Assessment
About 1 to 3 mm
Lips, mouth, genital skin
Usually not
Chosen case by case
Overview
Fordyce Spot Removal in Irvine
Fordyce spots are within our practice scope at Spectrum Skin Clinic in Irvine. We are a medical and aesthetic practice with the equipment to evaluate and treat appropriate cases. Every visit starts with an assessment.
Fordyce spots are sebaceous glands, the small glands that make skin oil, sitting somewhere they usually are not. They appear most often on the lips, inside the mouth and on genital skin, and are typically about 1 to 3 mm across.
They are often mistaken for warts, cold sores or an infection, so we confirm what the spots are before treatment is discussed. If they turn out to be something else, we treat it when it is within our scope and appropriate, or coordinate your care.
Why Spectrum
Fordyce Spot Care at Spectrum Skin Clinic
Spectrum Skin Clinic is a medical and aesthetic practice. Fordyce spots are within our scope, and we have the equipment to evaluate and treat appropriate cases.
Treatment selection depends on the case. The assessment comes first, and removal is your choice.
If the spots turn out to be something we should not treat, coordinating your care or referring you is a good outcome.
3
15+
1 to 3
2
After the assessment
How the Next Step Is Chosen
Four questions, answered in order.
Identify the spots
Confirm whether they are Fordyce spots
Decide whether to treat
Your cosmetic choice
Choose the approach
Matched to your case
Treat, coordinate or refer
When the spots are something else
An assessment
treatment, if you want it, is chosen afterwards
What Fordyce Spots Are
Fordyce spots are sebaceous glands, the small glands that make skin oil, sitting somewhere they usually are not. They appear most often on the lips, inside the mouth and on genital skin.
They are small, typically about 1 to 3 mm across. Most are harmless and need treatment only if you want them gone for cosmetic reasons.
Why the Assessment Comes First
Fordyce spots are often mistaken for warts, cold sores or other infections. Telling them apart is the first job of the visit.
Once the spots are confirmed, you can leave them alone or discuss treatment. Since most are harmless, leaving them is a reasonable choice.
Is this the right visit?
What the Assessment Sorts Out
Each of these starts the same way: confirming what the spots are.
Related care
If It Turns Out to Be Something Else
Candidacy
Who This Visit Is For
An assessment suits anyone with small spots on the lips, inside the mouth or on genital skin who wants to know what they are. It also suits anyone with confirmed Fordyce spots who would like them removed for cosmetic reasons.
It is not a promise of removal. Treatment is chosen case by case, and some cases are better served by coordinated care or referral.
How the Next Step Is Decided
The assessment confirms whether the spots are Fordyce spots. If they are and you want them treated, the approach is chosen for your case. If they are something else, we decide what is within our scope, then treat it when appropriate or coordinate your care.
Often a Reasonable Fit
Spots confirmed as Fordyce spots that you would like removed for cosmetic reasons. Small spots on the lips, inside the mouth or on genital skin that you want identified. Anyone who wants to know what the spots are before deciding anything.
What This Visit Does Not Promise
Removal is not promised for every case. If the spots turn out to be outside our scope, we coordinate your care or refer you. Most Fordyce spots are harmless, so removal is not a medical need.
What happens
What to Expect and When
Most Fordyce spots are harmless. Leaving them alone after the assessment is a reasonable choice.
Before you decide
What to Weigh Before Removal
A few points to understand before you choose removal.
Most spots are harmless
Fordyce spots are usually harmless. Removal is for appearance and is your choice, not a medical need.
Look-alikes
They are often mistaken for warts, cold sores or an infection. The assessment confirms what they are first.
No single approach for everyone
The approach depends on your case and is chosen after the assessment. Not every case is treated.
Risks of a given option
Risks depend on the approach chosen for your case. Ask about them before you agree to any treatment.
Ask about the risks of any treatment option before you agree to it.
Why We Start With an Assessment
Fordyce spots are often mistaken for other conditions, so the spots are identified before any treatment is discussed.
If the assessment finds something outside our scope, we coordinate your care or refer you.
After Your Assessment
Cost
Cost and New-Patient Offer
Treatment for Fordyce spots is chosen case by case, after the assessment.
New patients receive an offer on their first treatment. Ask about it when you book.
New patients: 15% off your first treatment.
Pay monthly with
The last question
Do You Have to Do Anything?
Not necessarily. Most Fordyce spots are harmless and need treatment only if you want them removed for cosmetic reasons.
We will not tell you they must come off. If you choose treatment, the approach is decided case by case after the assessment, and no outcome is promised.
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What Patients Say
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Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually not. Fordyce spots are oil glands sitting somewhere they usually are not, and most are harmless. They need treatment only if you want them removed for cosmetic reasons.
No. Removal is a cosmetic choice, and we will not tell you they must come off. If you would like them treated, that is discussed after the assessment.
Appearance alone can mislead. Fordyce spots are often mistaken for warts, cold sores or other infections. An in-person assessment is how we confirm what they are.
We recommend an assessment first. It confirms what the spots are before anything is done to them.
There is no single answer for everyone. Treatment is chosen case by case after the assessment, based on what is found and what you want.
The spots are examined in person to confirm whether they are Fordyce spots. You then hear what they are and whether treatment is an option for your case. If they are something else, we treat it when it is within our scope and appropriate, or coordinate your care.
Yes. Fordyce spots are within our practice scope, and we have the medical and aesthetic equipment to evaluate and treat appropriate cases.
Spectrum Skin Clinic is in Irvine. Every visit starts with an assessment, and removal, if you want it, is decided after that. Call (949) 259-4790.
They are small, typically about 1 to 3 mm across.
Most often on the lips, inside the mouth and on genital skin. These are moist lining areas where oil glands are not usually found.
Because Fordyce spots are often mistaken for warts, cold sores or other infections. Confirming what they are comes first, and the next step follows from that.
We decide what is within our scope. We treat it when that is clinically appropriate. Otherwise we coordinate your care, return you to your primary care doctor or refer you, and that is a good outcome.
We cannot promise that. Whether treatment fits your case is decided after the assessment.
Yes. New patients receive an offer on their first treatment. Ask about it when you book.
Yes. Treatment is chosen case by case, and not every case is treated here. If the spots are outside our scope, we coordinate your care or refer you.
No. Most Fordyce spots are harmless, and removal is your decision. Leaving them alone is a reasonable choice.
White spots on the lips can have more than one cause, and it is hard to tell them apart from a description alone. An in-person assessment is the way to know what you have. Fordyce spots are within Spectrum's scope, and we can evaluate and treat appropriate cases once we know what the spots are. If a spot changes, bleeds or does not heal, please have it seen promptly.
We do not describe what precancerous changes look like. Appearance alone can mislead, and a web page should never stand in for an exam. An in-person assessment is the way to know. If a spot on your lip changes, bleeds or does not heal, please have it seen promptly. Patient safety comes first here, so if your concern needs more immediate care, we will tell you that plainly.
This page will not try to describe lip cancer, because only an in-person assessment can answer that question for you. Please do not wait on a page or a photo to decide. A spot on the lip that changes, bleeds or does not heal should be seen promptly. If what we find needs care beyond what we offer, we will say so and put your safety first.
Many things can cause a spot on the lip. It depends on what the spot is and how deep it sits. Here is how we decide: an in-person assessment comes first. Spectrum treats Fordyce spots and superficial benign lesions in appropriate cases. Deep lesions under the skin, such as a lipoma or deep cyst, are outside our scope. A spot that changes, bleeds or does not heal should be seen promptly.