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What are the causes of lip swelling?
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How to treat swollen lips?
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Home remedies for swollen lips
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When to get medical treatment for swollen lips?
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FAQs
Introduction
Swollen lips can be the effect of underlying inflammation or buildup of fluid under the tissue of your lips. Many factors like infections, skin conditions or allergic reactions can cause lip swelling.
Sometimes lip swelling causes life-threatening illnesses like the reaction of Anaphylaxis. Trauma or malignant tumours can also cause swelling of the lips. The reason for swelling is what decides how to treat swollen lips.
Depending upon the depth of the cause, the issue may take too long to go away or can be solved quickly. Infection or swelling caused by inflammation will take a more extended period to recover than when caused by chapped or burned by the sun.
What are the causes of lip swelling?
To understand how to get rid of swollen lips, it is essential to understand the depth of the issue first. Here are a few causes of swollen lips:
Allergic Reaction
Allergies can be the reason for causing lips to swell. When an individual encounters something they are allergic to, like certain foods (e.g., milk, eggs, fish, wheat, and many more), dust or any other substance, animal dander, sometimes swelling can happen. Based upon the substance of allergic reaction, it can be classified into four types –
Environmental allergy
This type of allergic reaction happens through a substance from the environment, including dust, pollen, pet dander, and many more. Other than swelling lips, the reaction of environmental allergies is swelling from another body part, sneezing, stuffy nose, etc.
Allergies from food
Another common reason behind swollen lips is food allergies. According to a survey of ACAAI, it is said that up to 4% of adults and around 6% of children are allergic to specific or more than one food. Eggs, nuts, milk, shellfish, and soy triggers 90% of food allergies. Food allergy symptoms also include cramps in the stomach, facial and tongue swelling, dizziness, vomiting, and cough. It is best to avoid such food that triggers swelling lip causes.
Anaphylaxis
This kind of allergic reaction can be hazardous, sometimes even fatal. It is a form of acute allergic reaction and can finally lead to anaphylactic shock. It is not easily detectable. According to AAAAI, the symptoms of Anaphylaxis can be divided into five groups.
1) Breathing issues include chest pain, stuffy nose, wheezing, and tight throat
2) Circulation issues of blood like low pressure, weak pulse, blue or pale skin, dizziness
3) Skin issues like itching, redness, hives, and rash
4) Nausea, cramps in the stomach, diarrhoea, vomiting, etc.
5) Anxiety, headache, and symptoms of itchy red eyes
For better lip swelling treatment, it is suggested to avail medical help immediately.
Allergies from other substances
An individual can be highly allergic to bites of insects, stings, or any specific medicine like penicillin or antibiotics. There are other symptoms of penicillin allergy, including rashes, itchy eyes, headache, etc. If anyone is facing such issues, they should immediately stop taking them and consult a doctor to understand how to get rid of swollen lips.
Injury
An unexpected injury like a bite or chewing on lips can cause severe swelling; however, the effects will remain temporary. Sleeping on a hard surface can be another essential lip swelling cause. These general injuries include cuts, bites, burns, etc. Swollen lips cure may take mild to moderate time depending upon the type of injury. Sometimes it can be cured with an ice pack, and sometimes can take severe treatment to cure.
Dental Issues
Dental treatments or braces can be the reason for swelling in lips. Sometimes it is the aftereffect of such oral treatment or dental work. Other than this, infections, gums, or inflammation in the mouth can also lead to lip swelling. These dental issues of swelling can be treated with proper lip swelling treatment. For some rare cases, lip cancer can be one of the severe lip swelling causes, it usually appears as a sore, and then it starts swelling. Immediate medical consultation is necessary for this kind of lip swelling treatment for better advice on how to reduce lip swelling.
Angioedema
Angioedema is a short-term condition that causes deep swelling under the skin. There are many reasons one can face this issue, such as conditions of heredity or allergic or nonallergic reactions to the drug.
Other than lips, it can also affect other body parts like the eyes. Along with swelling, the symptoms include itching, hives, or pain. The effects last 24 hours to 48 hours maximum. Corticosteroids tend to work correctly to solve this kind of lip swelling causes. Antihistamines are an effective medicine for allergy-related swollen lips cure.
Cheilitis glandularis
Another common inflammatory condition for men is Cheilitis glandularis. In this condition, the only affected area is the lips. The causes of this disease are not known to all, but it is assumed that smoking or UV exposure could be the primary reason for this. The symptoms include tender lips, uneven surface of the lip, and pin-sized holes for saliva excretion.
However, this kind of swelling does not get severe often and does not always require medical attention, but according to the research of the Genetic & Rare Disease Information Center, lips swelling through this condition causes bacterial infection in the mouth, which might need treatment with antibiotics.
How to treat swollen lips?
Dealing with swollen lips? Tired of trying everything to get rid of swollen lips? Mainly there are various reasons that can make your lips swell. So let us find out a few remedies for how to reduce lip swelling.
Primarily an ice pack is known to be the best lip swelling treatment as it helps to reduce the swelling alongside inflammation, but it is suggested not to use the ice directly on the skin, as further damage can be caused by this. However, a towel-wrapped ice pack will do good for the condition. If the condition is caused by sunburn, then using aloe lotion might bring some relief.
