Swollen upper lip – what could it be?

Hey there. 😁

So, just like the title says—my upper lip is totally swollen. It happened overnight. 🙂 Once I finish explaining what happened, I’m hoping someone might have some advice or maybe a similar experience to share...

The day before—so, yesterday—I was out mowing the lawn with a string trimmer. During a break, I noticed a tiny bit of blood on my upper lip and just wiped it off. I kept going, thinking pretty naively that maybe I’d just nicked myself or something hit me while I was working. 🙄 Nothing happened after that until about 4:00 AM this morning, when I felt this weird tightness. I looked in the mirror and saw the whole thing had swelled up. After that, I tried using an alcohol swab on the spot where I originally saw the blood, but the wound itself wasn't even visible anymore. Then I tried applying some frozen cherries to the area, but that didn't seem to do much either. 🙂 And yeah, it's still swollen. On the inside, I can still see two little red spots, but that's about it.

It’s just the entire upper part that's puffed up; nothing else seems affected. 😢 Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, I’d really appreciate it. I am definitely planning to head down to a CVS later today.

granitecobra5 said:Hey there. 😁

So, just like the title says—my upper lip is totally swollen. It happened overnight. 🙂 Once I finish explaining what happened, I’m hoping someone might have some advice or maybe a similar experience to share...

The day before—so, yesterday—I was out mowing the lawn with a string trimmer. During a break, I noticed a tiny bit of blood on my upper lip and just wiped it off. I kept going, thinking pretty naively that maybe I’d just nicked myself or something hit me while I was working. 🙄 Nothing happened after that until about 4:00 AM this morning, when I felt this weird tightness. I looked in the mirror and saw the whole thing had swelled up. After that, I tried using an alcohol swab on the spot where I originally saw the blood, but the wound itself wasn't even visible anymore. Then I tried applying some frozen cherries to the area, but that didn't seem to do much either. 🙂 And yeah, it's still swollen. On the inside, I can still see two little red spots, but that's about it.

It’s just the entire upper part that's puffed up; nothing else seems affected. 😢 Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, I’d really appreciate it. I am definitely planning to head down to a CVS later today.

If it's swollen, warm to the touch, painful (especially if it's throbbing), or looking red or purple, you really ought to check in with a doctor. You need to rule out or confirm if there's some kind of inflammatory process going on (maybe a hematoma??) so you can get started on the right treatment promptly.
The upper lip is definitely not a place where you want any kind of infection or inflammation hanging around...

You didn't mention if you took a hit to the face or got bitten or anything...

Thanks for getting back to me! 🙂

It’s swollen, but it doesn't actually hurt—it just looks a bit off color, nothing crazy. I feel like my lip is starting to settle down a little, though the area right above it, leading up toward my nose, is still pretty puffy. Plus, there are these two tiny red spots on the inside along with what looks like some kind of rash... I can't quite put my finger on it.

There wasn't any impact or anything. I didn't feel a bite, but it is weird that a little blood showed up at first. Then again, maybe that has nothing to do with being out in the field or the grass. I suppose it’s possible I’m developing an allergy to something!

I’m heading to a CVS today, and if things haven't improved by tomorrow—or if they get worse—I'll probably go see my doctor.

Why is inflammation in the upper lip considered such a bad thing?

Did you maybe crack a lip without even realizing it? You know, if you were out in the sun too long and things just dried out and split.

A while back, my upper lip split right down the middle—on the inside, too. It actually swelled up pretty bad that day. I wouldn't have even known it happened if I hadn't tasted blood in my mouth and had to go check the mirror to see what was going on.

granitecobra5 said:Why is the upper lip such a bad spot for inflammation?

It's not just the upper lip, though—it's lips in general. They're heavily vascularized, so any inflammation spreads much faster. Same goes for the skin immediately surrounding the mouth.

Maybe, once I actually felt the blood, I caught a glimpse of some tiny little crack in the mirror—kind of like when your lips get all chapped and split. I just wiped it away, and then it was gone. That’s really my only lead, since it happened on the upper part where everything is swollen now. I honestly can't tell if I picked up some random virus or bacteria, mostly because I didn't think I needed to disinfect anything at the time. And, I mean, I'm not ruling out the possibility that something bit me without me even noticing. I usually ride without a visor, anyway. I probably would've forgotten the whole thing if it hadn't started swelling up first thing this morning!

Yeah, mine swelled up quite a bit too, several hours after that whole bloody incident occurred. Probably about eight or nine hours later.

So, nothing then. I guess I'll just head over to the CVS and see what the pharmacist suggests. Fingers crossed this doesn't decide to spread any further. 🙂

It feels a bit ridiculous how it just popped up out of nowhere—I honestly can't find any clear trigger or cause for it.

