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Symptoms, Their Causes & Cures: Lip Discoloration

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Lip Discoloration

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* If your lips suddenly turn blue and you also have a rapid heartbeat, you're sweating or coughing and you have difficulty breathing, see a doctor immediately.

* If your child has blue lips and/or nails and a harsh cough, fever or difficulty breathing, see a doctor immediately.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

If your lips are blue, your body is sad—it isn't getting enough oxygen.

When you are exposed to intense cold, your body directs the flow of blood away from the skin to its core in an effort to provide adequate blood to keep vital organs like the heart, brain and kidneys warm and to conserve the body's heat. This reduces the oxygen supply to the tiny blood vessels near the skin's surface. Seen through the skin of your lips, this oxygen-poor blood looks inky blue.

Blue-tinged lips can also be a sign that your blood has become oxygen-deprived from breathing toxic fumes or from smoking.

If your lips are blue and your skin is pale, you may have iron-deficiency anemia. Iron is a vital component of hemoglobin, the substance that gives blood its red color. Besides nutritional deficiency, other causes of low iron levels include heavy menstrual periods or ulcers—any health problem that results in the regular loss of blood.

In children, blue lips plus a barking cough can indicate a severe form of croup, a common respiratory condition.

Lips that suddenly turn from red to blue—along with a rapid pulse and difficulty breathing—are your body's way of saying that your heart or lungs are in trouble. You may have a severe heart problem, or your lungs may not be getting enough oxygen because of pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma or emphysema. A blood clot in the lungs could also do this. Get to the emergency room.

Symptom Relief

If your lips turn blue without an obvious cause, see your doctor. He'll probably test you for circulatory problems or anemia. If your lips turn blue because you're sensitive to the cold, here's what to do.

Swaddle yourself from head to toe. Wrap up in a giant towel or blanket that covers your head. "The warmer you can get your entire body, the quicker you'll raise your core temperature and blood can flow back to your lips as well as fingers and toes," says John Abruzzo, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Rheumatology and Osteoporosis Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Drinking steamy liquids can help the process by dilating blood vessels and promoting better blood flow. But pass up coffee, says Dr. Abruzzo. Caffeine narrows the vessels. (For more tips on warming your extremities, see page 231.)

Do some jumping jacks. Aerobic movement involving nonstop motion of your arms and legs gets blood moving and delivers oxygen to the tissues. "It will quickly bring a rosy flush to your skin and lips," says Dr. Abruzzo.

Nix the nicotine. Cigarette smoke chokes off oxygen and also narrows blood vessels, says Dr. Abruzzo.

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