Bodily Oddities

Fordyce spots

Also called: Fordyce granules · Sebaceous prominence

Tiny pale yellow or white bumps, 1 to 3 mm across, on the edge of the lips or inside the cheeks. They are ordinary oil glands in a place without hair. Most adults have them.

Skin and hair Mouth and throat Involuntary Involuntary
Not an emergency

How common

70–80% of adults Very common · > 50% Present from birth but usually first noticed in the teenage years.

Does this happen to you?

These are answers from visitors, not a study.

How it works

Sebaceous glands make sebum, the oil that keeps skin soft. Almost all of them open into a hair follicle2. Fordyce spots are sebaceous glands with no hair follicle. Their oil collects under the surface and shows through as a small pale bump1. Each spot is 1 to 3 mm across1. They sit in groups, most often on the vermilion border, the edge where the lip meets the skin, and on the inside of the cheeks1. The same glands also occur on the genitals, where they look the same and mean the same thing3.

The spots are present from birth but are tiny. At puberty, hormones enlarge oil glands all over the body, and the spots become visible1. This is why many people first notice them as teenagers. Between 70% and 80% of adults have them1. They are painless. They do not itch, ooze, or spread.

Is it a problem?

No. Fordyce spots are not an infection, not contagious, and not a sexually transmitted infection. They are not caused by poor hygiene. They need no treatment. Squeezing does nothing except irritate the skin, so do not pick at them.

See a doctor if a bump is painful, grows, bleeds, or forms an open sore, or if you are not sure what you are looking at. A doctor can tell by looking3.

History and culture

The spots are named after John Addison Fordyce, an American dermatologist who described them in 18961.

Sources and further material

  1. Encyclopedia Fordyce spots
  2. Encyclopedia Sebaceous gland The gland type behind the spots.
  3. Article Fordyce spots DermNet Clinical description with photographs.
Mouth Involuntary

Tonsil stones

Small white or yellow lumps that form in the folds of the tonsils and sometimes come out when you cough. They smell bad and feel like something is stuck in the throat. They are harmless.

About 10% of people; up to 46% on CT scans Icky
Mouth Variation

Geographic tongue

Smooth red patches with pale borders that form a map on the tongue and move around over days and weeks. About 1 to 3% of people have it, and it is harmless.

1–3% of people
Skin Variation

Supernumerary nipples

An extra nipple, usually small and flat, on a line running from the armpit to the groin. Between 1 in 500 and 1 in 18 people have one, and most think it is a mole.

0.2–5.6% of people
Ears Variation

Preauricular pit

A tiny hole in the skin just in front of the ear, present from birth, that leads to a short blind tunnel. It is harmless unless it gets infected.

0.1–10% of people