Your provider gives you their own aftercare instructions, and those are the ones to follow. This note is for the part before and around them: what is common after lip filler, what is not, and what to ask so that you leave the appointment knowing exactly who to call and when.
Lip Filler NYC is a free referral service. We are not a medical provider, clinic or med spa, and we do not perform procedures or employ any providers. Nothing on this site is medical advice.
Plan the timing before you book
Aftercare starts with the calendar. Because bruising and swelling are common, it is worth not booking right before a wedding, a photo shoot or an important meeting. Tell the provider about anything coming up in the next two weeks and ask how they would plan around it. If you get cold sores, say so at the consultation, so the provider can decide with you whether to wait or take other steps first.
Before you leave the chair
Cleveland Clinic describes up to 15 minutes of monitoring after the injections. Use that time. Ask for the aftercare plan in writing, a way to reach the provider after hours, and the date of your check-in, which is often about two weeks later.
- What should I avoid today, and for how long: exercise, heat, alcohol, makeup, pressing on my lips?
- Can I use a cold pack, and how?
- What can I take if my lips are sore?
- Which signs mean I call you straight away, and which mean I go to an emergency room?
- When is my check-in?
The first day or two
Expect your lips to look and feel different from the result you will end up with. Bruises, redness, swelling, soreness, tenderness, itch and rash are all on the FDA’s list of common filler effects. Swelling can make the lips look fuller, and sometimes uneven, until it settles.
This is the stage where many people panic about the size or shape. Unless you see a warning sign from the list below, it is usually too early to judge, and too early to think about dissolving anything.
The first week
In the clinical study the FDA reviewed for Restylane® Kysse, a Galderma lip product, reactions at the injection site such as bruising, redness, itching, swelling, pain, lumps and tenderness generally went away on their own within one week. Lumps typically settled in less than 30 days. (Restylane® is a registered trademark of Galderma.) Your own course may differ; your provider will tell you what they expect.
Lip filler can also bring back a cold sore in people who get them, Cleveland Clinic notes. If one appears, tell your provider rather than treating it on your own.
Warning signs: get care at once
Of all filler risks, the FDA puts gel accidentally entering a blood vessel first. The blocked flow can kill tissue, harm eyesight up to blindness, or cause a stroke. Seek care right away, the FDA advises, if you notice:
- Unusual pain, especially pain that is out of proportion to what you were told to expect.
- Skin near the treated area turning white or blue.
- Any change in your vision.
- Any sign of a stroke.
Do not wait
Call the provider who treated you straight away, and call 911 if you cannot reach them or symptoms are severe. A provider who injects hyaluronic acid filler should keep hyaluronidase on hand for exactly this.
Weeks and months later
The FDA notes that some filler side effects can appear weeks, months or even years after treatment, including lumps or nodules. Once Restylane Kysse was on sale, reports sent to the FDA included swelling that appeared one to three months after treatment. If something changes in your lips long after the appointment, contact the provider who treated you and tell them which product was used.
The two-week check-in
By the check-in the swelling has usually gone down and you and the provider can see the settled result. This is the moment to raise anything you are unhappy with: a side that looks different, a lump, or a feeling that it is too much or too little. Small changes may be possible; if filler has moved or feels wrong, the conversation may turn to dissolving lip filler.
It is also the right time to ask how long the provider expects your result to last. Our page on how long lip filler lasts sets out what the FDA clinical studies measured.
Aftercare is part of the price
When you compare providers, ask whether the check-in and any small adjustment are included in the fee. A low quote without follow-up may not be the lower cost in the end. Our guide to lip filler cost in NYC lists the questions that make quotes comparable, and if you are still choosing someone, start with choosing an injector in Manhattan.
This site gives general information, not medical advice. Whether lip filler is right for you is for a licensed provider who has examined you to say. In an emergency, call 911.
Before you book, look up the injector’s licence on the NYSED Office of the Professions verification search.
Questions people ask
How long does swelling last after lip filler?
In the FDA-reviewed study for one lip product, injection-site reactions such as swelling generally went away within a week. Ask your provider what is likely in your case.
When should I worry after lip filler?
Get care at once for unusual pain, skin turning white or blue, vision changes or signs of a stroke. Call your provider, or 911 if symptoms are severe.
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