We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

How Do I Recognize Swelling from an Allergic Reaction?

By Erin J. Hill
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 11,382
Share

You will probably easily recognize swelling from an allergic reaction if it is caused by a skin irritant coming in contact with your arm, leg, face, or torso, because the swelling with likely be in the area where contact was made. More severe reactions may cause swelling of the lips, tongue, and face. These symptoms are a medical emergency and should be dealt with immediately. Sometimes swelling from an allergic reaction can be subtle, or you may not know what it was to cause the swelling.

Many allergic reactions cause swelling that is localized to a specific area. For instance, if you are allergic to hair dye and place a small portion on your arm, that spot on your arm would be the most likely to swell. You would likely also experience a rash with redness, itching, and sometimes blistering or peeling.

In other cases swelling from an allergic reaction may be more difficult to track. If you use a soap, for instance, that causes a reaction, you may experience mild to severe swelling all over your body. Unless the soap was the only product you used on your body that day, meaning no lotions, perfumes, or laundry detergents, it may be hard to pinpoint the source of swelling. Once way to determine if widespread swelling is an allergic reaction is the presence of redness or itching. Most skin reactions will include some other form of inflammation or irritation.

More severe swelling from an allergic reaction may cause your lips, face, and tongue to swell. In very serious cases, your tongue may swell large enough to block your throat. The throat itself may also swell and close up, leading to suffocation. This type of severe reaction can occur after eating a food you are allergic to, or getting stung by a bee or another insect.

Additional symptoms will likely be present if you have severe swelling from an allergic reaction. You may still experience skin irritation, even in a serious situation. You may also experience wheezing, shortness of breath, dizziness, heaviness in the chest, nausea, or shock. If any of these reactions occur, especially if you have recently eaten a new food or been stung by an insect, then you should call emergency medical services right away. Without treatment, a severe allergic reaction can lead to serious health complications and even death.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By candyquilt — On Sep 25, 2014

The localized swelling caused by allergies is actually the mechanism that skin prick testing uses to diagnose allergies.

The allergen is placed on an instrument and then, the skin is pricked with it. After waiting for some time, the nurse or doctor checks to see if there is swelling where the skin was pricked.

So as the article said, if one notices swelling in only one specific area, that's a clear sign of an allergic reaction to an allergen that the skin came in contact with.

By turquoise — On Sep 24, 2014

@SteamLouis-- That's a good question.

If the cause is infection like pink eye (conjunctivitis), there will most likely be redness (as the name suggests) and colored discharge in addition to the swelling. It can be however fairly difficult to tell this apart from allergies because some types of eye allergies can also cause eye discharge and redness of the eyes. So it's actually best to show it to an eye doctor for a diagnosis.

If it is allergies though, there might be additional signs such as runny nose, sneezing and congestion. These don't occur with eye infections. Even if you suspect eye swelling due to allergies, avoid touching your eye. If it turns out that it's an infection, the bacteria or virus may spread to the other eye.

By SteamLouis — On Sep 24, 2014

How can I know whether eye swelling is caused by allergies or something else, like an infection? I believe both can cause eye swelling right?

Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/how-do-i-recognize-swelling-from-an-allergic-reaction.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.