In this 21st century, People have become very much self-conscious about their get-up, their body features, and appearance. In order to uplift their appearance, they never mind going under scissors a thousand times.
And so different surgical procedures and cosmetics products are in high demand. This has increased exponentially and it’s not only limited to gum contouring or teeth whitening but also now people are interested in having puffed lips and fresh faces without wrinkles.
Millions of plastic surgeries are being done every day around the world. One of the most famous cosmetic procedures is lip fillers or called dermal fillers. This is also called lip augmentation.
There are several benefits of lip fillers, such as
- Saying goodbyes to aging
- An alternative approach to lip implants
- Natural result without side effects
Swelling is a very important part of lip filler. You should know the stages of swelling before taking the filling injection. You must know that swelling is an integral part and it actually adds more glance to your filled lip.
Swelling After Lip Fillers – Is It Normal?
Before taking any decision on lip filling, you should know that your body will definitely react to something new. Swelling after lip fillers is a desirable condition. This is not something to worry about; rather it will actually bring out the real side of lip filling by making the lips plump and puffy. There are several stages and it is normal to have swelling. It will stay two weeks or more and will start reducing by itself. but if it passes 14 days and gets worse then you should meet your doctor soon.
Lip Filler Swelling Stage or Timeline?
or Lip Filler Welling Stages in Days?
Swelling after lip filling is a common condition that has 3 or more stages. Around your lips, Considerable swelling may be seen on the first or second day. And then you might experience bruises over the lips.
This actually forms your lips in a plumper and fluffy way. On the first day, you will see the subside of any swelling. Pain will be gone by day 2 along with primary swelling caused by the injections. On the 4th day, you may expect fresh lips without any swelling around. Pain and tenderness will be subsidized by the fluffiness of your lips.
#Lip Filler Swelling Day 2
The worst of the swelling will be in the first 48 hours and often after this time, it may start to reduce over the next few days. On day 2, inflammation can be expected. inflammation occurs and gets gradually improved. Bruises and lumps may occur at this stage. Inflammation will get reduced naturally and your lips will get better. Pain comes along with inflammation. You can handle it after asking your doctor. Don’t get tensed and take proper rest.
#Lip Filler Swelling Day 3
Swelling day 3 is a relief day for the patient as she can notice improvement. The upper lip may have less projection. Talking and eating become comfortable on day 3. But you need to also notice that your lips are still tender to be touched. But if you feel uncomfortable and you want advice then just contact your doctor.
#1 Week Lip Filler Swelling Stages
Swelling usually disappears after 7 days of lip filling. you will feel less burden on the lips. After one week, the final outcome will start coming out. Though swelling remains for more than 14 days, after week one, you will feel better and there will be a considerable amount of swelling around the lips. You will look absolutely fine and can just start taking pictures.
#Lip Filler Swelling After 2 Weeks
After two weeks, our lips will settle down. you will start seeing your desired look. Swelling will be little in amount and you will look okay. Inflammation and pain will go but if rare things happen then you will suffer from severe inflammation. Lips can be a little asymmetrical but soon that will be solved too.
4 Reasons for Swelling After Lip Fillers
1. Natural body reaction
Swelling is natural and it is a very natural body reaction to the treatment you are having. Swelling may start from day one after the injection on the lips. Swelling happens because of the pressure, and treatment the lips went through. Some may experience less swelling and some will be more prone to it.
2. Injection Quality
Swelling depends on the quality of the injections too. You cannot avoid the fact that often sterilized injections are not used for lip filling. If that happens in your case, then you will face swelling more than normal. Often low budget injections are used which may not perform well and cause swelling around your lips. It totally depends on the place you go for lip filling.
3. Anti-Swell Measures
Anti-swell measures can be taken if you already know that you are prone to swelling. You will definitely experience inflammation but if anti-measures can be taken then it will help you to lessen the chance. Your doctor will give you the best advice. Take proper measures but under a doctor’s guidance.
