A puffy face tells these 10 things about your body

Don’t take that sudden face swelling lightly. It might just be hinting at an underlying health condition you hadn't thought of.

Editorial Team | Updated: January 8, 2019 7:58 pm

Tags: Allergy on palms cause of thyroid Cellulitis conjunctivitis problem Cushing’s Syndrome Latex allergy mumps disease Sinusitis treatment Swelling swelling in throat

Face inflammation is a result of a buildup of fluids in your facial tissues. @Shutterstock

Does your face swell up suddenly? Is it an allergic reaction or is it happening due to any underlying condition you should be aware of? There may be numerous possibilities running through your mind when you look at your swollen-up face in the mirror. Face inflammation is the result of a buildup of fluids in your facial tissues. The fluid buildup may have been caused by a burn, swelling of the eyes, salivary gland issues, oral health conditions, face injury and a host of other medical conditions. Here, we list down the most common culprits causing your face to swell up.

Mumps:
A viral infection, mumps affects the salivary glands called parotid glands located in front of the ear in your face, resulting in their inflammation. It’s contagious and can be transmitted from one person to another through saliva, close personal contact, or a nasal secretion. The swelling of the salivary glands can puff up the cheeks along with fever, fatigue and loss of appetite.

Allergic reaction:
If you are allergic to a host of allergens such as pollen or dust, animal dander, bee stings, cockroach droppings, and certain medicines, then your body’s immune system can go for an overdrive and result in variety of symptoms like face swelling, itching, runny nose, sneezing, breathing problems, hives, skin rashes, diarrhoea. In severe cases, these may become life-threatening too.

Cushing’s Syndrome:
Prolonged exposure to stress for a considerable period of time causes the body to produce abnormal levels of stress hormone or cortisol and causes the disorder called Cushing’s Syndrome. It can result from a pituitary gland or an adrenal tumour, or long-term usage of corticosteroid drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Individuals suffering from the condition show symptoms of a moon-sized face, loss of fat from your arms and legs and weight gain around the middle section of our body.

Cellulitis:
Cellulitis is a skin infection that occurs due to bacteria that can result in your face to swell up suddenly. Other accompanying symptoms include redness, tenderness, and warmth in around the facial region. Facial bacterial reactions generally originate from an infection in the tooth or around the tooth region such as a dental abscess. Periorbital cellulitis, bacterial infection on the tissue around the eye can result in redness and inflammation around the eyes and occurs because of the spread of infection such as conjunctivitis or sinusitis.

Obesity:
Obesity is a lifestyle disease that occurs majorly due to over-consumption of food along with little or no exercise. An individual is called obese when their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or above. The body mass index is used to categorize people as under or overweight and is measured as a ratio of weight (kilograms) to height (square of metres).

Conjunctivitis:
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or the infection of the outer membrane of the eyeball and the inner eyelid and can be caused by bacteria, fungi, chlamydia, parasites, allergies, specific chemical exposure and sometimes due to contact lenses. The symptoms include redness, itching, eye pain, blurred vision, and formation of crust on the eyelids.

Thyroid Problems:
The thyroid is a gland located right under your Adam’s apple. It releases hormones that increase the oxygen flow and stimulates your cells to make new proteins and thus controls the metabolism of your body. The problem occurs when the thyroid gland under or overproduces these hormones. When the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck sometimes produces too much of these hormones it results in hyperthyroidism causing the bodily functions to speed up. When the thyroid gland is underactive and produces insufficient thyroid hormones it leads to hypothyroidism. Both the types leave your face swollen up. Additionally, Hypothyroidism affects by causing inflammation on your feet, hands, fatigue, joint pains, brittle hair, gaining weight, and heavy blood flow during periods. Hyperthyroidism can lead to muscle weakness, irregular and rapid heartbeats, mood swings, sleeping and weight loss problems.

Sinusitis:
Sinusitis is a condition in which the cavities around the nasal passage becomes inflamed for at least 12 weeks despite receiving treatments. It is also known as chronic rhinosinusitis and interferes with drainage and causes mucus buildup. The inflammation causes pain in the areas surrounding the eyes and cheekbones making it a very uncomfortable condition for the person suffering. It can cause some swelling of your face and leads to upper respiratory infection and mild to a severe headache.

Angioedema:
Angioedema is mostly a result of an allergic reaction. Your body tends to mistake a certain harmless stimulus like shellfish, nuts, etc. for something more dangerous. As a result, it releases specific chemicals to attack the substance which results in swelling up of the lower layer of tissue present below your skin, especially of your face and the limbs.

Anaphylaxis:
A potentially life-threatening condition, Anaphylaxis is a severe form of allergic reaction and occurs when you are extremely sensitive to any particular allergen such as peanuts, shellfish, etc. Individuals suffering through this allergic shock will show symptoms of facial swelling, slurred speech, confusion, rash, itchy skin, stomach ache, shortness of breath, anxiety, wheezing and coughing. This condition requires immediate medical attention.

Published: January 8, 2019 7:39 pm | Updated:January 8, 2019 7:58 pm

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