Go through these venous lake lip treatment to cure your condition as soon as possible to avoid further complications.
What is a venous lake lip? If you are someone suffering from venous lake lip or someone in your know suffers from it, this article will help you understand some venous lake lip treatment remedies for you to try at home.
What is venous lake lip?
A venous lake is an enlargement and dilatation of veins that appear as a soft, compressible, dark blue or violet papule about 2mm to 10mm in size on the upper or lower lip. It is often solitary, but sometimes multiple lesions can be visible. When you compress it, the papule loses its dark blue color, but the color returns once you remove the pressure. The venous lesion usually appears on the skin’s sun-damaged areas like the lips, face, neck, or ears.
It is mostly seen in people over the age of 50 and is more common in men than in women. Also, it is similar to the varicose veins which appear on the legs of some people. It is asymptomatic and painless but may bleed after a minor injury. It is mainly treated for cosmetic reasons.
Causes
The cause for a venous lake lip lesion is still not fully known. The most likely cause could be prolonged exposure to the sun, resulting in damage to the walls of superficial veins. This causes the veins to dilate, and the pooled blood in it forms a raised blue lesion on the surface of the skin. An injury to the lip may also result in a venous lake. Smoking is also thought to be one of the causative agents for venous lakes.
Venous Lake Lip Treatment
1. Lavender oil
Apply one drop of lavender oil to the venous lake twice a day. This will help shrink the venous lake lesion over a few weeks. Additionally, the lavender essential oil will not sting the venous lake as it has anti-inflammatory properties.
2. Apple cider vinegar
If the lesion is small, apply a few drops of apple cider vinegar directly on it using a small ball of cotton. If the lesion is big, leave the vinegar-soaked cotton on it for 30 minutes and then remove it. Do this remedy twice a day as apple cider vinegar improves blood circulation and reduces swelling.
Other essential oils supposed to treat venous lakes are:
- Rosemary oil, sage, helichrysum, lemon, and lemongrass, which are known to improve blood circulation.
- Peppermint and ginger, and spearmint, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
However, check for allergic reactions before using any of these oils.
Medical Treatments
It usually requires no treatment as it is benign and causes no discomfort. People seek treatment as it is unsightly, and they want to remove it mostly for cosmetic reasons. Medical treatment methods include surgical excision, laser ablation, cryotherapy, light electrocautery, and sclerotherapy. The treatment of choice is laser ablation. However, some of these methods may cause scarring, scabbing, or discoloration of your lips.
When to see a doctor?
Though venous lakes are benign lesions, they resemble melanoma and basal cell carcinoma, which are skin cancers. So, when you notice a blue or violet lesion on your lip, head to your doctor for a professional examination. To help diagnose the lesion, a procedure called diascopy is done. This helps determine if the lesion is vascular, and if it is, it is diagnosed as a venous lake.
Precautions
- The main precaution to prevent the development of venous lake lesions is through the regular use of sunscreens while stepping out into the sun.
- Apply lip balm containing SPF on your lips.
- Drink plenty of water or fluids to hydrate your body and aid in good blood circulation.
- Adding foods rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin C like green leafy vegetables and fruits to your diet will help maintain good blood circulation.
Avoid biting your lips and bruising them. Regularly massage the area to promote good blood flow and improve overall health. Try these venous lake lip treatment ideas to cure the condition naturally.