How to Care for Your Lips After Getting Fillers

With the cosmetic industry constantly offering new products and treatments, beauty trends and ideas are ever-changing. One trend that hasn’t gone out of style, however, is full and voluminous lips. In fact, more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon of getting lip fillers to achieve this certain facial aesthetic.

However, it’s important to take care of your lips in order to maintain the results you’re looking for. Read on for tips on how to prepare for lip injections as well as any important lip filler aftercare instructions. Let’s get started!

How to Prepare for Lip Fillers

Generally, getting lip fillers is not very painful. The extent of pain and discomfort varies from one person to another. It really depends on your pain tolerance level. However, the discomfort is quite manageable, especially if you follow the directions from the specialists.

For any type of cosmetic procedure, preparation is vital. There is not much that you’re required to do in preparation for lip fillers. The best means by which you can prepare is by staying hydrated. Drinking a few glasses of water in the hour leading up to your lip filler procedure. It isn’t a common occurrence, but some patients tend to feel faint during the application of lip fillers, so drinking up on water would help prevent this. Make sure to eat up before your treatment as well, as this could prevent faintness too.

Another important thing to note is that you’ll need to show up to your appointment without any makeup on, especially lipstick.

Finally, if you suffer from cold sores, you’ll need to let your injector know in advance. If this is the case, you will likely need to apply antiviral lip cream in the days leading up to the procedure and the days after it as well. The antiviral cream helps intercept the potential viral infection that causes cold sores.

Things that you should avoid before getting your lip fillers are medications that tend to increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. This includes painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen and supplements like fish oil. Steer clear of these for at least 3 to 5 days before the treatment. In contrast, if you are on doctor-prescribed blood thinners, it is advised to continue taking them. In such instances, it would not be recommended to undergo lip filler procedures.

Furthermore, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it would be a safer decision to postpone your lip filler treatments. This is because there is no solid medical evidence that states whether fillers are safe or dangerous to a child’s health.

In addition, your lips will definitely be swollen for a few days after the procedure. In some instances, the swelling can be severe enough for people to want to stay indoors for the time being. Make sure you don’t have any important events coming up within the next few weeks. You don’t want to be the one who shows up to your own wedding with swollen lips. It is highly recommended to keep your schedule clear until the swelling subsides entirely.

Lip Filler Aftercare

Once you’re done with your lip fillers, you may notice initial bruising and swelling. Within the first few hours, your lips will most likely still feel numb due to the anesthesia.

Follow the quick tips below to ensure that the entire process of your lip filler journey is safe and beautiful.

Do Not Touch Your Lips

Your lips will tend to feel quite tender and sore, but it is important to remember that you should refrain from touching them in order to avoid getting an infection.

Avoid Alcohol

You may be advised to avoid alcoholic beverages for at least 24 hours post-procedure.

Avoid Eating for a Few Hours

This is why it’s important to grab a bite to eat before heading to your lip filler appointment. You should avoid eating or drinking anything until the numbness of the anesthetic cream wears off. Keep in mind that the fillers themselves are also incorporated with local anesthetic, so it will take some time before you regain complete feeling in your lips. You don’t want to end up burning or biting your lips.

Use an Ice Compress

Once you regain sensation in your lips, you may feel discomfort to a certain extent. Try not to scratch or massage your lips, as this could lead to an infection. Since the lips are rich in blood and nerve supply, they tend to be susceptible to swelling.

To alleviate the soreness and swelling, apply some ice onto your lips. It truly works wonders. In the event that ice isn’t enough to manage the swelling, there are certain creams that can take the edge off the discomfort. Arnica cream, in particular, is effective for reducing the appearance of bruising.

Although very rare, some people’s lips swell to the point that they look like they were stung by a bee. In such cases, an over the counter antihistamine tablet or paracetamol should do the trick.

Take Care When Sleeping

Most doctors would recommend sleeping with a few pillows under your head, above the level of your heart. By elevating your head, excess fluid drains away from your lips, consequently diminishing the swelling.

Move Your Lips

Regardless of the fact that it may feel uncomfortable, it’s absolutely okay to move your lips and talk as much as you’d like.

Avoid Exercise

Take it easy for 24 hours. This is a perfect excuse and opportunity to take a break from your daily jog in the park or your 10 mile run on the treadmill.

Postpone Flying

If you’ve got that vacation to your dream destination planned in the near future, you may want to consider rescheduling. To play it safe, most specialists strongly suggest avoiding flying for up to two weeks. The changes in air pressure could cause adverse effects on your newly modified lips.

Avoid Any Kinds of Laser Treatments

Just like with flying, it is recommended to refrain from undergoing any facial laser treatments for two weeks. The heat emitted from the lasers could break down the fillers and dissolve them faster than they usually would otherwise.

What Your Salt Intake

Eating large amounts of food that is high in salt content can easily cause dehydration to your lips. It would be best to abstain from delving into that bag of potato chips or salted popcorn for at least 24 hours.

Avoid Spicy Foods

Those spicy tacos are going to have to wait for two weeks or so because consuming them now could have adverse effects on your lips.

Smoking

Specialists highly advise that people who just had their lips filled refrain from smoking. Moreover, it is important to avoid contact with second-hand smoke as well.

Hydration

Drink plenty of water. It’s a simple yet extremely effective manner to keep your body hydrated while flushing out toxins.

Health is Wealth

Focus on consuming all healthy food. In cases like this, fruit and vegetables are the way to go. The vitamins and minerals present in healthy food aid in speeding up the healing process exponentially.

Temperature Considerations

Excessively hot temperatures can aggravate your lips. Keep yourself safe from hot temperatures for 24 to 48 hours after your lip filler procedure.

Your Lip Filler Results

Other cosmetic procedures may take anywhere between two days to two weeks to exhibit visible results. With lip fillers, however, you will see results instantly. You will definitely notice immediate changes in volume and texture.

Take note that there may be slight asymmetry in the first few hours. In case this happens, don’t fret! This is usually due to the lips swelling or bruising in one area more than the other. Another great advantage of lip fillers is that it doesn’t merely render instant plumping effects; the fillers also attract water. They attract water molecules, which expands the tissue further.

In a nutshell, carefully following our simple lip filler recovery tips listed above will ensure that your newly filled lips feel healthy and comfortable, and look absolutely natural and beautiful.

Get the Lips You’ve Always Dreamed Of

If you’re looking to achieve natural-looking plump lips, look no further than McLean Clinic in Mississauga! We can help you achieve the desired aesthetics you’ve always wanted with our non-surgical lip enhancement treatments. Contact us today.