Swollen lip: causes, treatment of edema of the lower and upper lip
Swelling on the lips appears suddenly and immediately complicates a person’s life: they interfere with chewing food and talking, spoil the appearance, worsen appetite and mood. If the upper or lower lip is swollen, you do not need to do anything at home - you should immediately consult a doctor to identify and eliminate the cause of this phenomenon, and not the symptoms.
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Swollen lip in an adult: causes and treatment
The lips swell for a variety of reasons, therefore, to establish the nature of such a phenomenon independently is quite problematic.
Injury
Lip injury is a common occurrence for boxers. But people far from practicing martial arts are not immune from blows and other injuries, after which the lip may swell:
-
Photo: Jams
bruise - when falling, hitting;
- biting with teeth - accidental or due to orthodontic defects, neurological abnormalities, grinding of teeth in a dream, habit of biting nails;
- tattoo or piercing - the possibility of infection of the wound surface;
- burns of the lips from the inside or outside by hot food, steam or sunlight;
- cracks and seizures - with internal pathologies, biting and weathering;
- Dental procedures - accidental trauma to areas of the lips inside the oral cavity with dentist tools during dental treatment, reaction to surgery when cutting the frenum.
If the traumatic factor caused a sudden increase in volume, tightness, and blue lips, but the skin remained unharmed, ice should be applied to the sore spot as soon as possible. An ice cube must be wrapped with a cloth or gauze to avoid hypothermia.
Ice compresses are applied to the site of edema for 10-15 minutes every 2-3 hours in the first two days after injury. Usually this is enough to significantly reduce swelling on the lip and reduce pain.
Absorbing ointments, for example, Badyaga, Rescuer, and folk remedies - lotions with aloe, tea bags with tea leaves, decoction of chamomile or oak bark will finally help cure edema. If after a few days the swelling does not subside, it is better to see a doctor.
With an open injury, when, after an impact, the upper or lower lip is not swollen sharply, but a rupture of tissues has occurred, it is urgent to rinse the wound with hydrogen peroxide in order to clean it of germs and stop bleeding. Then you need to treat the damaged area with a disinfectant, for example, Dioxidine. This treatment should be done every 2-3 hours until bleeding is observed.
If the lip is deeply damaged, especially if the frenum is affected, the victim should contact a traumatologist as soon as possible to disinfect the wound and, if necessary, suture.
Dental problems
In some diseases of the teeth and gums, as well as during their treatment, lips can swell, both from the inside and outside. Against the background of pain in the teeth of the lower jaw, the lower lip may swell due to:
- caries;
- stomatitis;
- periodontitis;
- periodontal disease;
- periostitis;
- phlegmon;
- flux;
- abscess.
With similar processes in the upper jaw, the upper lip sometimes swells and swells.
The cause of swelling of the lips can be the treatment of dental diseases: accidental damage to the instrument, reaction to the introduction of anesthetic or swelling after complex surgical interventions in the oral cavity.
Another option, why the upper lip hurts, blushes and swells, may be associated with visiting not a dentist, but a cosmetologist with the goal of injecting lip augmentation. Damage to a blood vessel as a result of an unsuccessful injection can lead to a hematoma with swelling. An individual reaction of the organism to the administered drug is not excluded.
Allergic reaction
Redness and swelling of the lips are a common symptom of an allergy. The body can react in this way to a variety of allergens:
- pollen of plants;
- components of food;
- components of medicines, cosmetics and perfumes;
- insect bites;
- household chemicals.
Photo: Allergy
As soon as it became clear that the lips were swollen due to allergies, you need to take an antihistamine as soon as possible. Any allergic edema on the face is dangerous because it can spread to the throat. This is how Quincke's edema, which is dangerous to human life, develops. Therefore, in your home medicine cabinet must be present any drug to combat allergies:
- Diazolin.
- Suprastin.
- Tavegil.
- Zodak.
- Fenistil.
- Claritin.
- Clarotadine
- Diphenhydramine.
- Erius.
If the lip is swollen sharply due to allergies, you must urgently take an age-related dose of one of these drugs and consult a doctor. Allergic reactions are especially dangerous for children, therefore, if a small patient is injured, an ambulance should be called.
You can eliminate lip swelling and get rid of itching with the help of non-hormonal ointments and topical gels with antihistamine action: Fenistil-gel, Vitaon, Nezulin, Psilo-balm.
Herpetic infection
Photo: herpes
Malfunctioning of the immune system can occur in every person due to hypothermia, viral infection, stress or overwork. And the result of this failure is often manifested in the form of a herpetic rash, which suddenly forms on the lips under the nose.
