Swollen Face in the Morning

Your body communicates any discomfort through unusual signs and symptoms, and your face is the first target to picture something is not right with your body. This is exactly when the visual signals start blinking with swelling, redness, and other skin problems.

Swollen or puffy face is common among most of us. It is a discomfort that includes swelling in any part of the face. It can be due to external or internal factors. This condition puts a bad morning tag to your day and alters your appearance, and sometimes, leaves you embarrassed.

Facial swelling can occur due to various reasons as follows:

• The most common reason is edema, that is, accumulation of fluids in the muscles and tissues in the face which leads to swelling.
• Physical injury or due to surgery on some part of the face.

• Minor swelling can also happen due to eye infections and tooth infections as well.
• Other issues like unhealthy lifestyle, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet, etc., can cause swelling.
• Some habits and lifestyle factors, like excessive alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and hypertension also contribute to a puffy face.

• Dehydration can cause the blood vessels to enlarge, and hence cause swelling in the face.
• Lack of essential vitamins and nutrients in the body also causes puffiness.
• Having excessive amount of salts in the diet the previous night, also causes a puffy face the next morning.

• Allergic responses of rhinitis, pollinosis, or insect sting can cause swelling.
• Eye infections from conjunctivitis, like inflammation, and tooth infections are also potential causes.

• An infection in the sebaceous gland of the eyelids, sinus inflammations, any inflammation of the body tissues due to fever.
• A blood transfusion reaction can lead to facial puffiness.

Another condition that causes face swelling is pregnancy. The physical and hormonal changes happening during this time causes excessive fluid retention in the body, hence causing facial swelling. Medical conditions like Cushing's syndrome, hypothyroidism, acromegaly, mumps, facial trauma, and nephritic syndrome are some of the other causes.

A small amount of swelling of the face in the morning is a normal sign. Usually, this swelling subsides in around 10-20 minutes. We can term this as mild puffiness rather than swelling. Other than this, severe symptoms like fever, redness with swelling on the face, breathlessness, etc., are some symptoms of face swelling due to allergy.

Following are a few simple remedies that may help reduce the puffiness of the face:

• Use a cold compress on the face. It is the traditional way of reducing swelling. You can wrap some ice in a cotton cloth and dab it on the face. Using an ice pack on the eyes after waking up reduces puffiness. 

It also freshens your face. If you do not wish to use ice compress, you can simply wash your face with cold water.

• Some extra pillows can be used to raise the height of the area on the bed where you rest your head on. This will help reduce the accumulation of fluids in the face, and thereby reduce the swelling you get the next morning.
• Use a facial mask of papaya and honey. It is an effective remedy to reduce the swelling.

• Tea bags with chamoline have amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Use them to reduce the redness and swelling on the face.
• Apply grated potato to your face since it helps reduce the puffiness. Also, a mask of egg whites is equally effective.
• Use a mask of grated cucumber. The astringent properties help reduce the swelling and puffiness of the face.

Some other remedies include changing your diet intake and lifestyle.

• Drink plenty of water. Have a glass of water before sleeping, and also keep a bottle handy. If you find a puffy face in the morning, immediately drink some water.
• Avoid caffeine as much as possible. Drinks like tea, coffee, soda, etc., will only increase dehydration.

• Check your diet. Avoid foods that your body is allergic to. Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet
• Avoid excessive salt intake. Also, avoid fried and oily foods.
• Mix a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek seeds with 2-3 glasses of buttermilk. This is an excellent way to flush out toxins from body. The swelling and puffiness will reduce considerably.

• Avoid using harsh soaps to wash your face. Also, take care of what you apply on the face.
• Never use cosmetics to hide the facial swelling since certain chemicals in cosmetics can cause puffiness.
• Use calendula lotions since these will reduce the swelling and also take care of your skin.

• Certain OTC anti-inflammatory medications may help reduce the swelling.
• Lastly, maintain proper hygiene. Keep your home free from dust, insects, mites, etc., that can cause an allergy or reaction.

Despite practicing the aforementioned remedies, if your facial puffiness does not subside, then consult a medical expert.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.