Thanks for all the input, everyone!😉

granitecobra5 said:Maybe, once I actually felt the blood, I caught a glimpse of some tiny little crack in the mirror—kind of like when your lips get all chapped and split. I just wiped it away, and then it was gone. That’s really my only lead, since it happened on the upper part where everything is swollen now. I honestly can't tell if I picked up some random virus or bacteria, mostly because I didn't think I needed to disinfect anything at the time. And, I mean, I'm not ruling out the possibility that something bit me without me even noticing. I usually ride without a visor, anyway. I probably would've forgotten the whole thing if it hadn't started swelling up first thing this morning!

Yeah, mine swelled up quite a bit too, several hours after that whole bloody incident occurred. Probably about eight or nine hours later.

You can't totally rule out the possibility of a foreign object being stuck in there, which would definitely trigger an inflammatory response—that swelling you're seeing. Seriously, go see a doctor!

granitecobra5, if that swelling isn't going down by tomorrow, go see a doctor. Mine got pretty puffy once, but it went back down by the next day—barely even noticeable. Lips are super sensitive because they're so vascular; things just swell up fast (even for me, just from biting my lip), but it usually dies down after a bit. If it doesn't, you need to get checked out to see what's actually happening.

Bottom line: listen to Bill Gates. If you wake up tomorrow and it’s still swollen, don't waste your time at a CVS buying random creams. Go straight to a doctor and let them tell you what to use or whatever else needs doing.

Yeah, I've got an appointment with my doctor tomorrow—I'll post an update once I find out what she actually has to say about all this.

So, I just got back from the clinic. They put me on Klavocin, gave me some Claritin, and suggested sage tea for rinsing—mostly because my gums are still acting up and feeling pretty inflamed.

granitecobra5 said:So, I just got back from the clinic. They put me on Klavocin, gave me some Claritin, and suggested sage tea for rinsing—mostly because my gums are still acting up and feeling pretty inflamed.

Roughly 48 to 72 hours after that first dose of antibiotics hits—assuming it's the standard 1g BID twice-a-day thing—you should start seeing some real improvement (though if it kicks in sooner, even better 🙂 ).
If you notice your lip starting to swell up more or if the pain starts ramping up—especially if it turns into that nasty throbbing kind of ache—you need to call your doctor immediately so they can check things out and decide if you need to pivot to something more "aggressive," like surgical intervention or whatever.

Thanks, velvetmoose9! 🙂 So, I’m currently sitting here at ten o'clock having just knocked back my fifth 1-gram tablet of Klavocin.

As of right now, my lip hasn't swollen up, but the entire upper front section of my gums is pretty inflamed. To make matters more confusing, my dentist keeps telling me I have gingivitis—but I honestly can't wrap my head around why my upper lip was so incredibly swollen that morning, only for the internal inflammation to show up much later!?!?!?!

The swelling seems to be receding bit by bit now, though it's still puffy right between my two front teeth, and a couple of tiny blisters have popped up right where that initial sore spot was. I'm not really sure what's going on. I guess I'll post again if anything else interesting happens!

Hm, maybe just head to the dentist to have them take a look? Gum health is definitely their territory.

granitecobra5 said:Thanks, velvetmoose9! 🙂 So, I’m currently sitting here at ten o'clock having just knocked back my fifth 1-gram tablet of Klavocin.

As of right now, my lip hasn't swollen up, but the entire upper front section of my gums is pretty inflamed. To make matters more confusing, my dentist keeps telling me I have gingivitis—but I honestly can't wrap my head around why my upper lip was so incredibly swollen that morning, only for the internal inflammation to show up much later!?!?!?!

The swelling seems to be receding bit by bit now, though it's still puffy right between my two front teeth, and a couple of tiny blisters have popped up right where that initial sore spot was. I'm not really sure what's going on. I guess I'll post again if anything else interesting happens!

Could they just be canker sores?

I’m not stepping foot in the dentist's office until I finish this entire course of Augmentin. As for these mouth sores—they aren't canker sores, or at least I don't think they are; I honestly have no clue what's going on. I noticed a few blisters near the wound yesterday, but now it's just gone back to being a single red dot. I'm assuming something bit me that day without me even noticing, especially since there was a little bit of blood involved.

Etoga, I’m finally done with the Klavobel Bid 1 treatment—well, mostly. Things haven't completely settled back to normal yet, but I'd say I'm feeling a hell of a lot better than before. I still have some sage tea left over, so I guess I'll just keep using that as a mouthwash until the supply runs out. Even though the symptoms are much milder now, I think I'll stick with it for a bit longer, mostly just because it's healthy, I suppose.