In our previous blog post we answered some of the most frequently asked questions regarding lip fillers. Full and voluminous lips are still popular, but on order to achieve the desired effect you need to know how to take care of your lips after the procedure.
Preparing for lip fillers
Our Lip Fillers FAQ mentions that the procedure is generally painless. The amount of discomfort depends from one person to another, how low the pain tolerance is. And even if you do experience some discomfort, that is manageable if you follow the instructions from your cosmetic surgeon.
Good preparation is a key to success when it comes to ANY cosmetic procedure. The same applied for lip fillers too, although there’s not really much to do here. The most important thing a patient can (and should) do is to stay hydrated. So in the hour before your procedure, make sure that you drink a few glasses of water. This can also help prevent feeling faint, but that’s a very rare occurrence. Furthermore, in order to prevent faint, make sure that you eat up before your treatment.
The next thing that you absolutely must do is to show up at your appointment without any make-up, especially lipstick.
Some patients are also prone to cold sores. If you’re one of them, you need to inform your doctor of this right away and start applying antiviral cream a few days before and after your treatment. This will help prevent any potential viral infections caused by cold sores.
3-5 days before your treatment you need to stop taking any type of blood-thinning medication, such as ibuprofen or aspirin and even refrain from certain types of supplements like fish oil.
After the treatment your lips could be pretty swollen for a few days and you might want to stay indoors. So make sure that you don’t have any important events and that your schedule is more or less clear.
Care after lip fillers treatment
After the treatment, you will definitely notice that your lips are a bit bruised and swollen. This is perfectly normal. In addition, your lips might also feel a bit numb, but this is due to the anesthesia your cosmetic surgeon administered for added comfort. And here are some quick and easy-to-follow tips on post-treatment care.
After lip fillers treatment, avoid touching your lips.
In last week’s post, we mentioned that lip fillers need some time to settle. Because of this it is very important that you don’t touch your lips for a while. Touching your lips (even mildly) or putting pressure on them might cause the lip fillers to shift to other parts of your face or can result in lumpiness or bruising.
Avoid alcohol
Cosmetic surgeons strongly recommend that you avoid alcohol prior and after your lip fillers treatment. Alcohol tend to thin your blood which may result in unnecessary bleeding or bruising.
Eating after lip fillers treatment
Since it’s important that your lip remain as still as possible after the treatment, your doctor will suggest that you don’t eat for a few hours after your treatment, at least until the numbing wears off. That’s why it’s important that you eat before your treatment.
Ice compress
When the anesthesia wears off, you could feel some discomfort in your lips. This will make you want to touch or scratch your lips, but don’t give in to the urge.
In order to ease the discomfort, swelling or soreness, try putting some ice on your lips. This really does wonders, but once again… don’t put pressure on your lips.
In the event that your lips swell severely, an over the counter antihistamine pill should do the trick.
Sleeping after lip fillers treatment
For a few days after your treatment, make sure that you sleep with a few pillows under your head to keep it elevated above your heart. This will drain any excess fluid from your lips and reduce the swelling.
Talking after your treatment
Some patients feel uncomfortable and strange after their lip fillers treatment, but that doesn’t mean that they should stop talking. They can talk as much as they want but refrain from biting their lips.
Salty food can ruin the lip filler results
Since salty food (chips, salted popcorn, fast food, junk food) contains great amount of sodium which can cause your lips to dehydrate, it is best to refrain from this tip of food for at least 24 hours after your treatment.
Results of your lip fillers treatment
Depending on the type of cosmetic surgery or treatment, results can be visible from two days or two weeks. However, with lip fillers, you will see results right away as there will be a noticeable change in volume and texture.
In the first few hours after the treatment, some asymmetry can occur but there’s no reason to worry. This is merely because your lips swell or bruise more in one area than in the other. This will subside over time.
Carefully following lip fillers treatment recovery will ensure that you get great and long-lasting results. And if you have additional questions or you’re ready to get started, make sure to contact us today and schedule a consultation with Dr. Kotoske.