For severe medical conditions, proper treatment may be required. Swelling caused by epinephrine and Angioedema usually requires medical attention. In an emergency, the medical experts suggest a single-use syringe and medicine.
If the inflammatory condition is responsible for the swelling, then anti-inflammatory and non-steroidal. It also helps in cases of bruises or injury, which causes injury and makes lips swell. Focal dystonia or such neurogenic conditions may require more intense treatment. In such cases, medical experts can guide well about how to reduce lip swelling.
Home remedies for swollen lips
Depending upon the depth of the inflammation or harshness of the condition, different remedies can be used to help swollen lips cure. However, it is always suggested to consult a doctor for serious injury. Still, different home remedies can be proved to be effective for the primary phases. Few home remedies are
Ice Pack
An ice pack wrapped in a towel can be proved to be the most effective remedy for swollen lips, primarily when the condition has raised due to some injury; just remember not to apply ice directly to the affected place. In case of the unavailability of ice, frozen vegetables can be used for the same.
Aloe Gel or Moisturiser
Such conditions caused by sunburn can be treated by Aloe Vera. Moisturisers are adequate for the cracked or dry condition of lips. Mild lip balm can also be used for effective results. To be precise, you can use Grapefruit UV protection lip balm from Pure Sense, which is free from paraben, sulphate, formaldehyde, mineral oil and other carcinogenic elements. Using this lip balm would give you luscious and supple lips.
Salt Water
Salt is considered to be an excellent healing agent, which works well on open cuts, lip injuries, and mouth injuries. The anti-inflammatory quality of salt helps reduce pain and swelling of lips.
To get rid of swollen lips a great remedy is saltwater. All you need to do is make a solution using warm water with a spoonful of salt. With the help of some cotton, dip the cotton inside and apply it to the swollen or affected part.
You can use the Lip care duo from Pure sense, which offers both hydration and protection to the lips for extra care. It also replenishes the lips and soothes them throughout.
Turmeric Paste
Turmeric has the most effective bioactive compound Curcumin. Since ancient times, it has been known as the best anti-inflammatory remedy. A mixture of turmeric and olive oil or virgin coconut oil can be used to remove infections and help reduce swelling.
Plant Oil
Few drops of coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, or milk cream can bring great benefits to your lips. In case of sunburn or cracked skin, lips can help to hydrate the lips profoundly and restore moisture.
Honey
The antibacterial property of honey can heal skin conditions naturally and restore their primary properties. To get better results, apply honey to the affected area with a cotton ball & wash it off after 20 minutes with cold water. Repeating this process twice or thrice a day will bring better results.
Mild and Soft Foods
Self-care measures are essential to take to accelerate the process of recovery. During the swelling, the mouth becomes very tender; consuming soft foods are recommended during this; it is also suggested to avoid spicy or warm food so that the situation does not worsen.
However, if you have a busy schedule, you can also opt for an appropriate lip balm. One such product is the Natural UV protection lip balm Combo from Pure Sense. It comes with a refreshing and exotic blend of natural ingredients.
When to get medical treatment for swollen lips?
Wondering how to treat swollen lips?
Well, in most cases, swollen lips can be treated with proper care and home remedies. But in severe cases, it may even cause heavy bleeding or difficulty in breathing; in such a condition, it is better to see a physician to understand how to reduce lip swelling. There are a few situations where medical treatment is necessary.
- When the swelling does not reduce within 24 hours or more even after using primary remedies
- For allergic reactions from the food item
- Swellings from any injury or accident, pain, and immense bleeding
- Lips swelling caused by cuts wider than 3 mm
- Swelling condition raised due to infection with symptoms like vomiting or fever
Swollen lips can be caused by various reasons like injury, infection, allergy, and many more. Some reasons can even be way worse, and such conditions cannot be ignored. If these swellings are giving constant discomfort and not recovering by primary remedies, they should not be taken lightly and should be treated in the best possible way. To cure the problem at its core, it is essential to maintain healthy food and proper self-care.
FAQ on treatment for swollen lips
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How to get rid of swollen lips fast?
Getting rid of swollen lips entirely depends upon the reason for infection. It can be cured by home remedies and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle for primary cases. And for severe injuries, medical consultation is necessary. If a person is already facing such a condition, they can take a few necessary measures like keeping the head elevated, consuming soft and mild foods, taking over counter painkillers, and most importantly, avoiding touching or licking it.
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How do I treat one swollen lip?
Cheilitis glandularis is a condition where the lower lip of an individual gets affected, and granulomatous cheilitis is a situation that affects the upper lip. Such conditions should be taken care of significantly.
Both the conditions can be treated with proper medication. However, surgery may be necessary for a few emergency cases, but for primary cases, getting a piece of medical advice can solve the issue.
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How long does lip swell last?
Usually, lip swelling takes a few hours to come down, especially in minor cases. If the condition is happening due to Angioedema, it might take 24-84 hours to reduce. Swellings taking longer than 24 hours to get cured should not be ignored and must be checked by a doctor.
