What causes black spots on lips?

If dark spots suddenly appear on our lips, it will greatly affect our appearance. Black spots on your lips are by no means a trivial matter; it must be a sign of a health problem. So what causes black spots on lips?

If black spots appear on your lips for no apparent reason, most people would think that it is just an unsightly thing, but the director of the dermatology department reminds that black spots on the lips may also be a sign of intestinal problems and should not be taken lightly. Uncle Wei is an example.

60-year-old Mr. Wei is an old smoker and must smoke a pack of cigarettes every day. Two years ago, he found a small black spot on his lower lip for no apparent reason. Over time, the spot gradually increased in number and size. At first, Mr. Wei thought that it was because of decades of smoking that his lips became black like his teeth, which only affected the appearance. It didn’t matter to him at his age. However, unable to withstand the pressure from his family and the gossip from people around him, Mr. Wei came to the hospital’s dermatology department for treatment last month.

After the examination, the dermatologist asked Mr. Wei whether there was anything abnormal with his bowel movements during this period. Mr. Wei found it strange, but when he thought about it carefully, he found that since the black spots appeared, his bowel movements had increased and his stools had become thinner and thinner. The last time he went to the toilet four times in one day. He told his doctor about his condition, and the doctor recommended that he undergo an endoscopy immediately, as he highly suspected that he had intestinal polyps. The examination results revealed that Mr. Wei had an intestinal polyp with a diameter of 5 mm in his transverse colon.

Why do black spots appear on the lips when polyps grow in the intestines? The doctor said that he was suffering from pigmentation-polyposis syndrome, which mainly occurs around the mouth, lips (especially the lower lip), oral mucosa, and can also be seen on the fingertips, palms and dorsum of the feet. It appears as needle-shaped, mung bean-sized or larger dark brown or black spots, with varying numbers. Gastrointestinal polyps generally appear later than pigments and are often multiple. Clinically, belching, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, etc. may occur due to local irritation of polyps.

Although the incidence of this disease is not high, if black spots grow on your lips for no apparent reason, don't rush to get cosmetic treatments. This may be a problem with the intestines. If the frequency of bowel movements increases and the nature of the stool changes, you should go to the hospital for relevant examinations in time.