Apart from adults, even children often get minor cuts, wounds, and lacerations to the mouth and lips while playing, climbing, or participating in sports activities. Most of these injuries can be handled at home with simple first-aid treatment. The gums, tongue, and lips have a rich blood supply. When cut on lip happen, these areas may bleed a lot.
First aid for superficial cuts and wounds
Recommendations that doctors may give for taking care of cuts and wounds include the following:
- Calm your child and let him or her know you can help.
- Apply pressure with a clean cloth or bandage for several minutes to stop bleeding.
- Wash your hands well.
- If the wound is on the lips or outside area of the mouth, wash it well with soap and water. Do not scrub the wound. Remove any dirt particles from the area and let the water from the faucet run over it for several minutes. A dirty cut or scrape that is not well cleaned can cause scarring:
- Apply an antiseptic lotion or cream.
- Give your child an ice pop or ice cube to suck on to help reduce bleeding and swelling.
- Check the area each day and keep it clean and dry.
- Avoid blowing on the wound, as this can cause germs to grow.
- Use a sunscreen (sun protection factor, or SPF, at least 15 or greater) on healed cuts and wounds to help prevent scarring.
If the wound is inside the mouth, rinse the area well with cool water for several minutes. Remove any dirt particles from the area:
- Give your child an ice pop or ice cube to suck on to help reduce bleeding and swelling.
- Check the area each day and keep it clean.
Even small cuts on lips may cause a noticeable difference in the border or outline of the lips. These wounds may need stitches to keep the borders even and reduce the possibility of scars. Cuts that happen in the corner of the mouth where the upper and lower lips come together have the potential for very severe bleeding.
Often cuts inside the mouth, even if they appear large, are left to heal spontaneously without the need for stitches.
Bruises, blisters, or swelling on the lips caused by trauma may be treated by sucking on ice pops or ice cubes or by applying a cold pack to the area every 1 to 2 hours for 10 to 15 minutes for the first 24 hours.
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Cut on Lip or Cold Sore
Cuts and canker sores are very much different from cold sores. However, there are numerous persons who do not know this and usually assume them to be the same. There are several differentiating features that can help a person tell the two apart. If you are not sure about whether or not you have a cut, canker sore or cold sore, it’s best to speak with a doctor to get confirmation. However, here are some ways to distinguish between cuts and cold sores:
- Canker sores are located inside the mouth, on the gums or inner cheek.
A canker sore, while painful is not something that is contagious. They can be caused by different factors such as stress, hormones, poor diet, or even food allergies. In appearance, canker sores are either yellow or white with a red centre.
They usually go away without the need of medication and no one is in danger of catching any type of virus if you kiss or share food. Another thing to take note, canker sores rarely form within the mouth and usually form on the lip or near it.
- Cuts usually occur on the lips or mouth area and can have several causes but they are not to be mistaken for cold sores.
Sometimes when lips are incredibly dry, you can get cuts or something known as split lips. It is not a very pretty look but with some care, time, and patience these cut on lip will heal.
Split lips are caused by outside elements and also due to lack of hydration. Drink plenty of water and make sure to invest in a lip balm that will protect your lips against the cold, wind, or dry air. If dry lips that are causing these cuts and lacerations persist, speak with your doctor to make sure this isn’t an effect of something else.
- Cold sores or fever blisters are associated with the herpes simplex virus.
They have a very different appearance compared to a cut on lip. The cold sore looks like a red dot on the lip area but if you look closely they are usually groups of red, fluid-filled blisters. These blisters can break, leak, and scab over. Unlike cuts and canker sores, cold sores are contagious and contain the herpes virus.
So skin-to-skin contact with an active cold sore can usually spread the virus to another person. Sometimes cold sores come with symptoms as well. There may be pain at the affected area, fever, sore throat, or scabbing of the blister. You must remember that the herpes virus is not curable but is most definitely manageable.
Conclusion
Therefore, whether you have a cut, canker sore, or cold sore, these can often be treated with over the counter ointments, creams, and gels. If you find yourself experiencing a ton of pain or whatever you have on your lip is taking a long time to heal and go away, it may be time to speak with a doctor to get more powerful medication.
How to Heal a Cut Lip inside Mouth
The person should be checked for associated injuries such as problems breathing or swallowing, facial fractures, loose or missing teeth, or more serious tissue loss. Patients should receive a tetanus vaccine if their tetanus shot is not up-to-date. Severe mouth wounds should be treated at a trauma centre by a surgeon.
