How to Prepare for Cheek Fillers

Preparing for a cosmetic procedure is just as important as the procedure itself for a patient to achieve optimal results. It should then be emphasized that necessary precautions and preparations must be done before a cosmetic procedure, including cheek filler injections.

So how do you prepare for cheek fillers? Preparation for a cheek filler treatment involves careful planning of the schedule so its results can't impede on your social life, and performing proper skin care procedures to help minimize the possible complications that may arise.

Cheek Fillers: Pre-Procedure Care

A proper pre-procedure care is tantamount to achieving good results. Adequate preparation before a cheek filler injection is a good way to ensure that, despite the variability in the results, you'll be able to achieve your desired results as much as possible.

Here are some pre-procedure care tips:

• Schedule your cheek augmentation procedure when the common side effects will least affect your daily activities and social life.
• Tell your provider any history of allergy to an anesthetic agent or filler material.
• Tell your provider all your medication history, especially when you're taking immunosuppressants, as these may have an effect on the effectiveness of your cheek fillers.
• Don't drink alcoholic beverages at least 24 hours before the procedure as this can thin the blood and make you more likely to swell and bruise.
• Avoid medications that may make your blood thin like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin. Herbal supplements with the same effect should also be avoided like St John's wort, Ginkgo biloba, garlic pills, etc.
• At least a day before the procedure, taking Arnica montana is recommended as this herbal supplement is said to minimize swelling.
• Avoid eating salty foods at least 2 days before the treatment, as excess salt in the body can imbibe more water and worsens swelling after the procedure.
• Avoid depilatory activities like tweezing on the treatment area of the injectable treatment as this can worsen the irritation around it.
• Although rare, dermal filler injections can reactivate a cold sore, so it's important to tell your practitioner any history of it so they can give you prophylactic antivirals.

What to Expect During the Procedure

Another essential part of a cosmetic treatment is managing the expectations of the patient regarding the results and its longevity. This is so that patient dissatisfaction may be avoided.

Cheek Filler Results and How Long It Lasts

The results of cheek filler injections may be immediately seen in the treated area, with patients seeing results at least 24 to 48 hours after their injections. These results may last from 6 months to 2 years.

As with other dermal filler treatment, common benefits of cheek filler include the following:

• More defined facial contours: A more defined facial contour can be seen upon dermal filler injection because of the improved volume and appearance of the cheek bones upon injection.
• Younger-looking skin: An injectable filler in the cheeks can help in adding more volume to the skin, causing the smoothening of facial wrinkles and fine line.
• More hydrated skin: Fillers like hyaluronic acid filler and other fillers that can stimulate collagen production can help restore your skin's moisture and radiance.

Other Tips for Optimum Results

Aside from managing your expectations, here are the other tips you can follow to achieve optimum results after your cheek fillers:

1. Choose Your Provider Carefully

When choosing your provider, it's important to look into their qualifications and experience as these can help guarantee that you'll get your desired outcome.

Qualified and experienced professionals know the recommended depths of administration of the filler product, know the right technique in administering the injectables, and make sure that the tools and equipment that they use are properly cleaned and sterilized before use.

We're proud to say that our team at Dr. Lanna Aesthetics is composed of master injectors with good qualifications and years of experience.

2. Know Your Aftercare Do's and Don'ts

At Dr. Lanna Aesthetics, we have our patient's best interests in mind, so we provide advices that can help you minimize side effects and avoid having unsatisfying results.

Here are just some of the do's and don'ts that we advice our patients:

Cheek Filler Injections Do's

Things to do after a cheek filler injection include the following:

• Drink plenty of fluids, especially water, to avoid dehydration.
• Rest well, as this helps your body cope up with the stress induced by the procedure.
• Eat nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables.
• Place ice or cold compress over the treated area to minimize swelling or bruising.

Cheek Filler Injections Don'ts

Things that should be avoided after a cheek filler injection include the following:

• As with the pre-procedure care, after care also involves avoiding alcoholic beverages and blood thinners that can exacerbate swelling and bruising of the treated area.
• Avoid doing strenuous exercises and other heavy activities as these can dilate the blood vessels and make your heart rate faster, contributing to more pronounced swelling and bruising.
• Avoid skin care products containing retinol, AHA, BHA, and vitamin C at least 24 hours after the treatment. Applying makeup should be avoided as well.
• Extreme heat like from direct sunlight and in saunas should be avoided as these can negatively affect your dermal filler.

Safety of Cheek Fillers

The advantage of cheek filler injections over cosmetic surgery include being less invasive and having less risk for complications, giving it a high safety profile.

However, it's still important to assess whether or not you're an ideal candidate for cheek fillers and to know that side effects may still occur, although these are minimal and often go away on their own.

Ideal Candidates for Cheek Fillers

Individuals with good physical health and commitment in taking care of their treated area are ideal candidates for cheek fillers. However, not all individuals may receive this treatment, including those with active infection, and allergic reactions to the filler material and the anesthetic being used.

Side Effects of Cheek Fillers

Most side effects of cheek fillers are usually mild and self-limiting, and include the following:

• Redness: Redness is a side effect of the cheek fillers associated with the introduction of a foreign material at the injection site.
• Swelling: Swelling is also caused by the body's natural reaction against the injection of a foreign material.
• Bruising: Bruising occurs because of the pricking of the needles in the blood vessel wall, causing the blood contents to leak out.
• Tenderness: Tenderness may be felt when the anesthesia wears off. This may also be a side effect accompanying swelling and bruising.
• Cold sores: Although rare, cold sore breakouts may still occur in a patient who has had a history of this condition, as the stress induced by the procedure may give an optimum environment for the virus to reactivate.
• Patient dissatisfaction: Although not a side effect, a patient may sometimes not achieve their desired outcome and may not be satisfied with the result of the injectable. This may be solved by applying more fillers or removing the filler through injecting hyaluronidase (in the case of hyaluronic acid fillers) or surgical means in more permanent filler.

Have Your Cheek Fillers From the Master Injectors at Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

Preparing for cheek fillers may be done through careful scheduling, taking care of the area to be treated, and taking care of yourself overall. This is in addition to choosing the best professional to do your injectables with.

At Dr. Lanna Aesthetics, our team of expert and qualified injectors are guaranteed to make your cheek filler experience a smooth-sailing one. We strive to give our patients optimum results that they will be satisfied with. Achieve your beauty goals with us by contacting us today at (929) 565-7539.