It may be frustrating to discover unexpected fat lip when you search in the mirror. Actually, fat lip is a vague term; the more exact term is swollen lip or an inflamed lip. You might question what the cause may be for sudden or steady swelling of your lip.
Well the causes might range from a small insect bite to a serious injury on your face. Depending upon the cause fat lip might stay for a short period prior to vanishing, or it may be of gradual onset and take very long time to recover.
Swollen Lip Symptoms and Signs
Swelling of the lips can occur due to various conditions. Trauma or injury to the lip and mouth area is an obvious cause of swollen lips. Allergic reactions, either to foods, medications, or other substances, can typically be accompanied by swelling of the lips.
This may be accompanied by other allergic symptoms, such as hives and itching. Angioedema is a condition where there is swelling of the tissue below the skin, and this is frequently focused around the eyes and lips.
Some infections (such as herpes simplex virus infection) can lead to blisters (often described as cold sores) and localized swelling of the lips. Infections and inflammatory conditions of the skin can also result in inflammation and swollen lips (cheilitis).
Less frequently, medical conditions or illnesses that impact the entire body might cause lip swelling, in some cases in association with fluid retention or swelling in other areas of the body.
Swollen or “fat” lips can be debilitating and painful. In many cases, individuals might have trouble: eating, drinking, talking, opening their mouth.
Causes of a Fat or Swollen Lip
The most common cause for fat lip is trauma or an injury on the face. A direct punch on your lips or on your face may cause swollen lip. Fat lip can arise from a mishap. The swelling can be either on both lips or on single lip. Oral surgery, severe sun burn or surgery on lips can also turn your lip fat and swollen.
If there is no history of any injury, there may be other reasons for lip swelling. Boils around your lips might cause swollen lips.
Generally it is a bacterial infection; pain and swelling of lips prevails function of bacterial infection such as boil around the lips. As the boil heals, gradually the swelling of lips will reduce.
Aside from infection and injury, the other most typical cause for fat lips is allergy. It can be drug allergy, or food allergic reaction or an insect bite allergic reaction. Frequently an ant bite or a mosquito bite around the lips may be the cause for fat lip.
Typically it is related to itching on the surrounding lip area. In case of drug allergic reaction, swelling can appear unexpectedly after consumption of the drug or it can take place after few hours. Together with fat lips there may be associated swelling of eyes, watering of eyes, itching all over the body, swelling in throat and so on.
There are numerous other causes for your lip to end up being fat and swollen such as; an individual who is experiencing heart failure or liver failure or kidney failure may have swollen lips as one of its sign besides other symptoms and signs. A pregnant woman might have swollen lips due to fluid retention.
Causes of swollen lip:
- Eczema.
- Allergy (Allergies).
- Bug Bites and Stings.
- Cellulitis.
- Cold Sores (Nongenital Herpes Simplex Infections).
- Burns (First Aid).
- Food Allergy.
- Hives (Urticaria & Angioedema).
- Myxedema Coma.
- Sunburn (Sun Poisoning).
How Do You Treat a Swollen or Fat Lip?
Often times you may wonder what to do for a fat lip, particularly when you are unable to establish the cause. In such circumstance it is constantly wise to speak with a doctor, however in no chance you need to overlook the condition even if there is no pain or other associate symptoms. Your doctor may be able to inform which medicines and drugs you dislike and what medications you need to prevent.
If the lip swelling is because of an accident, you may simply await a day or 2; the size of fat lip will reduce on its own (without treatment).
If the cause is injury or a blow on your face or on your lips, use cold compresses to reduce fat lips. Take few pieces of ice in a dry and tidy towel or in an ice bag and do cold compresses for 10 minutes in every hour for first few hours. Then reduce it slowly and apply ice every six to 8 hours.
To obtain rid of fat lips in case of an insect bite such as mosquito bite, on the counter antihistamine medications end up being handy, however you have to consult your doctor for the dosage as there are a lot of antihistamines offered with different dose schedule.
Generally, for such swellings ice fomentation will relieve both swelling and itching. The components found in pineapple and papayas are understood to combat pain and swelling in a natural method. You can eat both the fruits, besides all citrus fruits that are understood to reduce the swelling and pain.
Rub castor oil on your fat lips to keep them moisturized. To obtain rid of fat lips caused due to injury or after surgery on your lips, holistic medicine arnica is extremely reliable.
