Swollen lip injury: first steps and warning signs

An injured lip may be swollen, bruised, split, numb, or sore when touched. The inner lining can be scraped even when the outer skin looks intact. A cut near the border between the coloured lip and facial skin may need careful assessment because its alignment affects healing. A deeper impact can also affect teeth, gums, the jaw joint, or nearby facial bones. Note whether the swelling is improving, stable, or expanding, and whether your bite and speech feel normal.

Wash your hands before touching the injury. Rinse the mouth with clean water and use a clean cloth for steady pressure if it is bleeding. Apply a cold pack wrapped in fabric outside the lip for brief periods. Rest the area by eating soft foods, taking small bites, and avoiding chewing on the injured side. Keep sharp foods, smoking, alcohol, and very hot drinks away from the wound. Do not pull at loose tissue or seal a deep cut with household glue.

Get emergency care for trouble breathing or swallowing, rapidly enlarging swelling, faintness, or a serious head injury. Arrange urgent assessment for bleeding that continues despite pressure, a wound that is deep or gaping, a tooth that is broken or loose, a changed bite, jaw locking, increasing numbness, severe pain, fever, pus, or redness spreading beyond the wound. If swelling arose without trauma and comes with hives or facial swelling, ask for immediate advice about angioedema.

Ask whether the wound needs closure, tetanus advice, dental treatment, or a review of the jaw. Describe the object or force involved, the time of injury, bleeding, numbness, and any change in your bite.