How to Treat a Swollen Lip Easily

It's really very easy to treat a swollen lip, but it can be a little time consuming to do it right. Keep in mind that not all puffy mouths are caused by trauma; some are actually caused by allergies. While the treatments are somewhat the same, the main focus of this article will be for treating those caused by trauma, like a hit to the face. Here's how to treat a swollen lip and get back to enjoying your day.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Place ice or something cold on the swollen lip to reduce the amount of swelling that occurs. As you probably know, ice will reduce swelling on any body part, and it's probably the single most important thing you can do to treat a swollen lip. Ice works well, but on small body parts, like the mouth, frostbite can actually occur fairly quickly. For this reason, it's important to wrap the ice in a face cloth or something similar to prevent further injury and problems.

2. Moisturize to help treat your swollen lip. While this will not decrease the amount of swelling that occurs, it will help the skin to stretch without tearing. Most of us have had our mouth chapped, and when that happens you can get cracks in the skin that bleed. The same basic principal applies when you treat a swollen lip. As they stretch, there is a possibility that the skin will tear, causing small cuts. To avoid this painful addition to an already painful situation, use petroleum jelly or something similar when you treat a swollen lip.

3. Get plenty of Vitamin C in your diet when you treat a swollen lip. This will assist in healing the area, and is good for your overall health as well. Keep in mind that many of the foods and drinks that contain Vitamin C are acidic, like orange juice. The acid can sting open wounds, which are fairly common with swelling around the mouth. For this reason, you should either use a capsule type supplement or use caution when you eat or drink these foods, at least until the wounds have time to heal. This is especially important for kids, as they tend to have a much lower tolerance for pain.

4. Use an over the counter pain reliever, like ibuprofen to treat a swollen lip. Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be used. Use good common sense when you give these, or any other type of pain relievers to children. If your child is allergic to either of these medications, don't use them.

5. If you feel the swelling is caused by something other than trauma, like allergies, talk to a your doctor. They will be able to give you a better idea of what to do to treat a swollen lip under these circumstances.