Swollen Lips (Allergy)

Unexpected inflammation, tissue enlargement or blood rush can be one of the prime reasons behind sudden lip swelling. The reasons behind swollen lips can be either driven by an underlying health concern or, in some cases, an alarming situation, indicating serious health problems.

In most cases, the swollen lips result from a sudden increase in the fluid build-up under the lip skin or region. However, assessing the condition and consulting a doctor to diagnose the main reason before it worsens is crucial.

Symptoms of Swollen Lips

Before we jump into the different causes of swollen lips, let us understand the visible and internal symptoms of swollen lips to look out for to diagnose the issue in detail.

Dry lips with excessive chapping, even after regular application of lip balm.

Strange pain or stingy feeling in the upper or lower lip or both.

Difficulty or discomfort in breathing directly with your mouth open.

Visible rashes or hives on certain lip regions.

Constant irritation around the lip region, especially the nose.

A sudden increase in body temperature.

Hot flashes

Discolouration around the lip region and a visible difference from the usual lip colour.

Increased sensitivity around the lips.

What Causes Swollen Lips?

Lip swelling can result from multiple reasons, categorising the condition into chronic or acute lip swelling. Some of the key reasons include the following.

Swollen Lips Allergy

Allergies are one of the most common causes of swollen lips. The list of allergens can vary from person to person. Some people are allergic to different foods, dust, pollen, animal hair, etc.

Other than these, many allergic reactions result from cosmetic or skin care products. Usually, some key ingredients in these products irritate the skin and cause sudden or gradual inflammation and redness.

Injuries

Often, while consuming hot or cold food or liquids, our skin comes in contact first with the shifting temperatures, giving very little time for the skin to adjust. This can cause lip swelling.

Other than this, any injury on the face when you fall or bang into something can cause visible lip swelling.

Weather

Changing weather can lead to extremely dry lips. People often lick their lips to moisturise them in such weather conditions. However, continuous licking of the lips can cause swelling in the lips due to regular interaction with saliva.

Medicinal Elements

Another allergen is drug elements. Most medicines have a combination of different ingredients for best results. However, people can be allergic to one or more of these ingredients, causing an allergic reaction anywhere in the body, especially lips.

Virus or Infection

Very dry lips can lead to an infection, which can cause swelling in the lips. Even with underlying inflammatory skin conditions, the lips swell due to excessive discomfort and irritation around the region,

Insect Bites

Depending on the area of residence, insect bites can be a big reason for the swelling of lips. This is because our body’s instant reaction to a mosquito bite is hives, which change the size and shape of the lip if the area targeted is that.

Autoimmune Disorders

Many autoimmune disorders like lupus can lead to swollen lips as the imbalance in the immunity cells makes way to all different glands, including the lip glands, causing discomfort and changes in lip shape.

Signs Your Swollen Lips Need Medical Attention

Not all cases of swollen lips need medical attention. However, in case of aggravated conditions, it is recommended to consult a general physician or specialist doctor to diagnose the cause. Some of these alarming signs include:

The swollen lips show up very frequently without any underlying cause of allergy or injury.

The home remedies or basic medication are not working, and the swelling has lasted longer than expected.

There is excessive swelling and frequent bleeding from the mouth.

The symptoms of swollen lips combine with other issues like headache, body aches, fever, etc.

When the swelling in the lips is due to a major accident.

The treatment for swollen lips can vary from patient to patient, depending on the reason behind the swollen lips. Some of the common treatments prescribed by doctors include:

• People with pain and swelling together are prescribed painkillers.

• Anti-allergy or lips allergy medicine and allergy blood tests to stop the reaction and identify the allergens.

• Medical treatment of covering lip cuts and bleeding scabs in case of injuries.

• Medicinal lip balms for chapped and dry lips causing swelling.

• Anti-inflammatory medication to calm the area around the mouth to reduce swelling.

• Surgical support and stitches if the swollen lips lead to prolonged health conditions and constant bleeding.

Here are some quick home remedies for swollen lips:

• Avoiding food groups that instigate allergies.

• Apply an ice pack with a thin towel cloth on the affected area to calm down the swelling.

• Aloe vera in case of inflammation and redness.

• Using a concoction of honey and tea tree oil on the affected area.

• Rinsing the lips with saline water.

• For mosquito bites, the application of turmeric paste helps reduce the hives.

The issue of swollen lips can be resolved at home with the help of many home remedies. However, in case the inconvenience caused is beyond your control, seeking medical assistance is the right way to proceed.

The important thing to remember is to address the concern with proper tests and consultation to avoid ignoring the alarming consequences of swollen lips in the future. Allergies can be tough to spot, but they can be resolved fully with the right tests and medicines.

A health insurance plan can be beneficial to help with the financial burden of medicine, doctor consultation and treatment charges. This is because top providers like Tata AIG offer all insured people the benefit of a strong network of hospitals to allow them to benefit from cashless health insurance.

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How long does the lip swelling last in case of allergies?

Lip swelling can last for a few hours or weeks, depending on the causes and symptoms behind the reaction. However, for most people with minor allergy reactions and implementation of home remedies, the swelling settles in a maximum of 1-2 days.

Can the medical bills of treatment or medicines for swollen lips be claimed under health insurance?

Whether the health insurance offers coverage for lip-related treatments, medicines, or tests depends on the type of policy you purchase and its coverage. However, most health insurance plans cover medical treatments and medicine purchases, making it easier for people to manage their finances in sudden emergencies.

How to check what foods I am allergic to that cause swollen lips?

To check what food allergies can be causing the swelling in your lips, you will need to get specific allergy tests done based on different food groups. The common blood test for allergies is the IgE test. There are many skin tests for diagnosing food allergies.