Why is my upper lip swollen and what to do?

Beautiful, slightly swollen lips are the dream of every woman and a tempting fruit for a man. But what if the upper lip unexpectedly swells, becoming exaggeratedly large?

Such a picture in the mirror is not pleasing to the eye, and often also brings physical and psychological discomfort.

Why is my upper lip swollen?

A swelling that appears out of nowhere changes a person's appearance, and not for the better. So why is the upper lip swollen and what to do about it? This is the first thing that comes to mind. There are several reasons that cause the upper lip to enlarge, and to solve this problem, you must first find the root cause. Only then can we talk about adequate therapy.

• Such symptoms can be caused by the body's reaction to some food product, household chemical, medicine, animal hair (both wild and domestic), house dust, allergy to pollen and plant odors.
• This can be caused by an inflammatory process that originated in a wound or crack on the lip, and the cause can also be a pimple or boil that has appeared on the skin of the face.
• A swollen upper lip can be caused by an imbalance of vaginal microflora.
• Venereal diseases can provoke symptoms.
• The absence of basic hygiene rules can cause pathology.
• Diseases of an infectious or viral nature.
• Oral cavity pathology: herpes, stomatitis.
• Dental problems (flux, periodontitis, periodontitis and others).
• Consequences of surgical interventions performed on the face-jaw area.
• Bad habits: obsessive need to constantly bite the upper lip.

Appearance is a very serious matter. Our psychological comfort in the company of other people largely depends on how we look. If the upper lip is swollen, a person feels like an ugly duckling. But in order to fight the disease, the cause of the swelling of the upper lip must be known and, in addition to the sources already mentioned above, the culprits of this discomfort can be called:

• Animal and insect bites.
• Trauma to the facial area.
• Damage to the soft tissues of the upper jaw by dental floss or a toothpick.
• New-fashioned piercing, tattoos, plastic surgery of the face.
• The eruption of baby teeth in children and permanent teeth in older children.
• Consequences of visiting the dentist.
• Consequences of drafts or hypothermia.
• Trauma to the gums of the upper jaw while eating.
• Thermal or chemical burn (hot foods or drinks, hazardous liquids).
• Exposure to external factors, such as frostbite.
• Low-quality cosmetics, in particular lipstick, causing an allergic reaction.

Before determining the root cause of the problem, it is necessary to remember what the person did or ate before the upper lip began to swell. If you cannot determine the cause on your own, you should consult a specialist. He will analyze the situation, prescribe the necessary tests and determine the culprit of the discomfort. Know the "enemy" - then you can fight it.

Why are my upper lip and nose swollen?

Swelling is a natural reaction of the human body to a certain irritation or direct physical contact. If you see in the mirror that your upper lip and nose are swollen, you should consult a doctor. It may be necessary to take an X-ray to make an accurate diagnosis. The cause of such swelling may be periodontitis - one of the complications of caries, dental injuries or medical manipulations, as a result of which the inflammatory process from the tooth area moves to the periodontal zone. In this case, along with the swelling, monotonous or pulsating pain symptoms usually appear. You should not start such a process, further inaction can lead to a more severe pathology. You should seek help from an endodontist who will treat the carious tooth and prescribe anti-inflammatory therapy. After this, the pain should go away, and the swelling should subside.

Another reason, when it is visible that the upper lip and nose are swollen, may be an injury received by the patient in the face area. In this case, it is better not to self-medicate, but to undergo an examination by a doctor - a traumatologist. An X-ray examination will not be superfluous, since swelling of the upper lip and nose can only be a visual consequence of a blow, and the examination will reveal, for example, a "concussion", damage to the bone tissue of the face - jaw area. This pathology is manifested by other symptoms, since the consequence of a blow is usually a hematoma, which "diverges" together with the swelling. You will have to worry more if one of the consequences of the injury is a wound - after all, these are open "doors" for various types of infection.

The first medical aid in this situation will be a cryo compress - a cold compress on the impact area (this can be a piece of meat from the freezer, but it must be wrapped in clean material). The main thing is not to overdo it and not to bring the epidermis tissue to hypothermia. If there is an open wound, scratches or cracks, they must be treated with hydrogen peroxide or any other antiseptic.

Why did my upper lip suddenly swell?

Until recently, a person felt absolutely normal, and suddenly the upper lip swelled sharply. What is the reason and what to do? It is worth analyzing the situation preceding the swelling. Most likely, the victim ate something and the human body gave an allergic reaction to one of the products with such symptoms. A similar picture can be obtained after taking certain medications. Increased swelling can be accompanied by complete or partial numbness of the skin and the lip itself - this is already a reaction of the nerve endings of the affected area. After the swelling goes down and normal blood circulation resumes (accompanied by a slight burning and tingling sensation), the numbness will also pass. In this situation, you should not ignore a visit to the doctor. He will conduct an examination and give recommendations regarding an anti-allergic ointment or a drug in another form of administration.

