Edge of lips hard after filler

Dermal lip fillers are a great, easy way to enhance your natural lips’ shape and eliminate signs of aging like fine lines and creases around the upper lip and mouth — all without plastic surgery!

Lip fillers are an FDA-approved lip enhancement product that has been used for multiple decades. They work by enhancing lip hydration and locking in moisture in the lips. Lip fillers have also been shown to increase the body’s production of collagen, resulting in more youthful, plump lips.

If it is your first time getting an injectable treatment, you may have many questions about the aftercare and healing process. Lip filler may cause the treatment area to feel swollen, hard, or lumpy at first, but this is all part of the healing process, and the fillers will soften and settle over time. Keep reading to learn more about what to expect in the days after getting lip fillers.

Are Lip Fillers Supposed to Feel Hard?

Your lips may feel stiff or rigid immediately after injection with dermal fillers. Don’t worry — this is entirely normal, and the lip fillers will soften with time. Your lips may also be swollen and tender, which can contribute to the lip filler feeling hard under the skin.

Dermal filler treatments like Juvederm and Restylane are made of hyaluronic acid. This gel-like product naturally occurs in the body in places such as the skin, connective tissue, and the fluids of the eyes. Immediately after injection, the hyaluronic acid will be sitting on top of your cells, and it is designed to break down, bind with your lip tissue, and settle over time.

How Long Does it Take for Lips to Soften After Fillers?

Luckily, hyaluronic acid fillers should soften and settle pretty quickly. Immediately after lip injections, your pout will be fuller and fine lines around the mouth like smoker’s lines and marionette lines may soften or disappear.

There is little to no downtime after receiving lip fillers. The swelling around the injection sites will go away, and you will begin to see great results after a few days, with the maximum results after 14 days.

Lip fillers are a long-lasting treatment. Once softened and healed, you can expect to enjoy the full results for up to 6–9 months. After that time, you can make a follow-up appointment with your doctor to maintain your results.

Does Massaging Lip Filler Break it Down?

Your doctor will provide you with aftercare instructions after dermal filler injections. Depending on which treatment you receive, your anatomy, and your desired aesthetic results, they may give instructions to massage the lips carefully. Do not massage the lips if you are not instructed to by your doctor, as this may interfere with your final results.

Aftercare should also include drinking plenty of water, staying hydrated, avoiding strenuous exercise, and wearing sunscreen outdoors. You can also use specially designed ice packs to lessen any discomfort immediately after injection.

Is it Normal to Have Lumps after Lip Fillers?

Small lumps can be an average side effect after receiving lip fillers and are not cause for immediate concern. They can be caused by swelling or bruising at the injection site. They can also be caused when you receive a large amount of filler in one area, and the filler will soften over time. Most lumps should go away on their own within a few days.

If the lumps persist, they can be massaged or removed by your doctor at a follow-up appointment. After your first injection has settled and healed, any undesired aesthetic effects can be fixed with a touch-up injection. Your doctor may use hyaluronidase, an injectable enzyme that will break down large lumps of the hyaluronic acid.

If the lumps are extremely painful or appear to be infected, see a medical professional right away as it may signify something more serious.

Make an Appointment for Lip Filler Today

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Lip fillers are injections that give the lips a more plump and full appearance. They’re more generally called dermal fillers.

Four types of dermal fillers that are approved by theFood and Drug Administration (FDA)are:

• hyaluronic acid
• calcium hydroxylapatite
• poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)
• polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads suspended in bovine (cow) collagen

Sometimes esthetic care professionals use lip Botox for a similar effect, but that’s not considered a dermal filler.

The lip filler procedure takes just a few minutes and is minimally invasive. But the procedure is not permanent, and you’ll need to get future injections to maintain the lip fullness the filler creates.

You may have swelling or tenderness and bruising after the procedure, though the side effects should be minor.

Aftercare for lip fillers is manageable. If you’re unsure whether the procedure is right for you, it helps to be aware of what to expect during aftercare.

