A swollen lip is usually the result of fluid accumulating in the lip and this can be because of an inflammation and allergy. This is however assuming that the lip has not sustained some kind of injury and the inflammation is not because of that. A possibility also lies in a disease called angioedema.
Angioedema is a condition in which an edema or swelling occurs subcutaneously and is similar to hives but happens under the skin. The disease can occur in any part of the body and the lips are usually also affected with swelling because of this disease. If, at any point of time, the swelling progresses to other parts of the body then it must be treated immediately as it could even cause airway obstruction. The causes for angioedema are allergies, the use of medication, and a genetic predisposition to the disorder. One of the first things that need to be ascertained is the cause of the disease. If an allergen is the cause of the problem, then avoiding all contact with the offending substance along with a course of antihistamine and anti-inflammatories is all that is required. In case, the problem is due to the intake of medicines like ACE inhibitors, your doctor will have to decide, how soon you can go off these drugs to relieve the condition. If the condition is because of hereditary factors, which is usually identifiable from the fact that antihistamines will not solve the swelling, then the treatment sometimes involves the use of plasma through a transfusion. Some of the new treatment options include peptide inhibitors.
A home remedy for a swollen lip would require that you constantly avoid the possibility of an edema forming. This requires you to have an amount of antihistamines in your system. One of the most potent antihistamines in nature is ginger, which should be added to the diet and drunk regularly as tea. Understanding what triggers the edema is also necessary. Some types of food make you susceptible and these should be avoided at all costs. When you experience an edema, the first thing that you should do is to apply ice on the swelling and literally freeze the area. This should buy you sometime before you can contact a doctor. Remember that in the case of hereditary angioedema, you might have to be on a lifelong course of drug therapy, which could possibly have some side effects. Therefore, it is important that you discuss these possibilities with your doctor.