What does swollen lips mean?

Are you looking in the mirror, wondering why your lips look like they’re about to burst? Well, fear not my friend. We’ve all been there at least once in our lives, and it’s time to find out what the hell is going on with those bad boys hangin’ on your face.

Before You Freak Out

Hold up, slow down. Breathe!

Not every case of swollen lips indicates a serious or long-term problem. Puffy lips simply could be a result of irritation from licking too much (why are you doing this?!), side effects due to lip injections or just an occasional allergic reaction.

Irritation

Licking annoyingly! That will definitely do it- Licking your lips excessively can cause them to dry out and then lead them to crack , it also causes trauma that would cause inflammation which makes swelling inevitable!

Injections: A very good reason why not everyone should try things at home

This is exactly something one shouldn’t mess around with because we’re talking about cosmetic adjustments here people- usually filler used for lip plumping treatments but can have side effects causing puffy lips as well as bruising of course!

Now let’s delve into some more possible reasons:

Allergies – may God have mercy on you

Seriously though if life isn’t hard enough by itself… Here comes allergies punishing us even more

Allergies; basically when an otherwise normally-nice substance interacts with someone’s immune system and causes undesirable consequences. Some individuals develop only minor symptoms after exposure such as sneezing while others experience severe reactions resulting even in death . Lip swellings might occur following oral ingestion or direct contact !

With that said :

Contact allergy

If there was anything suspicious near those lovely kissers recently like snogging a garden snake just saying . Your ‘lovely kisser’ may have been in direct contact with an agent ,There are few things which can come into play such as a rash, itching sensation and also swelling of the lips!

Ingestion allergy:– Blessing or curse?

From time to time people consume things they might be allergic too like nuts .The situation worsens when your immune system doesn’t take kindly to it, thus starts a proper attack !!!! Symptoms meanwhile vary from swollen lips to hives all over the body.

Other Reasons – I swear this isn’t meant to scare you; well maybe just a little bit!

Infections – nooo not that kind either

So we’re talking about fungal/bacterial infections! These occur usually amongst immunocompromised individuals but can affect anyone at anytime though.

Candida fungi and Staphylococcus bacteria… sound awfully fake don’t they? Unfortunately these so called pathogens do exist

• Candida Fungi
  can cause thrush infection, redness around the mouth along with cracking skin
• Staphylococcal Bacteria (MRSA)
  causes boils termed impetigo or cold sores causing symptoms similar to fever blisters around mouth

Ewwww right?!

Medical Issues –now let’s get serious

Now for the more serious reasons :

Angioedema

A condition where fluid accumulates in tissues beneath your skin’s surface. It is typically caused due to an underlining condition such as Raynaud’s Disease, Lupus or something as simple as stress. Nonetheless seek medical attention- swelling could block access tot he airways!!!

Phlebitis

When veins near the surface of underlying tissues become inflamed leading up expansion due blood build up resulting in edematous conditions.

(Basically means inflammation because clots happened there!)

Treatment options:

Health matters should never be taken lightly seek medical attention if suffer from :

• Severe itching
• Breathlessness
• A raised rash or hives forming around lips,
(These Symptoms are life-threatening and

could portend a serious allergic reaction!) – If not your usual allergy; Anaphylaxis might be at play!

Meanwhile, try the following for minor symptoms like:

• Drinking more water
  A lot of times puffiness subsides with hydration. Rumour has it that water fixes everything!
• Chill out sweetie!
  Use a cold compress on swollen areas( Ice in their natural habitat)
• Try some OTC medication.
  Take something like aspirin to reduce the swelling unless specifically told otherwise by a doctor

Conclusion

Well there you have it folks, while puffy lips may indicate an underlying issue sometimes lucky for us ! they can still occur due to lifestyle choice as well so people let’s all agree right here and now not to over lick our already perfect but perhaps thirsty lips huh? Plus stay away from snakes.

Disclaimer: Please don’t self-diagnose yourself based off this piece!!!! Consult … read first heading again 🙂