4. Inflammation Leads to Swelling
The filler that is injected into your lips contains hyaluronic acid. It binds with your skin’s natural water supply. It causes temporary puffed-up lips and swelling until the body gets into its previous natural balance. Swelling may last only for one or two days until the inflammation gets reduced.
Lip Filler Side Effects?
Each of your facial organs is sensitive and lip filling is a serious injectification to bubble up your lips. Every procedure may or may not have side effects but mostly the side effects occur within a couple of hours, days, or weeks. These side effects may disappear within a short period but may arise in weeks, months, or years later.
Side effects that may occur, such as
- Bruising around the lips
- Itching
- Swelling
- Redness and tenderness at the site of the injection.
- Reactivation of cold sores or fever blisters (herpes simplex)
- Bleeding from the injection site
- Rash/ Redness
If things get severe then some more side effects can be seen, such as
- 10 days of prolonged bruising or swelling
- Asymmetrical lips
- Infection
- Blood vessel infection causing tissue loss
- Severe allergic reaction
- Lumps in the lips
- Irregularities in the lips
- Ulceration
- Scarring
- Stiffening
21 Best Ways to Reduce Swelling after Lip Fillers
As a doctor, the common question I have to face is “how to reduce swelling after lip fillers?” and what is the treatment of swelling? Yes, let’s see the 21 ways to reduce swelling after lip fillers:
1. Apply Ice
Nothing works like Ice when it comes to reducing any swelling, bruises, or itching. It eases the pain and restricts the blood flow. So, you need to apply ice immediately after the injection. Do continue that for the next 48 hours. Now how should you do it? put the ice in a towel and wrap it so that the cold surface doesn’t touch the lips directly and you can tolerate the coldness. If that hurts, you still even after wrapping with a cloth then just soak cotton cloth or cotton ball and apply it on your lips gently. You can do it for several days taking a time limit of 20 minutes or so.
2. Drink Water
Keeping yourself hydrated is a very important thing in this condition. Swelling is a condition caused by the storing of fluids. If you keep your body hydrated, then it will mobilize fluids and let them flow naturally. You need to push their flow by drinking water frequently, it will also help in healing your body.
3. Keep the Area Very Clean
Wherever you go under any surgery or get yourself injected, it is always advised by your doctor to keep the place clean. so you go for lip fillings, after doing it you need to keep that area clean and dry. Keeping that area clean will stop the germs from attacking a weak spot. Keeping your pillowcases clean or changing them before bed is a necessity. Also, wash your hands before touching them. Try to avoid using old ChapStick or lipstick that may infect your lips.
4. Avoid Routine Dental Work Two Weeks After Lip Injections
You should avoid any routine or often dental work for two at least two weeks to keep the bacteria away. bacteria can invade your bloodstream at any time. It increases the developing nodules in your injected lips. You should follow some restrictions to get well soon.
5. Elevate Your Head
Now, this can be a little confusing to you if your doctor asked to elevate your head while lying down in the bed. Think of an ankle sprain, often docs ask you to elevate your foot, right? Just like that, you need to elevate your head so that fluid flows all over the body. The fluids will drain away and will help in reducing swelling.
6. Take a Pill
Get all the information about the painkiller from your injector. It is noticed that antihistamine pills may reduce swelling and OTC Tylenol may help to control post-procedure pain. Most doctors say that it is normal and you can take a pain reliever if you are unable to tolerate it.
7. Be Patient
You need to be patient to get your desired result. There will be pain, and swelling for days, and you will have to maintain certain things. The most important thing is your patience will make you relaxed. When you are relaxed, you will recover soon. Try to avoid workload and take your own time to heal.
8. Use an Herbal Remedy
If you want to search for any herbal remedies all by yourself then you can just google this thing and you will find out hundreds of remedies like coconut oil use with hazel, tree tea oil, aloe Vera, black tea bags, and what not. This may or may not help you to recover soon. Sometimes this helps, but mostly using this organic product worsens the lip area. You should stay away from types of advice and ask your injector to help you out.