Causes of pain and swelling of the upper lip

If the upper lip hurts and swells, then a visit to a specialized clinic is inevitable, since it is not always possible to establish the cause of this manifestation on your own. And in any case, a specialist consultation does not hurt. After all, if you are sure that the cause of the swelling, for example, is an injury received during a fall, then there is no guarantee that its consequences are not associated with open wounds, which can become a source of infection and secondary swelling.

Some inflammatory processes occur with swelling and pain, especially if they are aggravated by infiltrates and abscesses. The accompanying symptoms in such a situation usually include elevated body temperature, numbness of the skin, hyperemia of the epidermis, and an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity.

In any case, you should not delay visiting a specialist, because delay plays into the hands of the disease and the aggravation of its symptoms, the inflammatory process captures ever larger areas. Such a situation is fraught with the development of a serious pathology, the treatment of which will take much longer and be more expensive.

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Causes of swelling of the upper lip inside

There may be several reasons why the upper lip is swollen inside. One of the viral or infectious diseases, such as herpes, acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, stomatitis, can become such a source. In this case, during treatment, the doctor will prescribe an antiseptic, and also, to eliminate the root cause, antibacterial or antiviral drugs, immunostimulants are introduced into the treatment schedule, forcing the body to fight the disease. It is necessary to be very careful with the herpes vesicular crust. It should never be removed, since an open wound forms in this place and it is enough to touch it with dirty, unwashed hands to get a secondary infection. You should not delay in stopping the problem, the disease can give serious complications.

The source of the problem can also be developing periostitis - a very complex and unpleasant pathology, which is an inflammatory process occurring in the bone tissues of the jaw and periosteum. Periostitis, in most cases, is aggravated by suppuration and abscesses. And if you delay treatment, the processes occurring in the bone can lead to its necrosis. To prevent this, do not postpone a visit to the doctor. Only a qualified specialist can find the true cause of the pathology and take adequate measures.

The reasons that led to periostitis may be:

• Deviation from the instructions when installing the seal.
• Ignoring the rules of antiseptic treatment.
• Failure to seek help from a dentist in a timely manner.
• Dental treatment not performed to the proper standard.

But this disease can develop from secondary sources:

• Due to a weak immune system.
• A stressful situation can be a catalyst for the process.
• Impact of climatic collisions: frostbite, hypothermia.

This suggests the conclusion that if you need to visit a dentist, you should use the services of only a trusted doctor and the clinic as a whole, and you should not aggravate the symptoms by delaying the visit to a specialist, especially for diseases that occur with purulent abscesses.

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When does the cheek and upper lip swell?

Most pathologies associated with the oral cavity entail multiple physical and psychological discomfort: the patient has difficulty chewing, which does not add to appetite and mood, problems with diction may be observed, the disease is often accompanied by an elevated temperature. If this process is not stopped in time, abscesses and pustules can cause intoxication of the body. One of the visual symptoms of inflammation affecting the upper jaw and caused by infection or bacterial damage can be considered a case when the cheek and upper lip are swollen.

Such a picture may indicate a gumboil - a severe purulent disease of the subgingival and subperiosteal jaw areas, developing due to progressive inflammation of the tooth root. This disease is unpleasant and dangerous. If it is not diagnosed in time and complex therapy is not started, then the least that the patient can expect is the loss of the affected tooth, and subsequently the neighboring teeth, because the inflammation does not stand still, capturing ever larger areas. The process of decay also spreads, which can quite realistically reach the tissues of the brain.

What if the frenulum of the upper lip is swollen?

There are cases when after installing metal ceramics on the front upper teeth, after some time a person begins to feel that the frenulum of the upper lip has swollen, and over time a small lump has formed on the upper gum. What could it be and how to deal with it? There is no point in guessing. Only a qualified specialist can assess the situation and make a correct diagnosis. In this case, we can say with overwhelming certainty that a purulent fistula has formed on the upper gum. Over time, a fistula begins to form, the suppuration opens on its own (or the doctor does this) and the pus comes out. But in order for this process not to progress, it is necessary to sanitize the wound and the entire oral cavity.

In this situation, the doctor may recommend warm rinses with a solution of salt and soda, taken half a teaspoon and dissolved in a glass of water. With regular rinses, the infected fluid actively comes out, increasing the effectiveness of sanitation, and, accordingly, healing. If the therapy is ineffective, it is recommended to undergo an X-ray examination or CT scan - this will help to clarify the diagnosis and adjust the treatment.