Very often, treatments include observation for many wounds and do not involve the vermilion border (the cosmetic line that marks the border of the lips on the face). However, lacerations that bleed for more than 15 minutes after holding pressure may require stitches.
For those cuts inside the mouth may require antibiotics. You may visit a chemist or your doctor who will advise on the best medications for your case. Many at times, those cuts inside mouth will heal on their own unless they are infected.
Cut on Lip Turned White
Depending on several factors, the recovery speed of wounds might differ from one person to another. As well as the steps of the recovery, some people might have a wound or scratch from initial bleeding phase and after being cured, moving on to the a reddish brown colour of scab which after that usually be followed by total recovery of the skin may be within a week.
However, some people have to undergo a phase where their cut on lip skin around the area of the wound or even in the middle if the wound turns to pale white colour. Now, what is that white scab and how to avoid or cure it? Basically, reading the answers of those two questions will also answer your question, why is wound turning white?
What is the white scab on cut on lip and how to take care of it?
Scab is basically a natural product that our body produces to protect the wound, however different type of treatments that a person uses might cause the wound has a white scab or even a slightly gooey white scab. Your condition and immune system can also be the cause of the presence of white scab.
Trapped moisture is a very common reason of white scab, other than that, extreme exposure of thick ointment could also be the reason for people who live then but also nowadays, allergic reaction and skin infection are some other reasons that can cause a more serious effect, and the last one probably is hypopigmentation.
The moisture is often caused by high level of water in your body or being in contact with your body. People who usually let the wound being indirectly rinsed by water during shower have the highest risk of getting a white scab because of trapped moisture.
How to Heal a Cut on Lip Corner
Cracks in the corners of the mouth can turn eating, drinking or smiling into a painful chore. This inflammatory condition, called angular chelitis, doesn’t have one single cause. The cracks typically go away on their own, but you can help them heal faster by treating your lips with a home remedy.
Causes of cracked lips
Angular chelitis and chapped lips are commonly caused by dry, cold weather. Sometimes, though, the cracks can be a symptom of a health condition. Certain products, such as lipstick or toothpaste, can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Angular chelitis is also an indicator of B-vitamin deficiencies, anaemia caused by iron deficiency or a yeast, strep or staph infection.
If the cracks or sores on your lips become more painful or swollen after a week of home treatment, see a doctor, who may need to treat the problem with an antibiotic or antifungal medication. In these cases, home remedies can ease irritation and pain, but they’re unlikely to make the problem go away.
Home Treatments
- Use of lip balms and ointments on cut on lips that contain vitamin E, lanolin and Shea butter soothe painful cracks and sores. If you don’t have any lip balm, petroleum jelly also works. Avoid products that contain eucalyptus, cinnamon, menthol or camphor — they can make irritation worse.
- Honey lubricates lips and speeds up healing. Smear a dab of honey on cracked lips before bed and then let your skin absorb it overnight.
- Yogurt that contains live active cultures, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, may help as well. Apply some plain yogurt to the cracked area. Then put a spoonful in your mouth and swish it around before swallowing in case your cracks are caused by yeast.
Fixing the cracks at the corners
Chronic yeast infections may cause only minor discomfort while acute infections can affect the whole mouth and throat. In either case, they can be treated with a course of oral or topical antifungal (yeast) medication. NY statin may be used as a troche (a small medicated lozenge designed to dissolve) that is rinsed with and then swallowed so that it works in the mouth and throughout the body.
Antifungal ointments can also be applied liberally to the corners of the mouth several times a day to clear infection. They may be used in combination with a steroid ointment to control redness and inflammation, as well as zinc oxide paste or ointment, which is a barrier (skin) repair agent that has antifungal properties.
If infection arises from inside the mouth, it is likely to recur if only the corners of the mouth are treated. Chlorhexidine rinses can also be used to treat minor oral yeast infections. It is also effective for cleaning and scrubbing dentures; however, it is important to leave them out at night.
Cut Lip Treatment Home Remedies
A cut on lip can be a small surface wound or a deep gash. If it’s a deep gash, then do visit a doctor to check if you need stitches. However, if it is not, then you might just need to give the wound some care and use some medicines or home remedies for relief. Here are some home remedy ideas to help you treat cut and chapped lips.
- If you have a cut on your lip, it is very important to keep the infection at bay. Tea tree oil is known for its antimicrobial agent and is very effective against fungi and bacteria. Apply some tea tree oil on your lips to reduce the inflammation and safeguard the wound against bacteria.
- You might also like to drink tea brewed with feverfew and ginger to reduce the inflammation. Drink this tea thrice a day.
