If you have always naturally had thin lips or want to restore a supple appearance to lips that have lost their fullness due to aging, lip fillers at our Portland-based Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery are ideal for adding volume.

Lip fillers are a simple, straightforward treatment that only take a few minutes to be completed. However, what patients do at home after getting their injections will impact the kind of results they get, as well as how long their results last.

Note that it’s completely normal for patients to experience some minor side effects such as redness, bruising, and swelling after getting fillers. With that in mind, read the following tips for taking care of your lips after getting filler injections in order to optimize results, reduce side effects, and prolong the lifespan of fillers between appointments:

  1. To relieve swelling, bruising, and discomfort, you can use an ice pack on your lips or hold an ice cube covered in a cloth against them.
  2. While light, gentle exercise such as walking as fine, it’s best not to engage in any strenuous exercise for the first 24 hours, because having an elevated heart rate from working out can aggravate post-treatment swelling and bruising.
  3. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of plain water from a cup or glass and eat hydrating foods, as this will help you to heal faster. Avoid eating too much salt, because the mineral could cause dehydration and make swelling worse.
  4. Avoid putting too much pressure on and straining your lips by kissing, touching, or massaging them directly before the filler has time to settle, as this could disturb the injection sites. This also meaning avoiding smoking cigarettes or drinking from straws that force the lips to pucker.
  5. Get advice from your injector on when it will be okay to start taking painkillers again and which ones will be okay to take.

Need more advice on lip fillers? The Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery team can help you decide whether this cosmetic procedure is a good option for you. Call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to schedule an appointment.