Rash around mouth or on lips may affect both adults and children. It is often an indication of various health problems, some of which may be serious and require immediate medical attention. Explore pictures, causes, signs and symptoms of rash or redness around mouth. Also, learn how to get rid of them with medical treatment and home remedies.
Signs and Symptoms
A facial rash that typically occurs around mouth region is medically known as perioral dermatitis. They can also show up around the nose and under the eyes. These rashes are often red in color and slightly scaly or pimples like bumps.
The rash around the mouth may not only take red color but also they can appear as pink, brown, white, yellow, grey or dark spots, bumps, and patches on the affected area depending on your skin tone.
Perioral dermatitis can show up as fluid-filled blisters that may ooze out clear fluid and form a yellow crust on the affected area. These rashes also can be associated with redness, itching, and burning of the skin in the affected area.
Rash around the mouth is a common problem that often occurs in women whose age range between 15 to 45 years. However, this condition can show up in all ages and gender including babies, teens, adults and aged individual.
The redness or rashes around mouth might take few weeks or month to go away. Occasionally, these rashes may refuse to go away and develop into chronic skin condition like burns in the affected areas that look similar to rosacea.
Rashes around mouth region may appear in different forms depending on the causal agent. Signs and symptoms of facial rashes may also vary from one person to another. It is important to know signs and symptoms associated with a rash around mouth region. You may use these symptoms to get the hit about your health condition.
Signs and symptoms of rashes around mouth region include the following:
- Red bumps around the mouth, nose and under eyes
- Scaly bumps around mouth, under eyes, on forehead, and on chin
- Fluid-filled blister that may bust, weep and crust over
- Few or numerous bumps that look like acne
- Tiny dots or large spots around mouth region
- Dry or scaly round, oval or irregular patches
- Itchy or burning sensation of the skin
- Redness, tender or inflammation
- Hard bumps like granules on lips, around mouth, on nose, cheeks, chin, under eyes that are not itchy
Rash around Mouth Pictures
How do rashes around the mouth look like? Apparently, rashes around the mouth region may appear in different forms. They might appear as tiny, small, large, few, numerous, flat or raised spots. We have provided descriptive pictures in relevant parts of this post to show you how these spots can look like.
You may use the images (pictures) to get the idea about your health problem. However, you should not use these pictures as a guide for self-treatment without the help of the doctor.
Causes of Rash around Mouth
There are various factors or reasons that may result in the formation of facial rashes around the mouth. The types of mouth rash depend on the causal agent. Some rashes are mild and harmless while others might be harmful to you.
The possible causes of rash around the mouth region include the following:
1. Contact Dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis is a skin condition characterized by red or pink itchy spots on the affected area of the skin. It can also show up as painful bumps that harbor pus or fluid-filled blister that can develop into an open sore. Like any other parts, the skin around your mouth can also be affected by contact dermatitis.
This condition can occur due to direct contact with your skin with allergens or harmful irritants. Irritant (allergic) contact dermatitis may be triggered to show up by drooling of saliva, cosmetic products, detergents, toothpaste, sweat and spicy food.
2. Eczema around mouth
Eczema is a chronic skin disorder that can cause a pink or red rash around the mouth or on other parts of the body. This condition can manifest as itchy dry spots and patches on the affected area of the skin.
Eczema is an autoimmune disorder that may be triggered by exposure of the skin to harsh chemicals from skincare products, excess heating of the skin and body stress. These factors can also trigger eczema around your mouth to occur.
3. Perioral Dermatitis
Perioral Dermatitis is a skin condition that typically causes a red rash around mouth. The rash around the mouth may lead to intense itchiness or burning sensation. This may induce the urge to scratch on the affected area of the skin around the mouth.
Perioral Dermatitis is a common skin condition often occurs in women. However, it might also affect anybody regardless of the gender, age or race. The condition may occur several times to an individual within a period of months or even years.
The main cause that results in perioral dermatitis is not clearly known. Although the condition is attributed to develops due to various risk factors such as saliva drooling, use of oral contraceptives, harsh toothpaste. Viral, bacterial and fungal infection also can cause perioral dermatitis.
4. Impetigo
Impetigo is a contagious skin condition that can cause a rash around mouth. This condition is characterized by small red bumps like sores that are pus-filled blisters that can ooze out yellow fluid and finally forms a hard crust.
This infection is common to young children including infants, babies or toddlers. The infection can as well attack teens and adults but in rare cases. Impetigo can spread quickly in population through direct skin contact from one person to another.
5. Seborrheic dermatitis
This is a disorder that leads to red scaly and itchy skin around the mouth or any other parts of the body. Seborrhea is known to affect the skin of the scalp; it can also show up around the mouth. This condition can show up to anybody.