Causes of numbness and swelling of the upper lip

Complete lack of skin sensitivity in humans is quite rare, but partial numbness accompanies multiple pathologies. If it is observed that the upper lip is swollen and numb, this may be evidence of both a disease present in the body and an elementary response of the body to swelling. In the latter case, after the swelling subsides, the sensitivity of the nerve endings of the affected area is restored.

But the cause of swelling and numbness of the upper lip may be a disease of a neuralgic nature. For example, a disease of the teeth or gums, as well as neuritis of the facial nerve, progressing due to a failure in the impulse functioning of the facial muscles, that is, a break in the sending signal from the brain and the receiving one in the nerve endings of the face. If neuritis is accompanied by an inflammatory process, then the resulting total symptomatology is a swollen and numb lip.

But in any case, it is advisable to consult a doctor. It is better to make sure that there is no pathology than to miss the disease at an early stage, when it can still be stopped by more gentle methods.

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Toothache as a cause of swelling of the upper lip

Before making a diagnosis, it is necessary to understand the nature of the pain, how the pain symptoms are felt: is it of a constant aching nature or pulsating. Are there symptoms when the pain is felt in the temple or ear area, and what are the accompanying symptoms. Based on this, as well as when the tooth hurts and the upper lip is swollen, you can specify the diagnosis. Perhaps this is a gumboil or an exacerbation of periodontitis is observed.

If the accompanying symptoms show inflammation affecting the root neck of the tooth, and there is a dull, constant pain, swelling, frequent bleeding from the gums and mobility of the adjacent tooth, the patient will most likely be diagnosed with periodontitis.

When does a child's upper lip swell?

If a child's upper lip is swollen, then in addition to the already mentioned reasons for the appearance of such symptoms, there may also be stomatitis, as it is also called - a disease of unwashed hands. This is a childhood disease, although an adult who does not particularly adhere to elementary hygiene rules is not immune from it.

During the course of the disease, swelling can be observed over the entire surface of the oral mucosa. The swelling can also affect the upper lip. An accompanying symptom of the disease is small ulcers covering the entire surface of the oral cavity. During this period, the child becomes capricious, refuses to eat, since eating causes unpleasant painful sensations to the little person. Therefore, it is necessary to show the baby to a pediatrician who will prescribe effective antiseptic drugs. If this is not possible, it is necessary to rinse the mouth with solutions that have disinfectant properties, herbal decoctions with the same characteristics are also suitable, for example, calendula, oak bark, sage.

Another reason why a child's upper lip is swollen may be an allergic reaction to food, some plants, chemicals, or animal hair. If parents have already encountered such a situation and know what irritant their child's body responds to with an allergy, then such contact should be avoided. If this is not possible, it is necessary to give the child the necessary antihistamine and be sure to see a pediatrician. If the reaction occurs for the first time, then a visit to the doctor is even more necessary. Only he can recognize the problem, specify the irritant and prescribe adequate therapy.

It would not be superfluous to show the baby to a pediatric dentist, since this problem may be associated with pathological damage to the teeth and/or gums, and such symptoms can also be caused by erupting baby and permanent teeth - such a reaction is part of the normal natural process. But it is still worth consulting a doctor, especially if the process occurs with an elevated temperature.

And finally, do not forget that the baby is a very inquisitive and active little person, so swelling of the upper lip can be the result of a bruise. If the wound is small, then you should not worry, it will be enough to treat it with iodine. Over time, the swelling will go away on its own.

The cause of such symptoms may be problems that have arisen in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. Here, you cannot do without a more serious examination and treatment.

What to do if your upper lip is swollen?

To best protect yourself in the future from such discomfort as swelling of the upper lip, it is worth listening to some recommendations and adhering to them:

• When you are outdoors, you should protect yourself and your loved ones from the bites of various insects and mosquitoes using special means.
• If you notice swelling of the upper lip (and if it is accompanied by painful symptoms), do not delay visiting a doctor so as not to worsen the situation.
• Try to get rid of bad habits.

But still, what to do if the upper lip is swollen? Any disease takes a person by surprise. A thrifty patient has in his medicine cabinet means that can help in each specific case. But if there is none, then before consulting a doctor, you can use improvised means to alleviate the pathology.

To do this, you can turn to the old, proven advice of our ancestors:

• You can use aloe juice. For maximum effectiveness, you need to use a plant that is at least three years old. Chop the leaf, get the juice, soak a cotton swab in it and apply it to the bothersome area for 15-20 minutes.
• Get a paste-like scrub by adding a small amount of water to the soda. Then apply it to the area of concern. Keep it for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
• Make a mixture of equal parts Fuller's earth and turmeric, add water until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Apply the medicine to the swelling, leave it for about 20 minutes, then wash with warm water.
• Apply a thin layer of honey to a cotton swab. Keep this compress for 20 minutes, then let it cool. Repeat the procedure several times.
• You can also use a regular tea bag, holding it as a compress on the sore spot. First, dip the bag in warm water for a few minutes, then squeeze it out slightly and you can use it.