9. Skip the Gym
Many of you are gym freaks and don’t want to miss out for any reason. But avoiding the gym for several days is a good decision because when you exercise, your body will sweat, and sweating around the lips may cause problems. Also, working out makes the body dehydrated and you cannot be dehydrated for a second after lip filling. That will dry out the lips and problems will arise.
10. Eat and Drink Healthy
Eating and drinking healthy will make you feel healthy soon. try to avoid all the junk foods, alcohol, and all the unhealthy stuff that makes the body suffer. Try to avoid high sodium foods because that worsens the swelling around the lips. Eat a lot of fruits and drink fresh water, juice, etc.
11. What to Avoid During Lip Filler Aftercare
There are multiple things that you have to avoid to take care of your lips after injectifying them. Let’s discuss what to avoid during lip filler aftercare.
12. DON’T Engage in Strenuous Exercise
People are really conscious nowadays, they don’t want to miss exercise for one single day. but after lip filling injection, you need to keep yourself away from the strenuous exercise. If you work hard, you will obviously sweat a lot. Sweating around your lips is not good. If sweat comes into your needle area, then It may cause bacteria to attack around it. Also, overworking out will dehydrate your body. You cannot let that happen even if it is for a short time workout.
13. DON’T Fly
Most patients are asked to wait for one or two weeks before hopping onto the plane. This is advised because different atmospheric pressures may cause the reaction to the filler. Lip filler can be worked only when it gets enough water in the body. So, if it gets altered pressure, your body might react in an undesirable way. Also, the air in the plane has a lot of humidity and that can make you dehydrated.
14. DON’T Wear Lipstick
Generally, lips become tender after the filling injection. Applying anything during the tenderness may cause reaction issues. Avoiding using lipstick or other balms would be the best. If you are a lipstick lover and want to put some on your lips, then don’t use the old one. Buy a new one and gently apply it to your lips. If you want more perfection, then just go for products containing SPF.
15. ON’T Drink Alcohol
Alcohol causes inflammation and bruising because it dilates blood vessels. So you should avoid drinking after getting your lips done. If you avoid it, it will prevent swelling. You should stop drinking long before starting the treatment. Alcohol is always injurious to health and when you are under some treatment, drinking may not be an idle thing to do.
16. DON’T Kiss
You cannot kiss after lip fillers. After lip fillers, your body and lips need proper rest to heal as soon as possible. Hard kissing may cause pain and a lot of pressure on your tender lips. It may also cause bacterial attacks around your lip area. Try to avoid kissing for at least 48 hours for the betterment of your lips. It will also help in reducing swelling.
17. DON’T Massage the Area
Your doctor or the lip filler practitioner may apply deep pressure on your injected area to settle it down or to find out if there is any lump or asymmetry. But don’t you dare to do this at home without any prior knowledge? This may result in severe swelling and you may not get the desired result you wanted. Also, you may touch it without cleaning your hand properly which may cause an infection around your lip area.
18. DON’T Drink Through a Straw
Using a straw just after lip fillers may cause more pressure on your lips and also it will exacerbate the swelling. Try to avoid drinking with a straw as your tender lips will not be able to take the pressure. also, the straw may cause a bacterial attack. you need to avoid it for at least 48 hours.
19. DON’T Get Hot
Try to avoid high temperatures in the next 48 hours after you get your lip filler treatment. Avoid going for hot yoga, steam bath, saunas, or hot showers for at least 2 days. Otherwise, your swelling may get prolonged. Also, these hot baths or hot water may dry your lip area which is not good for freshly injected lips. You need to use lukewarm water until you see reduced swelling.
20. DON’T Take Natural Remedies
If you want to search for any herbal remedies all by yourself then you can just google these things and you will find out hundreds of remedies like coconut oil used with hazel, tree tea oil, aloe Vera, black tea bags, and what not. This may or may not help you to recover soon. Sometimes this helps, but mostly using this organic product worsens the lip area. You should stay away from types of advice and ask your injector to help you out.