The exact cause of seborrhea is not been known but the condition is associated with extreme cold temperature, dry weather, body stress. Also individual with a yeast infection, psoriasis and rosacea are at high risk of developing seborrhea around the mouth.
6. Rosacea
This is a chronic skin condition that can show up as a red rash in form of bumps and blisters. This condition can also affect the skin around the mouth to develop a rash as a result of irritants or genetic factors.
7. Canker sore
These are small sallow or grey ulcers that have a red base that can appear on the surface of the lips and inside the oral cavity. The outbreak of canker sores might appear as a rash on the skin that surrounds the mouth.
The is no specific cause of canker sore but they can be stimulated to show up due to body stress, change of body hormones, and due to weakened immune system.
8. Cold sore
A rash around mouth might be a consequence of cold sore or oral herpes. These are tiny blisters that may show up on lips, inside the nose, on cheeks or inside your mouth. Cold sore has five characteristic stages that comprise of tingling of the skin, blisters appear, weep or ooze fluids. The blisters finally crust over and heal.
Cold sore is caused by a contagious virus known as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). This infection can spread quickly from one person to another through direct contact with infected saliva.
9. Angular cheilitis
This condition is also known as perleche. A rash may develop at the corner of the mouth due to the effect of dried saliva on the surface of the lips. This rash may develop into painful sore or itchy blister that might even bleed.
10. Acne vulgaris
These are a common skin condition that can cause a rash to appear around the mouth. The clogged pore on the skin can result in the development of acne on your face. Facial acne can be stimulated to appear due to change in hormones and use of certain medication.
11. Fungal infection
Oral thrush is a known fungal or yeast infection that can cause rashes around mouth region. Yeast infection can lead to white, pink or red rashes like spots or patches.
12. Sunspots
Exposure of your face direct sunlight can result in sunspot or premature age spots like rash lips, nose, cheeks, and forehead.
13. Folliculitis
This is the inflammation of the hair follicle that can occur on your skin due to bacterial or fungal infection. This condition may develop after shaving the facial hairs around the mouth region especially when you used inappropriate shaving procedures.
14. Chemical and thermal burns
Corrosive chemical like base and acids can cause burning of the skin when it becomes into direct in contact with the skin surface. High temperature from heat can also damage the affected area of the skin to develop skin burns.
15. Oral contraceptives
This is a rare cause of rash around mouth region that can occur in women. Oral contraceptives can stimulate pimples like a rash to show up around the mouth.
16. Drooling
Running of saliva around mouth region might cause the rash to appear around mouth region. This condition is common to infants, babies or toddler who might not be able to control drooling. Also, adults with the drooling disorder can also be affected by a rash on the lips, chin, and cheeks.
17. Cancer
Cancer is a rare chronic condition that can cause a skin rash on facial parts including around the mouth. This condition is characterized by hard bumps that keep on bleeding and that won’t go away easily.
Rash around Mouth after Eating
The development of a rash around your mouth after eating might be an effect of food reactions that can occur in various ways. This reaction may affect both children and adult to develop strange spots like rash around the lips on the mouth.
Types of food reaction that may occur in your body include the following:
- Allergic reaction: certain components of foods such as protein can induce allergic reaction to occur around your mouth. This reaction can be in a form of rash, blister, bumps, and patches.
- Food intolerance: this is a reaction that can occur due to body intolerance of the chemical content of certain food. Body system may reject chemical substance such as food preservative, colors or any other food additives.
- Food poisoning: harmful substances in food can also cause the rash to appear around the mouth.
In most cases, food reaction may not affect your health. But on few occasions, food allergies can cause serious nutrition problem that can interfere with the general health condition of your body.
Rash around Mouth Child, Toddler
Generally, a baby skin is more susceptible to develop various types of skin infections. Most of the skin infections in infants, babies or toddlers are mild conditions that may appear alarming but they can go away without medical treatment.
Similarly, the skin around the mouth can develop a red rash that can take different forms such as raised spots, flat spots, lacy patches, pimples, blisters, pustules or any other spots. These spots can show up on lips, cheeks, chin, nose, under eyes, on the forehead or any other parts of the skin.
The common causes of rash around the mouth of children include:
- Drool rash: drooling of saliva in children is a common condition that can encourage red rash on the lower lips, cheek and chin.
- Oral thrush: this is a fungal infection that can affect the skin around the oral cavity to develop tiny white rashes or patches.
- Hand and mouth disease: this is a common cause of sores that can affect the skin on hands and around the mouth on your child.
Other cause that we have ready discussed in this post can also be the reason for your child to develop strange spots around the mouth. Some of these causes include impetigo, chickenpox, cold sores, and canker sore, hives, and eczema, rosacea and baby acne.