- Cut on lips because they are chapped, keep yourself well-hydrated. Drink water regularly through the day as this keeps you, your lips and body well hydrated.
- When you buy a lip balm, look for hydrating ingredients such as coconut oil, jojoba, almond, Shea butter, beeswax and vitamin E. You can also use petroleum jelly. If you have sensitive skin, then do not use camphor-based lip balms as these can cause irritation.
- You might want to use a humidifier to add some moisture to dry indoor air.
- You must also check your diet to see if you are getting enough essential fatty acids, iron, and B vitamins. A deficiency in any of these can cause cracking of lip corners and scaling of lips. Consult a doctor and take a multivitamin.
- If you have cuts and chapped lips, then check to find out if it’s been caused by allergy to lipstick dyes.
- You can also hydrate your lips by dabbing a cool wet cloth over your lips. You can seal in the moisture by applying a lip balm. Apply some every few hours when your lips are dry and chapped. Don’t wait for your lips to crack and for cuts to develop before reaching for that lip balm. You can also use a balm or cream with spa to protect your lips from sun damage.
- Don’t lick or bite your lips.
The cut on lips or other herpes symptoms can be only treated by the use of medications specially designed to suppress the herpes virus. A herpes sore is a cut on the lip that won’t heal with the help of home remedies for regular cuts and scrapes.
Cuts on lips due to herpes can keep coming back and causing you a lot of grief. Since the virus cannot be eliminated completely from the body, the symptoms can keep showing after brief periods of remittance.
If the cracked and chapped lips are caused simply due to environmental conditions, use a humidifier to add moisture to the dry indoor air. Also keep a check on your diet and include vitamin B, fatty acids, and iron in your diet.
How Long Does a Busted Lip Treatment Take to Heal
Busted lips are common problems that many people experience. Swollen lips do not only contribute to imperfect physical look, but may also cause itching and pain. A cut on lip and mouth can cause either one of or both lips to bleed or bust.
What contributes to a swollen lip?
Busted lips occur as a result of trauma to the tissues of the lip, which is triggered by inflammation or fluid build-up. Lip enlargement may affect the upper and lower lip on its outer and inner sides. These injuries can be minor and more severe, depending on the causes. Some of the most common triggers of busted lips, some of those are:
Bug bites and stings
They cause the body to naturally defend its parts from any kinds of chemical released by biting insects by triggering inflammation of certain tissues. Bug bites and stings are commonly harmless, and cut on lip caused by this factor can be healed by applying topical analgesic ointment.
Allergies
Some allergies causes watery eyes and sneezing, while some others can cause busted lips as a natural reaction of the immune system when the body has a contact with foreign allergens, such as dust mites, pollen, foods, and other kinds of allergens. Allergies are usually healed by taking prescribed antibiotics or keeping away from potential allergens.
Infection
Lip infection can be caused by some different risk factors. The most common infection to the lips is herpes virus infection. This kind of infection causes blisters to occur on the lips and around the mouth, causing itching, burning sensation, and inflammation.
Trauma
Another common cause of busted lips is trauma to the lips and mouth area. The trauma can be as a result by a hard contact between the lips and hard objects or surfaces. Punches and accidents, for instance, may cause either severely busted or bleeding lips.
Medications
The side effects of certain medications may contribute to busted or swollen lips, because the chemicals contained in these medications may cause its tissues to inflame.
How long does a busted lip need to go down?
Busted lips might be an embarrassing problem related to physical appearance. Yet there is natural method to heal busted lip, it also causes pain and discomfort which requires specific attention. Hence, people try to do various things to find out the cause of their busted lips to determine the length of required period for the busted lips to go down. In fact, this period is affected by some factors, such as:
- The cause of the swelling.
- The severity of busted area of the lips.
- Taken or performed treatments.
However, some common busted lip phenomena will need variety of time length before it completely heals and goes down. This may include:
- Busted lip from insect bite does not usually last long, since the chemical secreted by the biting insects will be combated by the immune system and thus, resulted in flattened busted lip. Normally, inflammation caused by the bite will last less than a day, especially when effective topical analgesic is involved.
- Busted lip from an infection will take longer time to heal. With herpes, for example, someone may need three days to a week to completely find out flattened cut on lips.
- The one from trauma might be the longest to heal, especially if it is severely busted and wounded, as the tissues and new cells take some time to regrow completely.
- Swollen lips as a result of cosmetic surgery can heal after a long period, when the injected material is taken out or dissolved. However, it can also be quite permanent, as a prolonged reaction to these material.