It is important to follow instructions about dermal filler aftercare.
Immediately after your treatment you may notice a few of the following things:
These issues above are common with dermal filler aftercare, and should resolve over the next few days to weeks. Your final result will be seen at about 4 weeks after treatment, and you can be reviewed to see if further treatments are required to achieve the planned results.
Immediately after the injections you face will be cleaned. You should not touch your face for 6 hours. After this you may clean your skin with water and a gentle cleanser.
If you would like to apply makeup after 6 hours, there are brands like Oxygenetix, which have been created for this purpose, although it is ideal to avoiding makeup on the day of the procedure.
Pain is usually mild and sometimes moderate after filler injections. There are areas which can be quite painful like the chin and the lips. Pain relief such as Tylenol may be taken as directed by your provider.
Apply a cool compress for 10 minutes every hour on the day of treatment (do not apply ice directly on your skin). A cool compress applied regularly for the first 24 hours after injections may help to reduce the amount of swelling. Some patients use arnica before and after treatment to reduce the swelling.
Swelling may last for 2-4 weeks following treatment. Particularly with lip filler, the upper lip tends to swell much more than the lower lip due to the increased vasculature in that area. Your lips will decrease in volume once swelling subsides.
Patients on aspirin, fish oil or other drugs associated with increased bruising may find their risk increased. Apply ice packs help to reduce bruising and inflammation. Some patients use arnica with good results.
Massage of the filler areas may or may not be advised by your doctor. Gentle massage may be used once the pain and tenderness has resolved and if advised by your doctor.
There may be a small chance that a treatment may induce an outbreak of cold sores or herpes lesions in patients with a previous history. Some patients take preventative Lysine or antivirals to help reduce the risk of cold sores. If you get cold sores after a treatment, you should see your doctor.
Reviewing the results of dermal filler should be performed at 2-4 weeks (except for cosmetic emergencies like infection or vascular occlusions, which should be reviewed immediately). This is particularly important with regards to symmetry. Symmetry should not be reviewed prior to 4 weeks to ensure resolution of inflammation.
Retreatment should occur at any time between 1-6 months after a first treatment. Once peak filler has been achieved, and the patient is on maintenance injections, they might have filler once per year.
Cosmetic complications include vascular occlusion and infection. Vascular occlusions mostly occur in the treatment chair, and injectors are able to see that they are happening and treat them. An area may go white, or there may be an area of skin that looks like fishnet stockings, or there may be skin discoloration in a distant area where the skin wasn’t injected. After an occlusion, there may be an area that has small blisters on the skin. If patients see any of these things on their skin, they should call their injector immediately. Early infections may occur a few days after the treatment. The patient might notice increasing redness, tenderness, swelling, pain, heat, nodules or pus. Patients should see their primary care doctor if this occurs.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.