10 lip filler aftercare tips

1. If you have bruising at the injection site, it may help to apply aloe vera, vitamin K, or arnica creams, according to a2015 review. It’s a good idea to check with your healthcare professional before using these.
2. Apply ice to your lips afterward using an ice pack or an ice cube covered in a thin cloth (so it doesn’t stick to the lip and cause pain). This will help ease swelling, itching, bruising, and any other pain.
3. Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours after you get lip or any other dermal fillers. Elevated blood pressure and heart rate from exercise may make swelling or bruising worse. It’s fine to engage in light activity, like walking.
4. Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will help your body heal.
5. Eat plenty of hydrating fruits and vegetables and try to avoid excess sodium, which may worsen swelling.
6. Avoid high temperatures, like steam rooms, saunas, or heated exercise classes for 48 hours after treatment. High heat can make swelling more pronounced.
7. Ask your doctor which pain medications are OK to take in the days after your treatment. Normally Tylenol will be fine, but not blood-thinning medications like ibuprofen or aspirin.
8. If you’re getting lip fillers for a specific event, make sure to leave plenty of time in between the procedure and the event to allow your lips to properly recover.
9. Try to sleep with your head elevated on pillows to reduce swelling. Do not sleep on your face.
10. Avoid makeup on your lips for up to 24 hours after the procedure.

What to avoid during lip filler aftercare

Here are a few other things your doctor will likely recommend avoiding after your lip filler procedure.

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol acts as a blood thinner, so you should avoid it for at least 24 hours after getting lip fillers. Alcohol can also cause inflammation, increase the likelihood of bruising, and make swelling worse.

It’s also a good idea to avoid alcohol a few days before your appointment.

Don’t fly

Your doctor will likely recommend that you wait at least a week after your treatment before flying. This is because the air pressure in a plane can make swelling and bruising worse.

When will it achieve the final look?

You’ll see immediate results with lip fillers, but once the swelling goes down, the results will not look quite as pronounced. It typically takes about 4 weeks for the filler to settle in and achieve the final, desired look.

The results will typically last about 6 months.

Lip filler side effects

Side effects of lip fillers can occur within hours, days, or weeks after receiving the injections. According to theFDA, they usually go away within a short period, but occasionally may arise weeks, months, or years later.

These side effects include:

• bruising
• itching
• swelling
• pain and tenderness
• redness
• rash

In some cases, people may experience more serious complications. In these cases, you should see a healthcare professional. Read more below.

When to see a doctor

While minor side effects like swelling and redness are normal, see a healthcare professional if you experience any of the following complications.

Intense bruising or swelling

If you experience intense bruising or swelling for more than a week, check in with your doctor. It’s rare, but allergies and reactions are possible.

Vascular occlusion

Vascular occlusion happens when the filler is injected into or around an artery, which reduces or stops the blood flow. The surrounding skin and tissue will start to die without adequate blood supply.

Signs of vascular occlusion include immediate, severe pain and a change in skin color, which can look like white spots or blotches.

It’s also important to note that the pain could take a while to become noticeable because most fillers include lidocaine, which is an anesthetic. It can take several hours to wear off after the injection procedure.

Lumps

Inone case study, a woman who was injected with bovine collagen developed hard swellings at the points where she was injected. Clumping, nodules, and bumps can occur with other types of fillers as well.

Lumps caused by the most common type of lip filler, hyaluronic acid, can be dissolved with a medication called hyaluronidase. But many lumps from this filler will simply improve with massage and time.

If lumps are caused by inflammation, healthcare professionals may treat them with corticosteroid injections, and they appear to go away in some cases but not all. Lumps and bumps resulting from dermal fillers can often be removed surgically if they don’t go away on their own.

Cold sores

Your doctor will ask if you’re prone to cold sores or herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Dermal fillers can trigger an outbreak, which may require antiviral treatment.

It’s best to discuss with your doctor if you’ve had herpes outbreaks after receiving dermal fillers in the past.

The bottom line

Lip fillers are injections of hyaluronic acid or other dermal fillers that give the lips a plump, full look. The procedure is quick and minimally invasive and comes with little downtime. But make sure you’re having it done by a board certified surgeon or dermatologist.

They should make sure you’re fully aware of the risks and side effects of your procedure beforehand. If you’re considering lip fillers, be aware of both the pros and cons.

The procedure is easy and effective, but it can cause swelling, redness, and pain. If you’re unable to avoid drinking or flying in the days after your procedure, lip fillers may not be for you.

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