What are the treatments for a swollen lip?

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When a person gets a swollen lip, the first course of action is discovering how the swollen lip happened. Did he trip and fall, or bite his lip? Or did the swollen lipped victim acquire an allergy to drugs? Possibly the person with a swollen lip has sun damage or a vitamin deficiency. Once a person has discovered the reason behind the swollen lip, then treatment can begin.

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Ice Pack

When a person has acquired a swollen lip due to an injury, such as being in a fight, biting the lip, or the injury is sports-related, the person should start medical treatment immediately. To take care of the swollen lip, the person would apply an ice pack to the lip for several minutes. Apply light pressure to the lip with an ice pack or a home made ice pack such as a towel with several pieces of ice from the freezer. Certainly there may be some swelling the next day, but an ice pack can be applied several times the next day also.


Swelling due to an allergic response to a certain medication can be taken care of by over the counter methods. This type of allergic reaction is called according to Net doctor.com an angioedema, and can last for several minutes or for several hours. The body may react to a certain drug being present in the body by sending out signals such as wheezing, itching, raised bumps, a rash, hives, or acquiring red patches on the face and chest. The Mayo Clinic states that 5 to 10 per cent of the population has allergic reactions to medications. It is a good idea to call your health care professional to find out the correct course of action. Taking an antihistamine may be recommended such as loratidine, that is a second generation antihistamine. What that means is that loratidine should not make a person sleepy.

Vitamin B2

According to the Well Care Site, sometimes a person will obtain a swollen lip due to a vitamin deficiency. The lips can actually become inflamed, crack and become scaly due to not enough Vitamin B2 in the body A person can take care of the swollen lips by making certain that he gets enough B 2 vitamin by taking a multi- vitamin with the B group included. A person can eat nuts, cheese, eggs and lean meats to get this B vitamin.

Ointment and Acid Reducer

For some people, a swollen upper lip means that they have a possible stomach problem such as an ulcer, heartburn or acid reflux. According to the Well Care website, a person with too much acid will have the upper lip become swollen resulting from the over acidity, and too much caffeine, sugar, spices or alcohol present in the diet. Treatment for this type of lip swelling is to apply a corticosteroid ointment or to take an antihistamine. Over time, a stomach acid reducer will help keep the acid at bay, and help deal with the swollen upper lip.

Benadryl or Ointment

When a person obtains a bug bite on the face or on a lip, this means that area will become swollen. A person will want to get rid of the stinging, itching and swelling. The best course of action if move as far away from the insects as possible. Then apply a corticsteriod ointment or take an antihistamine to reduce the inflammation. An antihistamine such as benadryl that contains diphenhydramine works well to take care of bug bites that produce swelling.

Medical Care

Sun damage, having herpes or eczema or even eating food that contains allergens can cause a person's lip to swell. Seeking medical attention in any of these instances may be the best course of action.

Other Medication

When a person contracts swelling of the lips from bug bites or possibly for other reasons such as an allergy to a pillow, or new bedding, it may be wise to take medication such as corticosteroid pills, or utilise prednisone ointment to reduce inflammation.

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