If the upper lip is swollen and covered with vesicles, then the herpes virus has activated in the body. Ointments based on acyclovir will help remove the manifestations of the disease. At the same time, you can be treated in a folk way - lubricate swollen tissue in the nasolabial triangle with tea tree oil, divorced celandine juice or propolis tincture.
With the wide spread of herpetic vesicles and the onset of the inflammatory process, medication is necessary, which should be prescribed by a doctor.
Herpes can cause serious complications, since the infection spreads not only to the skin of the face and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, but also to internal organs. In the period of exacerbation of the disease, everything must be done to prevent the attachment of a bacterial infection. It is necessary to disinfect affected areas of the skin with antiseptics (Chlorhexidine, Miramistin) carefully, avoiding the opening of pimples and pustules.
Why the lip becomes inflamed for no apparent reason
Sometimes it is impossible to understand what caused the sudden swelling of the lips. If there were no bruises, wounds and infections, and allergy medications do not bring relief, only a doctor can answer the question of why the upper lip suddenly swelled under the nose. Lip swelling may be a symptom of internal disorders: endocrine diseases, decreased immunity, pathologies of internal organs and systems. Examples of such diagnoses:
- Crohn's disease;
- heart or kidney failure;
- tumors;
- hypothyroidism;
- avitaminosis.
If the lips and fate of the face are swollen for one of the listed reasons, it is necessary to treat not edema, but the underlying disease that led to its appearance.
Inflamed and swollen lip during pregnancy
Pregnancy is a condition that is often complicated by fluid retention in the body, which provokes swelling of the soft tissues of the face.However, inflammatory diseases can also be the cause of such symptoms, since immunity during this period significantly worsens. Therefore, if the lips are swollen during pregnancy, you must definitely inform the doctor about it.
Inflamed and swollen lip in a child
The causes of edema on the upper and lower lips in children are the same as in adults: bruise, biting, allergies, internal diseases, infections. In newborns and infants, the sponges often swell due to teething or the presence of candidal stomatitis (thrush).
Photo: thrush in a child
Colds are a frequent companion of children of preschool and primary school age. In a cold child, the upper lip may swell due to the development of herpes, especially if bloating is accompanied by the appearance of characteristic rashes on the skin of the face and mucous membrane of the oral cavity.
The disease is contagious, therefore it is necessary to clearly explain to the child why his upper lip is swollen under his nose, why it is impossible to squeeze pimples formed on it, remove crusts, use other people's toothbrushes and cosmetics, and have close contact with other children during the period of herpes exacerbation.
Treatment of edema in children is carried out according to the same scheme as in adults. The difference is only in the dosage of the drugs. Parents should remember the dangers of treating babies with folk and drug methods without consulting a doctor, especially in cases where the nature of the edema is unknown, or its presence is accompanied by severe inflammation of the epidermis.
Tips for the treatment and prevention of lip edema
For whatever reason the lips and areas of the skin of the face are swollen, it is not worth starting treatment without consulting a doctor and competent diagnosis. Usually, inflammation of the upper or lower lip passes quickly, but in order not to disturb the course of this process and not aggravate the condition, a number of rules must be observed:
- open wounds cannot be treated with ointments and compresses;
- with closed injuries, warming compresses and ointments should also not be used;
- in the first hours after injury, you can not eat food;
- during the healing of wounds and the treatment of edema, you should eat exclusively warm food, you should not eat salty and spicy foods;
- with inflammation of the lips, do not use cosmetics.
Healing piercings should be taken responsibly, one should strictly follow the instructions of a specialist and observe his condition. It is better to be scrupulous even when choosing a salon and a master: the procedure should be carried out with skillful hands and in sterile conditions.
When penetrating the piercing hole, the lips swell, hurt and itch. With the development of such symptoms, you should consult a doctor, especially if the temperature rises, and swelling appears in the area of the lymph nodes.
Cracks and seizures appear as a result of chapping of the lips, against the background of a cold, as well as due to endocrine disorders and a lack of certain vitamins in the body (which only a doctor can determine based on tests). They are treated with antiseptics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The development of vitamin deficiency and a predisposition to colds and viral infections will prevent good nutrition and hardening. The body's ability to repair damaged tissues also directly depends on immunity. In winter, sensitive lip skin needs to be treated with nourishing balms and masks.
If the lips swell inside for no apparent reason, you should immediately consult a doctor. Edema can indicate the presence of hidden internal pathologies, which only a doctor can identify and cure.
