Your lips are among the most touch-sensitive parts of your body. But suddenly, they’ve gone numb and rubbery — a bit like when your foot or arm falls to sleep. What gives?
If you’ve had your mouth numbed at the dentist or doctor’s, it’s not surprising. But other things can cause you to lose feeling or get a tingle in your lips. This includes allergies, cold sores, cold weather, and certain medical conditions.
What Does Lip Numbness Mean?
Numbness in your lips means that you’ve lost some feeling in your lips. It may be a complete loss of feeling that you can’t feel your lips at all or a partial loss of feeling or sensation.
Lip numbness has many potential causes, including things such as being outside in cold weather and eating spicy food. In those cases, your lip numbness may go away on its own soon afterward. In other cases, your lip numbness could last longer and may need medical attention.
What Does Lip Numbness Feel Like?
Lip numbness might mean that your lips feel completely numb, and you can’t feel them at all. Or they might feel partially numb.
People often describe the sensation of numbness differently, as numb, tingly, weird, heavy, or even a feeling like the area is dead, says Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, a family medicine physician and a program director at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital. “Sometimes, people describe that they feel numbness or tingling in their lips, even just with chapped lips,” she says.
“When people have allergic reactions, sometimes their lips swell, and they’ll describe that swelling to me not just as fullness but that it also feels numb,” as pressure increases in their lips, Wheat says.
Lip numbness can happen in both lips or only one. It may come and go, or it may be consistent.
What Are the Common Causes of Numb Lips?
Numb lips can be caused by many things, ranging from something you ate to an infection. Here are some potential causes of lip numbness.
Allergic reactions
Different types of allergic reactions can cause lip numbness. If you have a food allergy, eating the food that you’re allergic to can cause swelling and tingling sensations in your lips and mouth. Sometimes, these symptoms are uncomfortable but not serious, but other times, allergic reactions to food can be life-threatening, such as if your throat swells up.
Allergic reactions can also happen when your lips come into contact with an ingredient in lip balm, lip cosmetics, or a face lotion that you’re allergic to. This is called allergic contact cheilitis, and the irritating substance may be ingredients such as fragrances and sesame oil, for example.
Nerve damage or irritation
A few nerves control the feeling in your face. A nerve called the maxillary nerve controls the sensation in your upper lip, and the mental nerve, which is a branch of the trigeminal nerve, controls the sensation in your lower lip. Nerve damage, such as from a denture compressing the mental nerve, can cause numbness.
A nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia often causes pain in the lips and other areas of the face, but it can also cause numbness.
Infections or inflammation
Sometimes, infection or inflammation can cause lip numbness. For example, if you have a bone infection called osteomyelitis in your jaw, it can cause numbness in your lower lip. A dental infection, such as an abscess, can also cause lip numbness.
Many medical conditions can cause inflammation, which may cause swelling and a feeling of numbness in the lips, Wheat says.
Nutrient deficiencies
If you have low levels of certain vitamins or nutrients, it could cause numbness in your lips. With low levels of vitamin B12, for example, you might have a burning sensation in your lips or mouth or cheilitis, which is inflamed or chapped lips.
Iron deficiency anemia can also cause burning or numbness in your mouth.
Medication side effects
Medications can cause a wide range of side effects, and for some medications, this includes lip numbness. One example is losartan, a drug that treats high blood pressure. Its potential side effects include numbness in your lips, hands, or feet.
Talk to your doctor if you have numbness in your lips so they can figure out whether a medication side effect or something else is causing your lips to feel numb.
Anxiety
A common cause of lip numbness is anxiety, Wheat says. If you have a panic attack and hyperventilate, your lips may start to feel a sensation of numbness, she says.
When this happens, it’s called psychogenic oral paresthesia. Anxiety or depression can cause a tingling or burning feeling in your lip, tongue, or mouth.
What Conditions Cause Numb Lips?
Various medical conditions can cause numbness in your lips. Numbness, specifically in the lips, is more common in some conditions than others. For example, with some conditions, facial numbness may be a symptom, but numbness of only the lips is less common.
Oral allergy syndrome
Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) happens when you react to a plant-based food, such as a raw veggie, fresh fruit, nut, or a seed such as fennel or sunflower. Your lips might prickle or swell. OAS is rarely serious — it’s usually minor swelling or itching that goes away on its own after you stop eating the food.
You’re more likely to have OAS if you have an allergy to tree, grass, or weed pollen. The condition is sometimes called pollen-food allergy syndrome. It happens because the proteins in these foods appear similar to pollen proteins, so your body reacts to the food as if it’s an allergen.
Other possible symptoms
- Your tongue, throat, or roof of the mouth swells and itches.
- Your uvula (the “punching bag” of tissue that hangs in the back of your throat) bulges.
- Your throat tightens.
- A reaction usually happens within a few minutes after you’ve had contact with the food. It can go away quickly or linger for hours.
What to do
- Avoid trigger foods.
- Rinse traces of the food from your lips and mouth with water.
- Call 911 if you drool or find it hard to swallow.
Cold sores
A cold sore (fever blister) is a patch of blisters that form a crust on or near your lips. A strain of the herpes simplex virus causes them. You can get one if you kiss an infected person or share things such as forks, towels, and razors with them.
Before a cold sore forms, you might feel numbness, tinging, itching, or pain on or near your lips, where the cold sore will form. This goes away in a day or two, when the bumps begin to form.
