Sure, we’ve all been bloated and puffy from one too many margaritas. But if your face, fingers, legs, or arms are puffed up more often than not, it may be a sign of something bigger going on in your body. In some cases, the swelling (called edema) is caused by tiny blood vessels leaking fluid into the surrounding tissue, which makes that body area swell up like a birthday balloon. Edema can be caused from things as simple as just sitting at your oh-so-lovely cubicle too long, but it can also indicate things like congestive heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, or lung, liver, kidney and thyroid diseases—needless to say, it’s worth checking out with your doctor if you have any symptoms.
