Bump on my lower lip

Joe,

About a month ago, a small lump appeared on my lower lip. It doesn't hurt, hasn't bled, and isn't growing. It’s just darker than the rest of my lip, covered by this whitish mucous membrane. It feels firm to the touch and gets sensitive—especially with hot tea, for instance—but there's no actual pain.

I'm 21. I smoked for three years but quit a few months back. Seeing a doctor this week, but I'd still appreciate some perspective here... Thanks. (:

Photo:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/...625a8997_o.jpg

Hmm... I don't know, honestly. To me, it looks a bit like a canker sore, though it does seem a little off... Did you maybe scratch yourself on something and then get an infection?

Joe (:

I'm wondering if a canker sore can actually look like a blood clot? I've had them before, but they were just painful surface sores. No injuries here...

It’s just not healing, which is unsettling. Not one to panic over every little thing, but cancer is a heavy thought. Read some symptoms online... too many similarities...

Joe, I actually went through something pretty similar once—I had this little bump and had no clue what it was, until my doctor told me it was just a canker sore... though it felt a bit different from what you're describing. Even now, I’ll get these tiny little bumps out of nowhere, and then I end up obsessively picking at them until I’ve basically given myself a mouth full of sores just like yours. But hey, if you haven't been picking at it or scratching it, then I'm honestly stumped. Your best bet is definitely to go see a doctor and get a professional opinion...

It could just be a canker sore, but I wouldn't rule anything else out, so you should probably see a doctor.
For standard mouth ulcers, though, some propolis works wonders...

Thomas Young said:Hello,

About a month ago, I noticed a small lump on my lower lip. It isn’t painful, it hasn't bled, and it doesn't seem to be growing. It is just slightly darker than the rest of my lip and is covered by a whitish mucous membrane. It feels quite firm to the touch and is sensitive—especially when I drink hot tea, for instance—but there is no actual pain.

I am 21 years old. I smoked for about three years, but I successfully quit a few months ago. I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor this week, but I would still love to hear your thoughts. Thanks! (:

Photo:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/...625a8997_o.jpg

I certainly don't want to alarm you, but looking at this photo, it seems like something that definitely needs a professional examination at the very least, and potentially surgical removal later on...
When you go in for your checkup, I highly recommend asking for a biopsy of the lesion (that's where they scrape a tiny bit of the surface cells so they can make a proper diagnosis under a microscope). That way, you'll get a much clearer idea of what we are dealing with and what the next steps should be...
Make sure to see an ENT specialist rather than a dermatologist or any other type of practitioner...

Thomas Young said:Hi everyone,

About a month ago, a small bump appeared on my lower lip; it isn't painful, it doesn't bleed, and it hasn't grown in size. It’s a bit darker than the rest of my lip and is covered by a whitish mucous membrane. It feels firm to the touch and is sensitive—especially when I'm drinking hot tea, for instance—but there is no actual pain.

I am 21 years old, and although I smoked for three years, I managed to quit a few months back. I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor this week, but I would still love to hear what you all think. Thanks! (:

Photo:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/...625a8997_o.jpg

That sounds like a canker sore! Honestly, it's nothing to worry about, and you probably don't even need to see a doctor for it. I get those all the time on the inside of my lower lip; they look like little blisters that just disappear after a few days!