SalonCompass

Aftercare

After Dermal Fillers: Swelling, Bruising and the Two-Week Rule

What is normal

  • Swelling — expected, often more than people anticipate, especially lips (lips can look "overdone" for 2–3 days; this is swelling, not the final size).
  • Bruising at injection points — can take up to 10–14 days to fully clear.
  • Tenderness and firmness in the area; small lumps you can feel but not see in the first days usually soften as the filler integrates (2–4 weeks).
  • Asymmetry in the first days — swelling is rarely symmetrical; judge nothing before two weeks.

What happens, and when

Day 0–2
peak swelling (lips: day 1–2 can be dramatic — normal).
Day 3–5
swelling drops significantly.
Day 7
most visible swelling gone; bruises yellowing.
Day 14
real result visible. Any review with the practitioner happens now.
Week 4
filler fully settled and integrated.

Do

  • Cool compresses (clean cloth, not ice directly) 10 min on/off the first day for swelling.
  • Sleep slightly elevated, on your back, the first 1–2 nights.
  • Arnica (topical) may help bruising if you tolerate it.
  • Drink water; HA filler integrates better hydrated.
  • Contact your practitioner with any worry — a good one wants to hear from you.

Don't

  • No pressing, massaging, or "checking" lumps with your fingers unless the practitioner told you to massage.
  • No makeup over injection points for 12–24 hours.
  • No strenuous exercise, alcohol, saunas, steam for 24–48 hours.
  • No dental work, facials, or face massage for 2 weeks.
  • No flying long-haul within 24–48 hours if avoidable (pressure changes can worsen swelling) — ask your practitioner.
  • No judging the result before day 14.

When to get help

  • Vascular occlusion — a medical emergency. Signs: severe or increasing pain out of proportion; skin turning white, dusky, blue/grey, or developing a net-like purple pattern (livedo); the area becoming cold; skin breaking down. Onset can be immediate or over hours. → Contact your practitioner IMMEDIATELY (they carry hyaluronidase to dissolve HA filler); if unreachable, go to A&E. Minutes matter for skin survival.
  • Vision changes, sudden eye pain, drooping, or stroke-like symptoms after facial filler → A&E immediately, tell them you had filler injected and where.
  • Blanching (whitening) during or right after injection that was dismissed — if the area now hurts more and looks mottled, act as above.
  • Infection signs from day 2–3 onward: growing hot red swelling, pus, fever → practitioner + GP same day.
  • Late lumps, redness or swelling appearing weeks/months after treatment (delayed nodules) → practitioner review, may need medical management.

Medical review pending

A doctor has not signed this section off yet. It is drafted from Anna's practice and is waiting on medical review, so treat it as a prompt to get advice rather than the last word.

General guidance, not personal medical advice. When in doubt, contact your practitioner or a doctor.

Draft — Anna's voice pass to come

This guide is written but has not had its final pass, so it is not listed in search results yet. Everything on it is readable and unchanged in the meantime.

Written by · London-trained cosmetologist

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