21. DON’T Sleep on the Injection Site
After lip fillers, you need to change your lying position for a couple of days. If you are a belly sleeper, then you need to come out of your comfort zone and try to muster the willpower to stay flat. By staying flat on your back, you can help yourself in reducing the swelling. Sleeping on your face may add more fuel to swelling.
10 Lip filler Aftercare Tips
Lip filler needs some aftercare and rest after coming back from the doctor. proper rest will help in quick healing. Some aftercare tips are:
- Avoid heavy exercise for at least 24 hours.
- Try to avoid sweltering
- Use Ice packs right after coming back home
- Avoid excessive salt
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid sweltering
- keep eating foods that are easy to chew
- avoid kissing or massaging your lips for up to 24/48 hours
- Don’t use an exfoliating agent or hard brush
- Be gentle with your skin
How long does swelling last after lip injections or fillers?
or How much swelling is normal after lip fillers?
Swelling lasts for at least 7-8 days which is pretty much normal. It is severe on day one, from day one and onwards, it starts to get better and patients can have a look at their newly filled lips. It is rare that swelling happens sometimes after a long period of time. Swelling and bruising may get serious if one has an allergic issue. Except for All these, swelling lasts for 3 to 4 days, more precisely 10-14 days sometimes.
How to hide lip injection swelling?
or How to hide any swelling?
If you want to hide your lip injection swelling, you can follow the tips:
- Apply Ice as soon as possible after injectifying your lips. It will restrict the blood flow. Just put an ice cube in a plastic bag or a towel and use it around your lips gently.
- Lipsticks can be a great medium to hide your swelling. If you want to choose any lipstick after lip filler, then choose dark ones which give dark coverage. You need to know if it has allergic effects or not. Bring your shade to your doctor’s clinic so that they can check the product before applying it. Choose the colors which will not reveal your skin.
- Drink a lot of fluids. your body needs proper hydration to keep the swelling away from single places on your skin.
- Exercise may increase your heartbeat and so avoid that.
- Avoid medication like anti-inflammatory medicines or blood thinners for around 7 days before taking the injection. It will decrease the risk of bruising and bleeding. Do this under proper guidance of your physician.
- To minimize bruising and swelling, you can have natural supplements like arnica and bromelain. Also topical arnica gel can be used to reduce swelling.
Swelling a few months after filler treatment
Late-onset inflammatory response to hyaluronic acid. This rarely occurs due to hyaluronic acid. Sometimes it occurs four or five months later. but if you are unlucky then it may catch you 14 months after your lip filling. But you do not need to worry. This inflammation or swelling is treatable using oral steroids.
#Lip filler lumps
incorrect techniques, inexperienced practitioners, or incorrect products may cause these problems. lumps can be settled down or removed by gently massaging the area. Though this may happen for a while and most the patients face this still your case can be different due to an allergic reaction on the face.
#Edema
Lumps happen to almost everyone. Generally, an excessive amount of fluid in and around the cells and is a minor complication that may be reduced through gentle massage around it. 10-15% of patients face this swelling.
What does the Lip filler cost?
As lip filler is a famous treatment around the world, the cost ranges up and down depending on the types of filler you want. generally, the cost is between 400-2000 dollars. you may need to pay 500-600 dollars per syringe. Sometimes you may have to take multiple syringes for the desired look you want.
Lip injections before and after
Lip injections are a way to get your desired look or lip. You may have asymmetrical aspects of lips, or something uneven and less fulfilled. if you want to change it, then you can go through lip filler injections. This will help you out by doing the following things:
- Asymmetrical lip shapes get an even shape.
- Natural fullness around the lips
- surrounds the mouth area and reduces the fine lines on your lips.
- It has full-time and temporary results.
Intense Bruising or Swelling, When to see a doctor?
Though swelling and bruising are normal and it does not hurt generally but if it stays longer than one week and becomes severe then you must see your doctor. Sometimes allergies or rashes occur in some patients due to long-hold physical allergies. This needs medical attention and proper treatment.
