Lip filler aftercare: what patients need in the first 48 hours

Lip filler generates more anxious next-day messages than almost any other treatment, and most of them are about swelling that is entirely normal. A patient who was warned in writing that day 2 looks worse than day 1 sends a calm photo for reassurance; a patient who was not sends a panicked message at 7am or, worse, posts about it. Written aftercare sets expectations day by day, gives clear instructions for the first 48 hours, and makes sure every patient knows the small set of symptoms that genuinely need urgent contact. It also protects you: a documented sheet, sent and timestamped, is your evidence of the advice given. The sheet below is complete. Fill in your clinic’s details and urgent number, adjust the timings to your protocol, and send it after every lip appointment.

The aftercare sheet (copy, fill in and send)

Your clinic’s details

Clinic name: ___________________________

Clinic phone: ___________________________

Urgent / out-of-hours contact number: ___________________________

Email: ___________________________

Treating practitioner: ___________________________

Your treatment

Date of treatment: ___________________________

Product used: ___________________________

Review appointment (if booked): ___________________________

Aftercare after your lip filler treatment

Your lips will look and feel different over the next few days, and most of what you notice is a normal part of healing. Here is what to expect and what to do.

What is normal, day by day

• Day 1: swelling begins within hours and your lips may feel tight, tender and warm. Small bruises and slight unevenness are common.
• Days 2 to 3: swelling is often at its most noticeable. Your lips may look bigger and less even than the final result. This is expected; do not judge the outcome yet.
• Days 4 to 7: swelling settles steadily and bruising fades.
• Around 2 weeks: this is when your result can be fairly judged, and when any review is best done.

Lumps and firmness

Small lumps or firm areas are common in the first two weeks and usually soften as the filler settles and swelling resolves. Do not massage your lips unless we have specifically told you to; well-meaning massage can shift the product and change the result.

What to avoid, and for how long

• For the first 24 hours: avoid lipstick and other lip products unless we have given or approved them, to protect the injection points from infection.
• For ___ hours (commonly 24 to 48): avoid alcohol and strenuous exercise, which can worsen swelling and bruising.
• For the first day: avoid heat, including saunas, steam rooms, sunbeds and very hot drinks.
• For the first day or two: avoid pressure on your lips, including firm kissing and drinking through a straw, and try not to sleep face down.
• For ___ weeks (commonly 2): avoid other treatments on or around the lips unless we have agreed them.
• Dental treatment: if you have dental work planned in the next few weeks, tell us, and tell your dentist that you have had lip filler.
• A clean, cloth-wrapped cold compress for 5 to 10 minutes at a time can ease swelling. Never put ice directly on the skin, and do not press hard.
• Drink plenty of water.

Contact us as soon as possible if you notice

• Tingling, a blister or a sore that feels like a cold sore starting. Lip treatments can bring on cold sores in people prone to them; early treatment helps, and it is easy to confuse a cold sore with something more serious.
• Swelling, redness, heat or tenderness that is getting worse after the first 2 to 3 days rather than better.
• Pus, a fever, or feeling unwell, which could be signs of infection.
• A lump that is still there after two weeks.
• Anything that worries you.

Contact us immediately, at any time, if you notice

• Patches of skin on or around your lips turning white (blanching).
• Skin that looks dusky, grey, blue or mottled, or a lace-like pattern of discolouration.
• Severe or increasing pain, especially pain that feels out of proportion to the treatment.
• Blistering or skin that looks as though it is breaking down.

These can mean the filler is affecting the blood supply. They are rare, but the earlier they are treated, the simpler the fix. Use the urgent contact number above. If you cannot reach us straight away, seek urgent medical care: call NHS 111, or go to A&E.

Call 999 or go to A&E immediately if

• You have any change in your vision, eye pain, a drooping eyelid or double vision.
• You have difficulty breathing, or swelling of your face, tongue or throat.

Your practitioner’s specific advice takes precedence over this general sheet. If anything worries you, contact us; that is what we are here for.

Filling in the sheet

Fill in the blanks with your own protocol and check them against the manufacturer’s guidance for the filler you use. If you advise post-treatment massage for particular products or techniques, replace the “do not massage” line with your exact instructions. Set the dental interval to match your consent form and medical history form so the documents agree. Put your real out-of-hours arrangement in the urgent contact line and make sure it is answered: recognised complication guidance, including the Aesthetic Complications Expert (ACE) Group’s guideline on vascular occlusion, stresses that patients need a way to reach you out of hours and that suspected vascular problems need a prompt in-person review, not an exchange of messages. Date the version of the sheet so you can show which wording a patient received.

When patients should contact you urgently

For your team, the vascular red flags bear repeating: blanching, dusky or mottled skin, severe disproportionate pain, and any visual change. Anyone reporting these should reach the practitioner the same day, and visual symptoms are an emergency. Build the escalation path into reception’s playbook so nothing waits in an inbox overnight, and keep your complication protocols and emergency kit in line with recognised guidance such as the ACE Group’s guidelines on vascular occlusion and hyaluronidase. And document everything: record that aftercare advice was sent, when, and in what form. If a patient massaged their lips against advice or ignored the 24-hour makeup window, your timestamped sheet is the difference between a discussion and a dispute.

Make this automatic

AesthetiClinic emails this aftercare sheet automatically after every appointment, branded to your clinic, and logs on the patient record that it was sent. Every lip patient gets the same advice within minutes of leaving the chair, with no reliance on memory at the front desk. See our features page for how it fits your workflow, and pair it with the lip filler consent form template for the full written journey. You can chart the points you treated on our face map template. AesthetiClinic’s consent forms software uses the same secure links, so the e-signed consent and the aftercare sheet sit on one patient record.

General aftercare guidance for UK aesthetics practice. Your practitioner’s specific advice always takes precedence. Patients with urgent symptoms should contact their practitioner or seek medical care immediately.