of Blackheads Around Lips?

You can seek help from home remedies and professional treatments to get rid of blackheads around the lips. So, here is the explanation of suitable treatment options. 

1. At-Home Skincare 

Below are home remedies you can try for blackheads. 

Products Used to Remove Blackheads Around the Lips 

Incorporating the following in your skincare routines helps keep the skin clean and slowly dissolve away the oxidized impurities in your clogged pores. Thus, you get a smooth skin. 

• Salicylic Acid: Salicylic acid is a skin cleansing agent that gradually breaks down the plug of the blackheads by breaking down dirt, excess oils, and dead skin cells. 

• Benzoyl Peroxide: Benzoyl peroxide is a strong exfoliating ingredient that removes dead skin cells from the skin leaving it free of any materials that might give way to the formation of blackheads. 

• Sulfur: Having effects the same as that of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide in addition to antimicrobial properties, sulfur is a natural ingredient that helps blackheads around the lips. 

• Retinoids: For glass poreless acne-free skin, retinoid is the ingredient of choice. As retinoid helps in shrinking the size of the pores, the chances of clogging of the pores are also reduced. 

• Topical Antibiotics: Topical antibiotics work as anti-inflammatory agents to reduce the blackhead bumps on the skin around the lips.

Effective Home Remedies for Blackheads 

Here are some natural ingredients from your house that reduce the appearance of blackheads. 

• Honey: Honey has benefits including skin moisturization, anti-inflammation, and antimicrobial properties. These benefits of honey are helpful in the treatment of blackheads around the mouth or lips. 

• Lemon Juice: You can mix lemon juice with water to form a vitamin C-rich solution of lemon juice. This diluted lemon juice works as an antimicrobial agent and kills microbes causing blackheads without harming the skin with its low pH. Furthermore, it is an astringent that shrinks the pores of the skin. 

• Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is another astringent agent to shrinks the pores and anti-acne agent to reduce skin inflammation. However, it is also harsh on the skin. So, diluting tea tree oil with water and applying it on the skin helps in getting rid of blackheads around the lips. 

• Micellar Water Wipes: Makeup, especially heavy makeup, clogs the pores around the mouth and causes acne. Micellar water wipes remove the makeup adequately and help in unclogging the pores. 

2. Professional Treatments 

If your clogged pores and blackheads are too stubborn to be treated by home remedies, below are the professional treatment options you can try. 

Chemical Peels 

Blackheads are often formed on the outer layer of the skin. Chemicals peels exfoliate the skin by working on the outmost layer of the skin. Once this layer with dead skin cells and impurities is removed, you get a healthy-looking smooth skin underneath. 

Microdermabrasion 

Microdermabrasion is a minimally invasive procedure in which microcrystals are used to exfoliate the skin. It has the following effects on blackheads on the skin around the mouth, 

• Unclogs the pores
• Breaks down the blackheads 
• Makes your skin look smooth and flawless ultimately 

Light Therapy

Blackheads might leave behind acne scars. Professional blue light therapy reduces acne blemishes and scars. So, even if it does not directly treat blackheads, it helps in the management of aftereffects of acne. 

Part 4: How to Prevent Blackheads Around Lips?

Let us talk about some tips to prevent the formation of blackheads in the first place.

1. Keep the Face Clean 

Unclean skin with pollutants stuck in the pores leads to blackheads. This worsens over time because of the accumulation of dead skin cells, oils, and dirt. Cleansing your face well every day twice removes the impurities that collect on the skin regularly. 

2. Exfoliate the Skin Regularly 

Cleansing the skin with face wash removes the dirt, sweat, and excess oils but it cannot extract dead skin cells and impurities from the deeper layers of the skin. 

For this, exfoliation with chemical or physical exfoliants is useful. As there are no dead skin cells, there is no development of blackheads. 

3. Change Your Skincare Habits 

Following changes in skincare habits helps avoid blackheads around the mouth, 

• Use non-irritating cleansers
• Go for fragrance-free non-comedogenic products including both makeup and skincare products 
• Apply lightweight, quick-absorbing, and oil-free lip care and lip makeup products 
• Always remove makeup before going to bed with special attention towards the area around the mouth 
• Do not pick the blackheads on your face or touch your face 

4. Improve Your Lifestyle 

Lifestyle habits play an important role in determining the condition of the skin. So, following lifestyle habits can help you prevent blackheads, 

• Keep yourself hydrated and drink fresh juices instead of canned drinks 
• Cleanse your face after a workout and sweating 
• Do not eat fast food or greasy meals 
• Do not overconsume alcohol or coffee 
• Do not smoke 
• Wash your makeup brushes and keep your skincare products in a cool and dry place 
• Go for regular checkups at a dermatologist to  keep your skin in a good condition 

Conclusion 

Blackheads around the lips result from several condition that clogs the pores on the skin. These include poor lifestyle and skincare habits, skin conditions, imbalance of hormones, and humidity in the weather. 

These blackheads can be dealt with by breaking the impurities and dead skin cells in the clogged pores. For this, products with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, retinoids, honey, lemon juice, and tea tree oil are used.

Lastly, stubborn blackheads are not treated with the home remedies and skincare ingredients mentioned above. This is why, you might need professional treatments including light therapy, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion.