Contents
Swelling of the face is not a separate disease, but only a reflection of the imbalance between the retention and excretion of fluid in the body. But due to what problems of the body can the face swell and how serious is it?
Why does the face swell in adults
Edema on the face can occur at different times of the day – mainly in the morning or late afternoon, or they keep during the day, decreasing or increasing.
There are two types of reasons:
- physiological (or natural, not associated with diseases), they are usually not pronounced, not very strong, quickly disappear;
- pathological, can be very strong, with a change in facial features, signs of inflammation, often quite persistent.
Each type of edema has the most typical causes, they occur mainly in the morning or evening, or do not depend on the time of day. These characteristics are important for the doctor so that he can identify the leading causes, determine the tactics of examination and treatment.
Are there swelling on the face with heart disease?
Yes, women usually worry about these issues, says cardiologist Andrey Grachev. They run to see a cardiologist when they cannot put a ring on their finger in the morning because of its swelling or apply makeup because their face is swollen. The patient wants to look great regardless of age and health status. And this is commendable.
Men, as a rule, do not address such questions to a cardiologist. The peculiarity of this issue is due to the fact that in patients with cardiovascular diseases, as a rule, edema on the face appears at the final stage of such a complication as heart failure. First, they appear on the legs (the lowest point in relation to the heart), then the fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, the liver and spleen increase (as a blood depot). And only after the fluid reaches the pleural cavities and the heart bag, swelling may occur on the face or hands.
When do they most often occur?
Due to a number of circumstances, adds cardiologist Andrey Grachev, such as the flow of fluid to the upper half of the body in the prone position, changes in the biorhythms of hormone production (more often their active synthesis occurs at night or in the early morning hours), edematous syndrome most often manifests itself in the early morning hours.
Morning
If we talk about physiological reasons, morning swelling is usually associated with constant sleep deprivation, fasting, or strict diets (restricting protein and fats). Sometimes swelling in the morning is caused by improperly selected skin care products (face cream, tonic or cleanser). Also, morning swelling of the face can be caused by crying or stress in the evening or at night.
There may be swelling of the face in the morning due to an incorrectly selected pillow (it is too high, provokes narrowing of the vessels of the neck). Another physiological factor is an excess of fried, salty foods or liquids taken in the evening before bedtime. In women, swelling of the face in the morning can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations, PMS, or pregnancy. Some women notice morning puffiness during menopause.
Pathological causes morning edema is predominantly kidney damage. Such edema is usually soft, mobile, occurs on the face after sleep, while the skin acquires a waxy or yellowish tint. Most often lead to swelling of the face:
- glomerulonephritis – an acute form of the disease leads to edema that lasts up to 2-3 weeks, if the process enters a chronic phase, edema is typical for periods of exacerbation of inflammation;
- amyloidosis of the kidneys – edema is typical for the second stage (proteinuria), when protein is lost, kidney function gradually worsens;
- membranous nephropathy – occurs after taking certain drugs, tumor therapy, acute infectious pathologies, edema occurs in waves, with sharp or barely noticeable symptoms;
- chronic kidney disease (previously called kidney failure) – edema occurs gradually, as the kidney lesion progresses;
- kidney damage in severe systemic pathologies – edema is typical for nephropathy on the background of diabetes or systemic lupus erythematosus.
Evening
Sometimes swelling of the face becomes noticeable in the evening, especially after an active day. Often this is one of the manifestations of pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Often, swelling of the face is accompanied by severe swelling in the limbs – hands and feet, shins. These edemas are denser, the skin has a lower temperature than on other parts of the body, such edemas go away slowly. Often occur against the background of the following pathologies:
- amyloidosis of the heart and blood vessels;
- cardiomyopathy;
- sclerotic heart disease (cardiosclerosis);
- certain types of arrhythmias;
- constrictive pericarditis;
- part of heart defects;
- arterial hypertension;
- rheumatic heart disease.
Day
Sometimes swelling of the face is most pronounced during the day or its appearance is not clearly related to the time of day. Among the main pathologies that lead to such edema, endocrine disorders can be distinguished – especially the lack of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism). Facial edema is especially pronounced in congenital hypothyroidism, in pregnant women or in autoimmune thyroiditis, cytokine-induced thyroiditis.
Rapidly increasing swelling of the face during the day can be a sign of an allergy – to food, insect bites, cosmetics, medicines, and even cold. Sometimes swelling of the face occurs against the background of an attack of bronchial asthma due to difficulty in breathing and fluid retention in the veins.
Swelling of the face is possible in smokers and alcohol lovers. This is due to the increased work of the lymphatic system to remove toxins from the tissues.
Severe swelling of the face during the day is possible with respiratory infections and their complications – sinusitis, tonsillitis, frontal sinusitis. Puffiness of the face is possible with a deficiency or excess of vitamins (especially fat-soluble ones).
How to quickly remove swelling of the face in adults
If this is a physiological swelling of the face, not associated with serious pathologies that require the supervision of a doctor and the intake of selected drugs, excess fluid can be eliminated through certain simple measures and actions.
Taking a contrast shower or washing with cold / hot water. This method refreshes, improves tissue tone, enhances the outflow of fluid from the skin and reduces swelling.
Use of ice – a couple of pieces of ice will help to cope with swelling on the face quickly and effectively. In addition, you can prepare decoctions of herbs with a tonic effect in advance and freeze them, using them for washing.
Facial massage is an effective tool that helps improve microcirculation and puffiness. Help manual massage, the use of rollers, ice cubes, cold spoons. Sometimes you can first use wiping the face with green tea, applying compresses with it to the face and eye area.
Popular questions and answers
Why is it important to pay attention to the appearance of edema, when you need to not hesitate to consult a doctor, is it worth drinking diuretics or using traditional medicine? All these questions require discussion.
● edema appeared in the morning, immediately after waking up, it is difficult to open the eyelids;
● strong edema, with other symptoms, growing literally by the hour;
● face swells in the evening, facial features are deformed.
In addition, it is important to consult a doctor if pressure fluctuates against the background of edema, if the head hurts, the urine is cloudy, there are urination disorders.