You’re standing in front of the bathroom mirror, maybe brushing your teeth or just checking your face, when you notice them. Tiny, pale, yellowish-white bumps huddled together along the edge of your lip. Or perhaps you’ve spotted them elsewhere, like on the shaft of the penis or the labia. Your brain immediately goes to the worst-case scenario. Is it an infection? An STD? Something contagious?
Fordyce granules are one of the most common sources of unnecessary medical anxiety on the planet.
Honestly, if you’ve been spiraling down a WebMD rabbit hole, you can take a breath. These spots are not a disease. They aren't a virus. You didn't "catch" them from a dirty gym towel or a bad decision.
So, what are Fordyce granules exactly?
In the simplest terms, Fordyce granules (also called Fordyce spots) are just misplaced oil glands.
Most of the oil glands on your body—known as sebaceous glands—are attached to hair follicles. They pump out sebum to keep your hair and skin from drying out. But Fordyce granules are "ectopic," which is just a fancy medical way of saying they are in a spot where they don't usually belong. They’re sebaceous glands without the hair.
They appear as small, painless, raised papules, usually about 1 to 3 millimeters in size. They can look like tiny grains of sand under the skin. If you stretch the skin out, they become way more obvious.
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Why do I have them?
You’ve likely had them since birth.
It sounds weird, but these glands are often present when you're born, just sitting there invisible and dormant. They usually decide to make an appearance during puberty. When those teenage hormones kick in, your sebaceous glands enlarge, and suddenly, these previously hidden spots become visible.
Data suggests they are incredibly common. We’re talking 70% to 80% of adults. Interestingly, some studies, like those published in Clinical Case Reports and Reviews, indicate that men are nearly twice as likely to have visible granules compared to women.
Where they usually hang out:
- The Vermilion Border: That's the transition zone where your lips meet your facial skin.
- Oral Mucosa: The inside of your cheeks.
- Genitals: Specifically the shaft of the penis, the scrotum, or the labia minora.
The "Is it an STD?" Panic
This is the big one. Because these spots often appear in intimate areas, people frequently mistake them for something much more serious.
Let's clear the air. Fordyce granules are not genital warts (HPV) and they are not herpes.
How do you tell the difference? Well, herpes usually hurts. It tingles, it itches, and it eventually turns into fluid-filled blisters that crust over. Fordyce spots just... sit there. They don't itch, they don't leak, and they don't change much over time.
Warts, on the other hand, tend to have a "cauliflower" texture. They grow, they spread, and they look fleshy. Fordyce granules are much more uniform. They look like a neat little colony of tiny, yellowish beads tucked under the surface. If you aren't sure, a dermatologist can usually identify them in about five seconds just by looking.
Can you get rid of them?
Technically, you don't need to. They are harmless. But let's be real—if they’re all over your lips and making you feel self-conscious, "harmless" doesn't make you feel better about how they look.
If you absolutely hate them, there are medical options. But a quick warning: stay away from "home remedies." Do not try to squeeze them like a zit. You can’t "pop" a Fordyce granule, and trying will just result in a bloody, inflamed mess and potential scarring.
Real medical treatments:
- Micro-punch Surgery: This sounds terrifying but it's actually quite effective. A doctor uses a tiny tool to essentially "punch" out the individual glands. Studies have shown it has a low recurrence rate.
- CO2 Laser Therapy: This is a common choice. A laser is used to vaporize the bumps. It works well, though there is a small risk of scarring if the technician isn't careful.
- Topical Retinoids: Creams like Tretinoin (the stuff people use for acne or wrinkles) can sometimes shrink the glands over time, though the results are often hit-or-miss.
- Isotretinoin: For very severe cases, oral Accutane can shrink sebaceous glands across the whole body, but the side effects are heavy, so it's rarely prescribed just for Fordyce spots.
The surprising link to your health
Here is a bit of "nerdy" info that most people don't know.
There has been some research suggesting a link between a high number of oral Fordyce granules and elevated lipid levels. A study published in the Dental Research Journal found that people with a high density of these spots in their mouth were more likely to have higher cholesterol or triglycerides.
It’s not a guarantee, and having spots doesn't mean you're headed for a heart attack, but it’s a weirdly specific biological marker that researchers are still looking into.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’ve just discovered these on your body, don’t panic. Here is exactly what you should do:
- Leave them alone. Seriously. Don't scrub them, don't pick at them, and don't try to "exfoliate" them away with harsh chemicals.
- Check for symptoms. Do they hurt? Do they bleed? Are they growing rapidly? If the answer is no, it's almost certainly Fordyce granules.
- Get a professional eyes-on. If the anxiety is eating you alive, see a dermatologist. A quick visual exam is usually all it takes to give you peace of mind.
- Hydrate and Moisturize. While it won't make the granules disappear, keeping the skin healthy prevents them from looking more prominent due to dryness or irritation.
- Evaluate the "Why." If you're looking at removal for cosmetic reasons, weigh the cost and recovery time of laser surgery against the fact that most people truly don't notice these spots on others.
Fordyce granules are a quirk of human anatomy, like a cowlick or a freckle. They are a part of you, not a problem to be solved unless you personally choose to.