Treatment for a swollen upper lip

Due to the multiple, diverse causes of pathology, it is impossible to clearly describe the treatment of a swollen upper lip. But it is worth remembering the most common ones.

If the cause of the disease is a bruise, and it is associated with damage to the skin surface, then the doctor will prescribe one of the antiseptics to treat the sore spot, for example, chlorhexidine, miramistin, solcoseryl or actovegin ointments. You can also use essential oils such as sea buckthorn, olive or lanolin.

Miramistin ointment is used locally. It is applied in a thin layer to the disturbing area, it is advisable to cover it with a sterile bandage or sterile plaster. The procedure can be repeated several times a day until the problem is relieved. This medicine should not be used only if the patient shows increased sensitivity to the components of the drug.

If the swelling is the result of an insect bite, it is worth applying a cooling compress to the area of concern. This can be ice wrapped in a clean napkin. You can use mosquito repellent cream, which is not difficult to find on the shelves of any pharmacy today.

In case of an allergic reaction to an irritant, the first thing to do is to remove the cause of the effect, and then take any antihistamine drug. For example, it can be diphenhydramine, suprastin, claritin, kestin, diazolin. Such drugs perfectly reduce muscle tone, have an anticholinergic, sedative, hypnotic effect, as well as a slight anesthetic characteristic.

Zaditen is administered to the patient with food. The starting dosage is 1 mg of the drug administered twice a day. If clinically necessary, the amount of the drug can be doubled. The duration of administration is determined by the attending physician, depending on the effectiveness of the therapy.

The drug should not be used if the patient's body is hypersensitive to its components, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. With special caution if the patient has a history of liver dysfunction or epilepsy.

If the cause of the swelling is herpes, then the treatment of the swollen upper lip comes down to taking antihistamines and special ointments. This can be acyclovir, herpevir, zovirax.

Acyclovir ointment is applied to the affected area up to five times a day, at intervals of one hour. The duration of the treatment course is from five to ten days. The drug should be applied very carefully so as not to tear off the covering skin. The drug is not recommended for use in case of increased sensitivity of the patient's body to the components of the drug.

If the swelling of the upper lip is the result of an already obsessive biting habit, in this situation it is necessary to "pull yourself together" and give up the bad habit.

Swelling of the upper lip is caused by a viral or other infection, then it is necessary to stop this disease and the symptoms will go away on their own. In this situation, the doctor prescribes complex treatment, including the use of immunomodulators, anti-inflammatory and antiviral drugs. In the case of purulent infiltrates and abscesses (this also applies to dental problems), surgical intervention may be required.

Immunostimulants of plant origin: imunal, echinacea liquidum. And also bacterial immunomodulators: imudon, broncho-munal, IRS 19, ribomunil.

Imudon is used by patients who are already three years old. In the case of an acute period of the disease, it is allowed to take up to eight tablets during the day, maintaining an interval of two to three hours. The duration of therapy is up to 10 days. The only contraindication to taking the drug may be hypersensitivity of the patient's body to the components of the drug.

Initially, you can use homeopathic antiviral drugs - these are oscillococcinum, aflubin, viburcol.

Oscillococcinum is taken orally. One granule is placed under the tongue and kept there until completely dissolved. Initially, the drug is taken at intervals of six hours. After the severity of the disease subsides, the interval between doses increases. The duration of treatment is from one to three days.

It is not recommended to use the drug in case of hypersensitivity to its components, glucose-galactose malabsorption, in case of a lack of sucrase and isomaltase in the patient's body, as well as in case of fructose intolerance.

If after the first day of taking the medicine there is no improvement, it is better to replace it with an antiviral substance of chemical origin. This can be tamiflu, rimantadine, arbidol, ribavirin.

The dosage and method of administration of rimantadine depends on the patient's age:

• Children aged seven to ten years are prescribed to take one tablet of 50 mg twice a day.
• If the patient is between 11 and 14 years old, the teenager is prescribed to take one tablet of the same dosage three times a day.

The duration of therapy is five days.

Remantadine should not be prescribed if the patient has a history of:

• Kidney pathology of an acute or chronic nature.
• Thyrotoxicosis is a condition associated with excess thyroid hormones in the body.
• Acute period of liver diseases.
• Pregnancy.
• Time to breastfeed a newborn.
• Intolerance of the patient's body to adamantane derivatives or other components of the drug.

To sum up the above, it is worth understanding that if the upper lip is swollen, the first thing to do is to try to reduce it with improvised means and analyze previous actions. This will help to establish the root cause of the pathology. But it would not be superfluous to go to a doctor for a consultation. Do not forget that your health and the health of your baby are in your hands and the faster medical assistance is provided, the greater complications can be avoided.