The lips are one of the most noticeable features of a person’s aesthetic qualities and have the tendency to react to a number of problems such as allergic reactions, diseases and trauma. They have some of the most sensitive tissues in the human body – causing even the slightest of problems to show up very prominently. The most common instances of lip swelling are the result of an allergy to a certain type of food or environmental allergens such as dust and dirt.


When affected by an allergic reaction, the affected individual will first experience a prominent tingling before the swelling starts to erupt. Infections such as the herpes simplex virus can result in the eruption of blisters all over the lips while fluid retention is another likely cause of the condition. While most instances of lip swelling are temporary – unless trauma such as the case of an accident has occurred, the occurrence can severely affect an individual’s self esteem.


This is not helped by the fact that our social lives are almost completely dependent on our appearance and that a number of people will prefer to shy away from society until the time the swelling has disappeared. Insect bites are another very common cause of swollen lips and more usually caused by bees and wasps.

The effects of lip swelling are not merely limited to a person’s aesthetic appeal, but it could also make simple tasks such as opening your mouth quite painful. This can therefore be a very uncomfortable experience. The presence of some sort of irritation and itchiness could only serve to make things worse and prompt you regularly to scratch the area. This is advised against very seriously because of the fact that the chances of infection are substantially higher through this avenue. Probably the best way to treat swollen lip would be to apply an ice cube wrapped in a thin towel over the inflammation for a period of about 10 to 15 minutes. Hot packs are equally effective and a hot towel dipped in warm water and help over the swollen lip for about 10 to 15 minutes will also help ease the irritation that the patient experiences. Another option would be to immerse a tea bag in some warm water for a few minutes before removing the water and allowing the bag to cool down to a certain extent. Place the tea bag over the swollen lips for a few minutes in order to reduce the amount of swelling present in the area.