Large Red And Purple Lump Appeared On The Inside Of Lower Lip. What It Could Be?
My dad (aged 60, non smoker) has a large red/purple lump appear at the weekend on the inside of his lower lip. It is painless and my mum said it is soft to the touch. Im very worried what it may be. You can see it from the outside but when he pulls his lip down a large lump is visible, the same colour as his lip inside.
Can you help?
Thank you
Thanks for writing in.
As you provided the detail, it seems that your father is probably having MUCOCELE.
Mucocele is a mucous retention cyst of oral mucosa, which is most commonly found on lower lip.
Mucocele is formed by collection of mucous due to ruptured salivary glands because of local trauma.
Mucocele has a bluish translucent color and it is painless and harmless.
Mucocele spontaneously resolves itself after a short time.
Mucocele may recur frequently; in this case, it will become chronic and need to be surgically extracted by an oral surgeon.
In your case, your father should rinse the mouth thoroughly with salt water (one tbs salt per cup) four to six times a day for few days; if condition will persist, you need to see an oral surgeon in your area for further treatment.
Hope I have answered your query, if you have further any doubt feel free to ask, I will be happy to help you.
Take Care.
Dr.Gunjan Gupta
Thanks for writing again.
XXXXXXX mucocele is not exactly bluish; it could be shiny red lump on the lower lip.
So please do not get worried, asks your father to rinse with salt water for few days as I told you earlier, if he will not get relief in that case I will suggest you should visit an oral surgeon as soon as possible.
Hope you got the answer of your doubt.
Take care
Dr.Gunjan Gupta