Face has been swollen for years

[Someguy10]

I am a 22 year old male. My cheeks are very swollen, and have been since I was probably about 16 or so. The left side a little more than the right. It has gotten to the point where it is unbearable. I can constatly feel an intense pressure in my cheeks and I bite the inside of my mouth everytime I eat because it is so swollen. I have been trying to figure out what is causing this for years, but have had no luck. I have seen a few doctors - dermatologists, general pracs, plastic surgeons, and no one seems to know what it is or really care either way. Here are some things I DO know, or have concluded:
1. This is not genetic, and before 16 my face was always very thin. No one in my family has a swollen face either.
2. It swells even more when i lay down, when i eat, when i drink anything hot, when I sleep, when I drink alcohol, when I eat anything spicy, when a storm blows in (in fact, all it has to do is get cloudy outside and the swelling increases), and esp when i feel allergic to something.
3. I have been diagnosed with Rosacea, but to my knowlege it doesnt cause this much CONSTANT swelling (think chipmunk cheeks 24/7 for 6 years)
4. allergy shots have not helped it. I am allergic to just about everything though, but have been taking allergy shots for almost 3 years, and while my allergies have gotten much better, the swelling has not.

So given the above info, has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Does anyone know what could possibly be causing it? I need to get it figured out soon because it is literally driving me almost insane at this point. Thanks in advance.

[laaz]

I would bet you have mixed rhinitis which is allergic rhinitis along with vasomotor rhinitis. or as the doctors call it now is nonallergic rhinitis. Weather changes, and everything else that you mentioned along with perfume smells, chemical cleaners, laundry dryer sheets, things with strong scents, diesel fumes, gasoline and the list goes on. I too have the swelling of the cheeks, undereyes, sides of nose - on the outside of the nose as well as inside. Please mention this to your allergist or an ent doctor,  There is no much the doctors can do for nonallergic rhinitis.  I have had this for over 6 years and my face is getting more swollen as each month or year goes by.  I look 10-15 yrs. older than what I am and it use to be that I looked younger than what I was. I also have nasal congestion, constant 24/7 post nasal drainage.  Most days I wish I was dead, can't stand the thought of living like this the rest of my life. Sorry if I'm depressing you  but if a person does not have the symptoms or illness they can not understand - they have to live in our shoes for them to totally understand.

[National Jewish Health]

What you describe is most commonly seen with obesity.  The obesity need not be marked, but just modestly overweight.  In some overweight individuals, fat distribution in the face develops out of proportion to fat accumulation elsewhere in the body.  This is an individual thing and there is not a good explanation for it.  In this situation it is not uncommon for a modest weight loss to be accompanied by a marked reduction in facial swelling.

Some individuals, with modest facial swelling, can become obsessed with it, to the extent that they believe the swelling to be much greater than do neutral observers.  Please do not quickly dismiss this as a possibility.

Another possibility, rather rare, would be a blockage of venous drainage from the face; for whatever reason the problem is obstruction of the jugular veins.  Such impairments of the circulation are best diagnosed by MRI, rather than by CT scans.

[Someguy10]

also i have no constant nasal congestion, and no real allergy problems at all. I used to back when I was 16...couldnt breathe all day. But since I have been on shots for so long most of my normal allergy symptoms are gone.

[Someguy10]

Thanks for the reply. I dont have any sensitivity to smells though, ill look up vasomotor rhinitis and see if i fit the bill. I only have the swelling in my cheeks too, no where else on my face swells. And it is swollen alll dat, but sometimes it swells more than others.