Definition
A bruise on the lip is also called a bruise or hematoma. It is caused by blood leaking from injured vessels into the surrounding tissue. This accumulation of blood is usually directly under the skin and is therefore highly visible and easy to diagnose. A bruise on the lip can be painful and annoying, but it does not usually pose a serious threat to health.
Cause
A bruise on the lip is caused by a mechanical injury to the affected area. A bite on the lip or a bruise or contusion can cause haematomas on the lip. Even if you fall on your head, many people bruise their lips and a bruise develops.
The lips are very well supplied with blood and there are many small vessels directly under the skin. These fine vessels can easily tear under mechanical influence. As a result, blood leaks into the surrounding tissue where it coagulates and forms a dark spot under the skin, the bruise. Haematomas on the lips can also occur as a side effect of beauty treatments when the lips are to be injected with hyaluronic acid or small wrinkles are to be concealed by means of injections. The puncture causes small injuries to the lip, which bleed in and can lead to haematomas.
Symptoms
The most obvious symptom of a bruise on the lip is discoloration of the skin. The lips are usually stained red. The skin in this area is extremely thin and has a high blood supply, which means that the blood can be seen through the skin.
In the case of a haematoma, the lip discolours dark red to bluish due to the strong bleeding into the surrounding tissue. As the blood cells are broken down, the colour changes to dark green and yellow. Blood leakage from the vessels and damage to the injured tissue causes swelling and the lip becomes thick.
The swelling leads to an enormous feeling of tension and is therefore felt as extremely painful. However, very severe tissue damage can lead to high fever and pus accumulation in the area of the bruise. In this case a doctor should be consulted immediately.
Diagnosis
The doctor recognizes a hematoma on the lip by means of a gaze diagnosis. Due to the typical symptoms, such as swelling, expansion and the prominent discoloration, a bruise can be easily diagnosed. A further diagnosis is usually not necessary. If the bruise on the lip is the result of an accident and the doctor suspects further injuries in the mouth area in addition to the lip hematoma, further examinations may be necessary to rule out damage to the teeth and jaw.
Therapy
A hematoma on the lip can usually be treated well by itself. Immediately after hitting or falling on the lip, one should react quickly by pressing very firmly on the lip with the hand. This prevents a lot of blood from escaping from the injured vessels and thus the bruise can be kept as small as possible.
Then the affected area should be cooled. The cooling causes the vessels to contract, the blood flow decreases and as a result less blood escapes into the tissue. The best way to do this is to use an ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth.
The injured area should be cooled for about 20 minutes, whereby the bare skin should never come into direct contact with the ice, in order to avoid skin damage from the cold. In the case of severe haematomas, there are over-the-counter heparin ointments available in pharmacies which accelerate the dissolving of the haematoma. In addition, paracetamol or ibuprofen can be taken to relieve the pain on the lip caused by the haematoma. Aspirin should generally not be used to treat a bruise as it has a blood-thinning effect and can make the hematoma even worse.
