Why is my lip being horrible to me?

August 28, 2007 9:51 AM

Someone tell me what this thing on my lip is, and why it's there. It's transparent and firm. I attempted to squeeze it and it briefly turned dark red. It isn't painful. I've only now become aware of it; it might have been there yesterday. Blurry picture inside!

Here is the blurry picture of it:

Should I have have this looked at? Should I be familiar with this or have developed one before?

posted by davidriley to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

Best answer: Oh oh oh I had one of those! I totally should have gone to the doctor, too - I ended up getting rid of it but it was totally a scene from a Stephen King novel - needle, scalpel, blood everywhere, the cats looking on in horror. I had popped it - with a needle - a couple of times, and drained off a thick, clear fluid, but it kept coming back and getting bigger. In the end, there was something in there that wasn't fluid - scar tissue maybe? Who knows? Anyway, it never came back after my home-brew surgery, but I still wouldn't recommend it. See a doctor - and post back here!
posted by restless_nomad at 10:00 AM on August 28, 2007 [2 favorites]

No clue, but I've had them before and they always go away on their own. I'll be watching this question to see if anyone knows what they are!
posted by cooker girl at 10:02 AM on August 28, 2007

Seconding having had one, and having popped it, and having it disappear on its own. I will also keep my eyes on this.
posted by HighTechUnderpants at 10:08 AM on August 28, 2007

I get them too - usually I pop or bite them off with my teeth. Probably shouldn't but it gets rid of them.
posted by missmagenta at 10:16 AM on August 28, 2007

I've had one like that before, too. Generally I would worry at it til it popped, but probably it will go away faster if you leave it alone. I've never known what it was.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:16 AM on August 28, 2007

Canker sore?
posted by breaks the guidelines? at 10:17 AM on August 28, 2007

Blood blister?
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 10:21 AM on August 28, 2007

I had an unidentified lump in my lip that ended up going away only after some amoxycillin treatment. It would be worth seeing a doctor if it doesn't go away.
posted by mkb at 10:23 AM on August 28, 2007

I'm plagued with canker sores when I don't get enough sleep. They look like that, before they get painful.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 10:27 AM on August 28, 2007

It'll go away. My doctor said it's caused by a virus (kind of like mild herpes or something) - I get them all the time. They never last more than a day or two.
posted by WaterSprite at 10:28 AM on August 28, 2007

Best answer: A Mucocele! wiki

I just leafed through way too many pages of grody pictured not to be right.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:28 AM on August 28, 2007 [2 favorites]

It's a canker. No big whup. If it starts to hurt, get some orajel.
posted by SassHat at 10:40 AM on August 28, 2007

I get those, too, and just bite them off.
posted by small_ruminant at 10:48 AM on August 28, 2007

A Fordyce spot or granule, also called a minor salivary gland or a sebaceous gland. This one has probably gotten plugged.

Leave it be; it'll go away by itself.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:12 AM on August 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Seconding mococele. I get them every once in a while. Had one removed ages ago (and identified). Each one since I just lance and try to keep open until it heals.
posted by jdfan at 12:03 PM on August 28, 2007

Best answer: Mucocele! Not fun or easy things to google because they tend to show you severe cases that require surgery. I had a tiny one on my lower lip that annoyed me like hell back in mid-June that lasted about 5 weeks. Felt like a small white bump or zit and biting just made it worse. I recommend ignoring it as best as you can. It may take a while, but should go away.

Oh, and it may come back too. And go away again.
posted by yeti at 12:24 PM on August 28, 2007

Actually, that's not a canker sore. I was wrong. Mucocele seems correct, my cankers have never been that big.
Also, YUCK.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 2:47 PM on August 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It popped. When exactly, I don't know: I had expected my mouth to fill with some gelatinous, carrion-flavored ooze, but nothing exciting or unusual happened. This is the most intense anticlimax of my life.

I'm sorry.
posted by davidriley at 5:30 PM on August 28, 2007