#Vascular occlusion
Vascular Occlusion happens when you are injected into any of your artery areas and blood flow stops around it. Tissues and skins around start to die because of inadequate blood supply. Now how can you identify that you are suffering from vascular occlusion? you need to check whether you have severe pain, changes in skin color, or there are white spots or blotches on your skin. Pain can be noticeable after a while because you will have an anesthetic hangover. Once you start feeling it and realize other problems, you should wait for a second and rush to your doctor.
#Lumps
Lumps can be caused anytime soon you get injected. It happens because of hyaluronic acid filler. If you go to the medication specialist, they will provide you with hyaluronidase which will dissolve the lumping. Also, many lumps can just go away with time and a good massage. If inflammation causes lumps, then corticosteroid injection can treat them. it can be surgically treated if not gone naturally.
#Cold sores
Herpes simplex may break out if you are prone to it. if you are getting dermal fillers, it may have an outbreak requiring antiviral treatment. Your doctor will ask you these before going for dermal fillers. You need to know that you can have herpes breakout if happened earlier.
Uneven swelling after lip fillers – What to do?
As swelling is normal after lip fillers, it may cause your lips to look a little uneven for a short while. it is not serious and also it will settle down soon after the swelling subsides. The product needs to settle down by massaging. massage may prevent uneven distribution and ensure a better balance of the lip shapes, its projection, and proportions. Ensure good massaging by your professionals and avoid strong pressure around your filled lips.
Bruising after treatment – What to do?
Bruising is very common in lip fillers. it may happen to 19-24% women who decide to injectify their lips. it may stay for one or two weeks. you may take some steps to keep the bruising minimum. Such as you should avoid alcohol, straw, gym, lying on the face, heavy foods, kissing or many more things.
All Types of Q/A on Swelling after Lip Fillers
Are lip fillers painful?
No, Lip fillers are not painful. The procedure becomes pain-free when numbing cream is applied to the lip sites. It is done prior to the injection procedure and it actually reduces your hurtful feelings. You can always talk to your doctor if you have doubts.
Should You Exercise After Lip Fillers?
People are really conscious nowadays, they don’t want to miss exercise for one single day. but after lip filling injection, you need to keep yourself away from the strenuous exercise. If you work hard, you will obviously sweat a lot. Sweating around your lips is not good. If sweat comes into your needle area, then It may cause bacteria to attack around it. Also, overworking out will dehydrate your body. You cannot let that happen even if it is for a short time workout.
Can you kiss after Lip Filler?
You cannot kiss after lip fillers. After lip fillers, your body and lips need proper rest to heal as soon as possible. Hard kissing may cause pain and a lot of pressure on your tender lips. It may also cause bacterial attacks around your lip area. Try to avoid kissing for at least 48 hours for the betterment of your lips. It will also help in reducing swelling.
Can you Wear Makeup after Lip Filler?
There are no such restrictions but it would be useful for your lips to stay away from makeup products. The area remains soft and tender and so applying anything around it may cause problems for it.
Do lip injections damage lips?
No, lip injections do not damage lips if they are used professionally. The injection contains hyaluronic acid which naturally absorbs back into the body and leaves no side effects.
Natural lip fillers – Is it possible?
Restylane lip fillers are the first one approved by the FDA which is declared as natural, smoother lips. There is also Juvederm. Both are used and declared as a natural one. These lip fillers generally stay for 12-14 months.
Can I wear lipstick after lip fillers?
Generally, lips become tender after the filling injection. Applying anything during the tenderness may cause reaction issues. Avoiding using lipstick or other balms would be the best. If you are a lipstick lover and want to put some on your lips, then don’t use the old one. Buy a new one and gently apply it to your lips. If you want more perfection, then just go for products containing SPF.
How long does vollure last in the lips?
Juvederm Vollure lasts for at least 18 months. It is very appealing to those who want to fill it and forget it.
Does Benadryl help swelling from lip injections?
Yes, Benadryl helps in swelling from lip infections.
What is the best filler for lips?
Juvederm Volbella, restylane refyne and Juvederm ultra, and defyne Ulta are the best fillers for your lips.