Home Remedies
You can use home remedies to treat mild rash around mouth. Home remedies are a suitable treatment method you use to get rid of facial rash that may not advance to a serious health condition. You can try the following:
- Aloe Vera
You can use Aloe Vera as a home remedy to get rid of redness around the mouth. This herb has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help relieve itchy red spots on the skin.
How to use:
- Clean the affected parts of the skin and pat it with a washcloth to dry
- Apply Aloe Vera juice, cream or gel on the affected areas of the skin
- Repeat to apply it three times per day until rash on your mouth go away
- Apple Cider Vinegar
You can use apple cider vinegar at home to remove rash from your lips. The reagent has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that can help in the healing of various types of skin rash.
How to use:
- Dilute ¼ glass of apple cider vinegar with equal amount of water
- Soak the cotton ball in the solution
- Apply the solution on the affected parts of the skin
- Allow it to stay on your skin for more than 20 minutes before rinsing it off with cold water
- Repeat this procedure twice per day for few weeks until the rash around the mouth go away
- Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a good home remedy that can help to dry up sores on your skin. the reagent has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help to the healing of perioral dermatitis.
How to use:
- Get ¼ glass of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution
- Soak cotton ball into the solution for few seconds
- Apply the solution on the affected area of the skin
- Allow the solution to dry up before rinsing it off with cold water
- Repeat this procedure three times per day for few weeks until facial rash go away
- Grapefruit
Grapefruit has antiseptic properties that can help to treat perioral dermatitis. Grapefruit juice also has soothing properties that can help to ease itchy rash around mouth.
How to use:
- Extract ½ glass of grapefruit juice and mix with two teaspoons of castor oil
- Use a cotton swab to apply it on the affected parts of the skin
- Allow it to stay on your skin for more than 30 minutes before rinsing it off with cold water
- Repeat this treatment twice per day for few weeks
- Lemon juice and raw honey
Lemon juice contains citric acid that has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that can help in the healing of rash on the skin. Raw honey has a medicinal ability that can help to heal and soothe itchy spots on the skin surface.
How to use:
- Mix one teaspoon of raw honey with two teaspoons of lemon juice
- Apply the mixture on the affected area of the skin
- Allow it to stay on your skin for more than 20 minutes before rinsing it with cold water
- For effective results, repeat this treatment twice per day for few weeks
You can also use other home remedies to get rid of rash around mouth such as colloidal silver, green tea, yogurt, oatmeal, calendula, baking soda, turmeric, Neem oil or any other applicable home remedies.
Medical Treatment
Medical treatment is another alternative you can go for when rash on your mouth is likely to advance into a serious health condition. You can visit your doctor to help you in the treatment of skin rash around the mouth region.
Your doctor will decide the appropriate diagnosis plan and treatment method to use that can help to get rid of the rash on your face. Your doctor may use the following method to treat rash around your mouth that include:
- Prescription of oral medications that can help to treat the underlying condition that may cause skin rash
- Prescription of steroid creams that can treat and cure itchy spots around mouth
- Laser treatment to cure chronic rash on the skin
- Surgical procedure that can help to remove cysts and bumps around mouth
When to See a Doctor
You can see your doctor over rash around mouth area when you notice the following:
- When facial rash has persisted for more than three weeks without reasonable improvement
- When the rash around your lips are causing intense itchiness that makes you feel a discomfort
- If you baby develop strange spots around her mouth that are associated with other symptoms like fever, sore throat and loss of appetite
- If your facial skin develop chronic hard bumps that can bleed easily when something touches
Sources and References
[showhide type=”links” more_text=”Show Sources and References” less_text=”Hide Sources and References”]
- Rash around the mouth: https://www.healthline.com/health/perioral-dermatitis#overview1
- Signs and symptoms of rash around the mouth: https://www.healthline.com/health/perioral-dermatitis#symptoms3
- Causes of rash, bumps, spots or blister around mouth: https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/rash-around-mouth-causes-symptoms-and-treatment/
- Causes of rash around the mouth: https://healdove.com/disease-illness/Rash-Around-Mouth
- Rash around the mouth and food reactions: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=302&id=1445
- Baby rash around the mouth: http://www.newkidscenter.com/Rash-Around-Toddlers-Mouth.html
- Rash around the mouth of toddlers, infant or baby: https://www.babycenter.com/101_visual-guide-to-childrens-rashes-and-skin-conditions_10332129.bc
- How to get rid of rash around the mouth: https://homeremedyshop.com/27-home-remedies-for-treating-rashes/
- Treatment of rash around the mouth: http://www.healthhype.com/rash-around-mouth-lips-causes-pictures-treatment.html
- Home remedies for rashes around mouth: http://www.top10homeremedies.com/home-remedies/home-remedies-perioral-dermatitis.html [/showhide]