What causes the face and hands to swell?
A- Again, there are many factors that determine this. The primary cause is usually water retention due to kidney failure. There are many times that you may go to calling hours and notice this, but unless you were a close family member, at the decedents side at death, you really don’t know whether that swelling was apparent before death or not. Another cause may have been due to a blood clot in one of the facial arteries or veins. Embalming makes use of the circulatory system, and if there is a blockage, then the chemicals that are being injected cannot flow smoothly…usually a good funeral director can notice this before it gets out of hand, and work other ways around this to prevent swelling. A third factor to consider is interaction of certain medications. Cancer patients are usually given these types of medications, and one of the side effects is what is commonly called “moon face”. The face of the patient swells and “rounds out”. This effect is hardly ever removed by embalming. A
