How do I Reduce Swelling?

I used to have a bad habit of popping pimples. Once they came to a head, I felt like I had to get that stuff out of my face, but squeezing the area would result in redness and swelling.

I learned that I could reduce the swelling around the pimple by using hydrocortisone cream after popping it. This is a low-dose steroid cream that works to reduce both redness and swelling.

Within minutes of applying it, I could tell that the swelling had gone down. This made putting makeup on to cover it up easier.

Eating less salt helped my aunt reduce the swelling in her face. Her doctor recommended that she lower her sodium intake because of her high blood pressure.

She caved one night and ate several slices of pizza with salty pepperoni on it, and the next morning, her eyes were extremely puffy. Her whole face looked like it was retaining water.

She knew that the salty pizza was to blame. She has seen drastic improvements since she decided to really stick to the low sodium diet.

@anon131853 – It almost sounds like you are having an allergic reaction to something. Did you take some new sort of medication the night before, or did you eat a food you don't normally eat?

I would try taking an antihistamine and see if the swelling goes down. If so, then it was probably due to an allergy. If not, I would go to a doctor, because it might point to a bigger problem.

@dudla – Bags of frozen vegetables are great for reducing the swelling of an injury. If you don't have any on hand, you can just wrap some ice cubes in a paper towel.

The paper towel is thin, so the cold transfers easily to your skin. It will eventually disintegrate, though, so you have to replace it once the ice shows through.

I have found that in addition to reducing swelling, ice also reduces the level of bruising that will occur. I've had injuries that should have been black and blue for weeks, but since I put ice on them right after they occurred, the bruises were much less pronounced and cleared up sooner.

If you use ice too much it will damage your veins!

For the last two mornings I've been waking up with my lips swollen. They are three maybe four times bigger than they usually are. I don't know what may be causing this but I would like to get to the bottom of it.

I am very overweight and I have read that excess weight can be a source of excessive swelling in the ankles and feet. I have read many stories of people who said this problem ceased when they lost a lot of weight. I'm hoping this is true!

I have the problem of swelling feet and ankles. I know it's largely because of my drinking too much caffeine (coffee and soda) on a daily basis. I'm trying to cut back and drink more water. I've heard it helps to drink eight 8 ounce servings of water per day. Also, the propping up of the feet really does help. Another remedy I use (keep in mind that I'm not a medical doctor so consult your physician first) is taking one 99mg potassium supplement daily. It does seem to help a little.

I like to use a frozen bag of peas or corn to reduce swelling. I find the small pieces better able to conform to the swollen area than big ice cubes. Plus ice cubes seem to be too cold to stand up against the skin for long periods of time and a washcloth blocks the cold too much.