What Causes Numb Lips?

Numb Lips is a condition in which an individual has a partial or complete lack of feeling in the lips. There may be many causes for Numb Lips of which some causes may be benign and self resolving while some causes may be potentially serious and require emergent medical attention. Numb Lips may be acute or chronic meaning that it might have developed recently or may be developing over a long period of time.

For example, Numbness in Lips caused due to anesthesia given by a dentist for some dental work is acute and may resolve within a couple of hours whereas Numb Lips caused due to a medical condition is chronic in nature and may stay for long periods of time without resolving.

Some people experience Numb Lips when they are exposed to extreme cold temperatures or they have an allergic reaction to certain substances or foods. Numb Lips may also be caused due to a side effect of a medication. In some cases, Numb Lips may signal a neuropathy where there are some disturbances in the nerves sending and receiving signals from and to the brain and the lips. Neuropathy may be caused due to many medical conditions of which diabetes is the most common. Apart from this certain nutritional deficiencies or exposure to toxic chemicals may also cause Numb Lips. In this article, we will go over some of the causers of Numb Lips.

Some of the common causes of Numb Lips are:

Allergies: This is by far the most common cause of Numb Lips. Allergy to certain food products may lead to Numbness in Lips. The numbness may appear as soon as you eat the food within a matter of minutes. Numb Lips caused due to food allergy may last for a few minutes or the reaction may be prolonged to several hours. Some of the other symptoms which may accompany Numb Lips due to food allergy are appearance of hives, nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness. Numbness in Lips may also be caused due to an allergic reaction to certain chemicals used in cosmetics like a lipstick.

Mineral Deficiencies: This is yet another cause for Numb Lips. Individuals who have nutritional deficiencies like hypocalcemia which is low calcium levels, hypokalemia meaning low levels of potassium, or hyponatremia which means low levels of sodium may experience numbness in lips.

Hypoglycemia: Numb Lips caused due to low blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia is mostly seen in diabetic people who are on insulin and may have overdosed it. Numb Lips may also occur if a diabetic patient skips a meal resulting in low sugar levels.

Raynaud’s Disease: This is a medical condition which causes numbness in certain areas of the body in response to cold temperatures or in a state of stress. Numb Lips may also be caused due to this condition. Numbness in Lips caused due to this condition resolve within a matter of minutes to a couple of hours when the stress is reduced or the temperature is increased.

Fish Poisoning: Tropical fishes like a Tuna or Mackerel tends to cause Numbness in Lips which may last for a few minutes to a few hours.

Shingles: Shingles is a viral infection caused by Herpes Zoster Virus which affects the trigeminal nerve and is also a potential cause of Numb Lips.

Hansen Disease: Also known by the name of leprosy, a killer disease in the ancient times is now a rare occuring phenomenon. It is an infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Once an individual is affected by this disease, he or she may start having neurological symptoms much later in life which includes Numbness in Lips.

Multiple Sclerosis: This is a potentially serious neurological condition which as of now does not have a cure. The disease process may be slowed down by the medication but it cannot be cured completely. One of the symptoms of this disease is Numb Lips.

Trigeminal Neuralgia: This is a medical condition in which an individual experiences electrical shock like pains, numbness and tingling normally on one side of the face and can also cause Numb Lips.