The stages of recovery from lip filler treatment

Significant changes don’t happen overnight. In addition to being bruised and swollen, it is normal for filler to take several weeks to settle into position following an injectables treatment, and for the lips’ final shape to be revealed. In this article, we explain the various stages of lip filler recovery.

On the day of your filler treatment:

It’s normal to be nervous, and excited! Your treatment journey begins with a thorough consultation with your nurse. In most cases, a dental block is performed with local anaesthetic, to numb your mouth, making the treatment comfortable.

After the treatment is finished, your lips will be swollen and will most likely have bruising to some degree.

You might look in the mirror and feel shocked by the swelling, but trust the process. When you get home, you will place ice packs on your lips, avoid alcohol and physical activity.

Day one post treatment:

Your lips can be gently washed today and a colour and fragrance free lip gloss applied with a clean finger. You may have woken up more swollen and with a few new bruises on your lips. Lips swell and bruise because they are an incredibly vascular and sensitive part of the body. Continue to use the ice pack as required. Your lips might also feel tender.

Most of the obvious swelling will go down in the first 3-5 days, while bruising in the lips normally fades by the 7th day. Bruising can be covered  up by concealer and lipstick in most cases.

We send patients a message prior to their treatment recommending that they check their diary to make sure their filler is not booked right before any commitment or event that they might feel uncomfortable attending with swelling or bruising.

Day five post treatment:

By now most of the bruises are fading and the bulk of the swelling has come down.  Your lips will feel a little stiff, firm in some areas and you will feel lumps. At this stage of the healing journey, many patients are concerned something has gone wrong, however, this is a very normal part of the lip filler journey. Once the initial swelling has subsided, it takes anywhere from two to four weeks for filler to assimilate with the lip tissue; softening and molding to the body of the lip whilst drawing hydration to the area and plumping. If asymmetry has been improved, and more treatment done to one section of your lips, this area may be more prominent during the healing journey but will settle with time.

Two weeks post treatment:

Around this time you will have a review appointment with your clinician. Firm areas, stiff sections of the lips and small lumps/bumps are, where appropriate, massaged by your clinician. Your clinician might also indicate that this is the right time to start daily massage at home. If this applies to you, your clinician will educate you on how to massage your lips to encourage the filler to settle.

Between two to four weeks after treatment, you will notice the firmness softening. The lips are hydrated, the new shape is starting to show, and they don’t feel as unusual as they first did.  If you still feel some lumps or firmness, that’s okay – it can take longer for filler to settle in some people’s bodies. Everyone’s healing process varies.

Four weeks post treatment:

Your filler has settled and firm areas or lumps/bumps have resolved. If you intend to have further treatment – either to further augment your lips or on another area – now is the time this can occur. It is important to remember that to achieve desired results, often, more than one session of lip filler will be needed to restructure the lips and build volume. Our clinicians create a treatment plan outlining the expected number of sessions needed to achieve the desired results. Occasionally filler can take more than 4 weeks to settle, sometimes up to two months depending on the type of filler, depth and any external factors such as having a virus or head cold in the weeks following filler, which impacts the body’s immune and healing response. Everyone’s anatomy, journey and results are different, so if you have concerns or questions during this period, contact your clinician. Our clinicians specialise in tailored, holistic treatments, so they are there to guide and care for you throughout the entire process.

To book a consultation and find out if this treatment is right for you, call 3202 4744.