Puffy Face - Swelling of the Face

Generality

In common language, the term "swollen face" identifies a particular condition of the human face, which appears decidedly swollen and "enlarged".

Generally, the swollen face is the result of excessive local fluid accumulation (edema), often - but not always - resulting from a local inflammatory reaction.

Although the swelling can affect any area of ​​the face, it is most often accentuated in the labial area, in the cheeks and in the eyelids. Equally often, the condition is accentuated by a swollen aspect of the neck, more easily correlated with overweight and obesity.

Causes

Excessive swelling of the face can be triggered by:

• face trauma or surgery,
• allergies (insect bites and allergic reactions of various kinds),
• facial neoplasms,
• increased fluid retention (common in pregnancy),
• malnutrition,
• renal or cardiac failure,
• angioedema,
• pre-eclampsia,
• local infections (dental abscesses, bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, infectious cellulitis, mumps, sinusitis, stye),
• obesity,
• hypothyroidism,
• hypopituitarism (pathological condition characterized by a decreased secretion of pituitary hormones)
• taking some drugs (such as, for example, tadalafil or sildenafil, active ingredients contained, respectively, in Cialis® and Viagra®).

When to worry

When to be alarmed and when to ask for help from the doctor

Generally a symptom must be considered all the more alarming when its onset is abrupt and violates its manifestation.

The swelling of the face deserves the immediate request for medical aid when it suddenly arises, associated with symptoms such as skin rash, hives, severe cough and breathing difficulties, cyanosis and pallor, sense of suffocation, generalized swelling of the body, itching in the throat or Mouth and severe malaise (all indices of a probable anaphylactic shock).

The swelling of the face is promptly subjected to medical attention when it is accompanied by symptoms such as mild or moderate fever, headache, pain during swallowing, eye ache or redness, pain in the face, redness of the skin or appearance of blisters skin filled with liquids or pus.

Remedies and Treatments

The most suitable therapy for the resolution of the swelling must aim to resolve the causes that have generated it.

When the swollen face is the simple consequence of a sleepless night or a slight trauma of the face, it may be useful to apply ice in the form of compresses, to be kept in place for 10-15 minutes (avoid direct application of the ice, but wrap it in a cloth to avoid burns). Another fairly well-known remedy consists in the local application of the tea bags that are left over from the extraction in water: while the drink acts from the inside, stimulating diuresis and counteracting water retention, the sachets, once cooled, are applied to the skin to take advantage of the astringent action of tannins (useful for reducing swelling of the face).

Naturally, when the swelling depends on basic pathologies, the treatment must be aimed at resolving the disease that triggered the symptom.

If, on the other hand, the swelling of the face is caused by taking certain types of medicines, it may be sufficient to stop the treatment with the aforementioned drugs to solve the problem. However, before stopping any drug therapy, it is always good to ask for the preventive advice of your doctor; except in the case where the swollen face does not represent a clear sign of allergy to the drug (so if it occurs in association with other typical symptoms of allergic reactions). In such a situation, in fact, taking the drug should be immediately suspended, but it is still necessary to contact your doctor or, if necessary, contact the nearest hospital.