The first 24 hours
Makeup can go back on from the following day. Leave the injection sites bare until then so they stay clean.
Use a cold compress for short periods if your lips feel tight or tender. Not ice directly on the skin.
Expect tenderness once the anaesthetic wears off. Every syringe of Juvéderm and Restylane contains lidocaine, so your lips will feel numb during the lip injection procedure and for a short while afterwards. Tenderness as that fades is normal, not a sign anything is wrong.
Expect your lips to feel firm, uneven or lumpy. The filler is palpable at first and often feels asymmetrical. It integrates into the surrounding lip tissues over the following two to four weeks and becomes less prominent as it does.
What to avoid for the first 48 hours
Alcohol. It thins the blood and worsens bruising.
Strenuous exercise or activity. Raising your heart rate increases blood flow to the face.
Saunas, steam rooms and spas. Heat worsens swelling.
Pressing, pinching or testing your lips. Prodding them to check the firmness introduces bacteria and tells you nothing, because they are swollen.
After 48 hours, almost all of these post-procedure restrictions lift.
Should you massage your lips?
Only if your practitioner has asked you to, and at PHI they usually will. Our aftercare guidance asks patients to massage the treated area twice a day for two weeks, using your daily moisturiser, or Vaseline where filler has been placed in the lips. It helps the product integrate evenly.
That is not the same as prodding your lips anxiously in the first day or two, which is still worth avoiding. For areas other than the lips, your practitioner will tell you whether and how to massage, usually once the swelling has settled.
If you are not sure what you were told, call the clinic rather than guessing.
The questions everyone asks
The questions we are asked most often after lip filler injections, roughly in the order they come up.
Can you drink alcohol after lip filler?
Avoid it for 24 to 48 hours. Alcohol thins the blood and increases the risk of bruising, which is the same reason we ask you to avoid it before treatment.
Can you kiss after lip filler?
Wait at least 24 to 48 hours. There is no hard rule, but your lips are swollen, tender and have small puncture sites that are still closing, so pressure and bacteria are both worth avoiding while they heal.
Can you eat after lip filler?
Yes, straight away. Your lips will feel numb from the lidocaine in the filler, so be careful with anything very hot, and expect eating to feel slightly awkward for a day or two while they are swollen. Nothing needs to be avoided permanently.
When can you wear lipstick after lip filler?
From the following day, along with the rest of your makeup. Use a clean product rather than one that has been in your bag for a year, and ideally not the lipstick you were wearing on the day of treatment.
Can you exercise after lip filler?
Light movement is fine. Avoid anything strenuous for 24 to 48 hours, and that includes hot yoga, which combines heat and exertion.
What about smoking and vaping?
Both involve repeated pressure on the lips and reduce blood flow to healing tissue. Avoid for the first 24 to 48 hours at minimum.
What not to do after lip fillers
The short list, in order of how often people get it wrong:
Do not judge your lips in the first week. Swelling peaks at 24 to 48 hours and the final result takes up to a month.
- Do not book a wedding, a holiday or a shoot for the week after. Arrange treatment well in advance of anything that matters.
- Do not fly within three to five days of treatment.
- Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen in the days before treatment unless your GP has advised you to, as both increase bruising risk.
- Do not massage harder than you were shown. Filler migration, where product spreads beyond the lip border and blurs the cupid's bow, is uncommon, and firm or over-enthusiastic massage is not worth risking it for.
- Do not assume lumpiness is permanent. Most of it is swelling and newly placed product, and it settles over two to four weeks.
- Do not rush to have filler dissolved. If you are unhappy with lip asymmetry, we will usually ask you to let it settle for two to four weeks and keep massaging first, because a great deal of early unevenness resolves on its own.
Bruising, and what PHI can do about it
Bruising and swelling are the common side effects of filler injections, and lip filler is no exception. Depending on the area, bruising can range from pinpoint marks to something more extensive, and it can be covered with makeup from the day after treatment.
A few lifestyle choices in the days around treatment make it more likely. Excessive caffeine on the day increases the risk, as do aspirin, ibuprofen and blood-thinning supplements beforehand.
If you have a significant bruise, send the clinic a photograph. Laser treatment can often speed up healing, and it is worth asking rather than waiting it out. That is not something most clinics offer and it is one of the more useful things to know about having lip filler treatment in London with us.
When to contact the clinic
As with all cosmetic procedures, a small number of signs mean you should not wait. Contact the clinic immediately if you have any of the following:
- Pain or discomfort that is increasing rather than settling
- Heat and redness in the area after 12 hours
- Skin changing colour: lightening, darkening, or a mottled appearance
- Pustules or small white spots, which can indicate infection
Some of these may require the filler to be dissolved with hyaluronidase. That is a straightforward procedure and it is far better done early than late, which is the whole reason for knowing the signs.
Practitioners at PHI Clinic on Harley Street would always rather take a call that turns out to be nothing.
How long results last
Filler placed in the lips integrates over two to four weeks, and the final result can take up to a month to be fully visible. How your lips feel in the first fortnight has far more to do with swelling than with filler placement.
Lip-specific products are designed to feel soft and natural. Juvéderm Volbella and Restylane Kysse are both formulated for the lip and mouth area, and your practitioner will choose based on your lips rather than on a house preference.
Follow-up appointments are worth having at around four weeks, and maintenance is typically needed every 9 to 18 months. What changes that figure is covered in how long lip filler lasts.
Book a lip filler consultation
If you are considering lip enhancement, a consultation is where aftercare actually starts. Knowing what the first fortnight of any cosmetic treatment looks like is what stops a normal recovery feeling like something has gone wrong.
Book a consultation to discuss lip filler in London with our practitioners. All lip filler at PHI is carried out by trained professionals, doctors and nurses. For more information on preparation, the products we use and post-treatment care, see our full dermal filler patient information and aftercare guidance.