Other symptoms
If it’s your first outbreak, you might also have:
- Fever
- Headache
- Sore throat or muscles
- Swollen lymph nodes
What to do
Cold sores generally clear up without treatment. See your doctor if:
- They come back often
- The symptoms are serious
- Your eyes get irritated
Hypoparathyroidism
This happens when your body doesn’t make enough parathyroid hormone. This chemical manages the calcium and phosphorus levels in your body. Wonky levels can make your lips feel numb, tingly, or burning.
It’s rare, but it can happen if your parathyroid glands have been damaged or removed or you have another disorder. You also can be born with glands that don’t work the way they should.
Other possible symptoms
- Burning feeling in your fingertips or toes
- Depression or anxiety
- Dry, rough skin or fragile nails
- Fatigue or weakness
- Hair loss
- Muscle aches, cramps, or twitches
- Painful menstrual periods
What to do
- See your doctor. This condition usually is treated with medications to raise the levels of certain minerals in your body. You may need to continue this medication for the rest of your life.
- You may need mineral supplements as well.
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
MS is a disease of the central nervous system. It scrambles info between your brain and body, which can cause strange or altered sensations. This can include a numb or prickly feeling in your face, including your lips. It can also affect your body, arms, and legs. The feeling can be one of the first signs of MS, and it’s among the most common.
Usually, numbness from MS affects other areas of the body, such as your extremities, Wheat says.
Other possible symptoms
- Bladder or bowel problems
- Blurry or wonky vision
- Dizziness or problems walking
- Stiff muscles
- Weakness or fatigue
What to do
When linked to MS, lip numbness and the pins-and-needles feeling usually come and go. In the meantime:
- Take care when you chew so you don’t bite yourself.
- If it’s serious, your doctor might prescribe corticosteroids.
Raynaud’s disease
Raynaud’s disease is also called a syndrome or phenomenon. It happens when blood vessels in your fingers and toes shrink when you’re cold, excited, or stressed. It can also affect blood vessels in your lips.
It’s normal for your body to send blood away from your hands and feet to keep your core warm when it’s very cold. But when you have Raynaud’s, this also happens at times when it’s just a little cold, such as when you hold a cold drink or are in an air-conditioned room. Your fingers, toes, lips, and nose can get tingly and numb and even turn ghostly pale.
The exact cause isn’t known. You’re more likely to have it if you live in a cold climate or are female, though. It usually starts before age 30. Raynaud’s can happen on its own, along with chemo treatment, or with another condition such as lupus or scleroderma, a connective tissue disease.
Other possible symptoms
- Skin color changes from white to blue to vivid red, when oxygenated blood rushes back
- Throbbing or a warm tingle when blood returns
What to do
Though certain drugs might help in extreme cases, most people are able to manage Raynaud’s on their own. The best ways are:
- Don’t smoke.
- Keep stress under control with calming practices such as yoga or meditation.
- Avoid sudden exposure to the cold.
Stroke
Stroke is a disease of the arteries in and leading to the brain. It happens when a blood vessel bursts or gets blocked by a clot. When the brain can’t get the blood and nutrients it needs, brain cells die. It can cause numbness in your mouth and face, especially on one side.
Although it can cause facial numbness, it’s not usually limited to the lips, Wheat says.
Other possible symptoms
- Dizziness and balance problems
- Face droops on one side
- Severe headache
- Slurred speech
- Vision problems
- Weakness on one side of your body
- Confusion
- A hard time walking
What to do
Call 911 and get to the hospital right away. Depending on what type of stroke you have, treatment might include:
- IV drug that dissolves the clot and helps blood flow
- Mechanical device that traps or breaks up the clot
- A small clip at the base of an aneurysm (a bulging, weak spot in a blood vessel)
- Surgery
What Are Some Treatment Options for Numb Lips?
The treatment you need for numb lips depends on what’s causing the numbness.
If the cause is some kind of allergy, “I would do my best to remove whatever that allergen is. Sometimes that’s antihistamine, sometimes it’s a little bit of steroids, treating the allergy,” Wheat says. If it’s an allergy to a new lotion or lip balm that you started using, stop using it right away, she says. That may be all the treatment you need.
If your lip numbness is caused by another condition or deficiency, treatment would involve treating that underlying condition, such as taking medication for hypoparathyroidism.
Typically, lip numbness on its own doesn’t need immediate medical attention. “Usually, if there’s other symptoms involved, I’m more worried. So, for example, if it’s an allergy and you’re continuing to swell, or [you’re] having difficulty breathing,” you should go to the ER, Wheat says.
“Similarly, if there’s numbness, but also part of the face muscles aren’t moving, then I’m more concerned about something more urgent,” she says.
If you’re unsure of the cause or what to do, ask your doctor. “Don’t feel bad about reaching out to the doctor. We are happy to help,” Wheat says.
Takeaways
Lip numbness can be caused by many things, from allergies to nerve damage. Your lips may feel numb, tingly, or swollen. Sometimes, other areas of your mouth or face may also feel numb. Usually, if you have lip numbness without other symptoms, it’s not a sign of a serious medical problem, but talk to your doctor to figure out what’s causing your lip numbness. The treatment may involve removing an allergen or treating an underlying medical condition.
Numb Lips FAQs
What deficiency causes numb lips?
Sometimes, low levels of vitamin B12 or iron can cause numb lips.
What cancers cause lip numbness?
Some types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and lung cancer, can cause numb chin syndrome, which is numbness in your chin and lower lip.
What does it mean if my tongue is tingling?
If your tongue is tingling, it may be due to many reasons, including oral allergy syndrome and multiple sclerosis.