Facial swelling

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Edema, central on the face

Facial swelling

Definition:

Facial swelling involves an accumulation of fluid in the face, which may extend to the neck and upper arms.

Alternative Names:

Puffy face; Swelling of the face; Moon face; Facial edema

Considerations:

If the facial swelling is mild, it may be hard to detect. To assist the health care provider in diagnosing the cause, it is important to note the following:

Whether there is pain
The duration of the swelling
What makes it better or worse
Any other symptoms that accompany the swelling

Common Causes:

Obesity
Allergic reaction (such as allergic rhinitis, hay fever, or a bee sting)
Conjunctivitis with swelling around the eye(s)
Stye with swelling around the infected eye
Malnutrition (when severe)
Sinusitis
Facial trauma or injury (such as burns)
Drugs including prolonged use or allergic reaction to aspirin, antipyretics, penicillin, sulfa, glucocorticoids, or other drugs
Blood transfusion reaction
Head, nose, or jaw surgery
Angioedema from any cause including reaction to contrast media from radiologic tests
Cellulitis
Tooth abscess

Home Care:

Apply cold compresses to reduce swelling from an injury. Raise the head of the bed (or use extra pillows) to help reduce facial swelling.

Call your health care provider if:

There is acute, sudden, painful, or severe facial swelling.
There is prolonged facial swelling, particularly if it is getting worse over time.
There is any difficulty breathing.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

If facial swelling is caused by burns and/or respiratory distress is present, emergency measures must be taken first. Then the medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting facial swelling in detail may include the following:

Time pattern
- How long has the facial swelling lasted?
- When did it begin?
What makes it worse?
What makes it better?
General health
- What is your height and weight?
- How is your diet?
Other
- Has there been exposure to something to which the person may be allergic (an antigen)?
- What medication(s) are you taking?
- Have you had recent facial injury?
- Have you had a recent test or surgical procedure?
- What other symptoms are also present? Especially, is there:

Diagnostic tests will be determined by other accompanying symptoms and results of the physical examination.

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