How Many Hours After Dermal Eye Fillers Does Bruising Appear?

Dermal filler treatment is a minimally-invasive solution to revitalize your youthful glow without the stiffness and risks associated with other treatments. Despite its relative safety, there are still side effects that are commonly linked as a direct result of the dermal filler injection such as bruising.

So if you’re having your under-eye dermal fillers appointment, you may be wondering how many hours after dermal eye fillers does bruising appear? Bruising is noticeable for 12 to 24 hours following your treatment session, which may last up to 5 days. Thankfully, there are pre-treatment and post-treatment instructions to reduce bruising or speed up its recovery.

Is it Normal to Experience Bruising After Your Dermal Eye Filler Appointment?

It seems that many people are looking for non-invasive options to eliminate their fine lines and revitalize their youthful appearance, but sometimes they must choose between options that provide faster results but have a high risk or options that are less risky but also less effective. Fortunately, dermal eye fillers offer a safe and effective solution to correct facial folds and wrinkles and improve your overall skin laxity.

But like any other aesthetic treatments and procedures such as dermal eye fillers don't spare you from side effects; the most common of which is bruising and swelling. Hyaluronic acid filler (HA filler) treatments may prevent bruising, but the chances are low. Instead, HA filler treatments may reduce the bruising expected to occur, and lessen the recovery period expected to occur.

Any procedure that punctures the skin can cause bruises after filler injections. Some bruising is also expected even with aesthetic treatments involving cosmetic injections like Botox injections and other lip injections or with plastic surgery and medical procedures involving injections.

Specifically, the tear trough area or the under eye is most prone to bruising during facial filler injection because of the hypersensitivity of the blood vessel and vascular quality of the area that tends to be damaged by the injection. Aside from tear trough filler injection, cases of bruising also happen with lip filler treatment.

Causes of Bruising After Dermal Eye Fillers

Bruising is a common side effect of dermal filler treatments which occurs in about 19% to 24% of dermal filler patients. What happens is that the procedure of injecting dermal fillers may cause a minor form of hematoma as small blood vessels are punctured, releasing minimal eruptions of blood in the skin tissues.

The small eruptions of blood in the skin tissues cause discoloration around the area, thus making the bruises noticeable. However, bruising doesn’t just occur when an area of your skin appears to be black or blue. An area of your skin that is punctured or inflicted with trauma is already considered a bruised area even without the element of discoloration.

Aside from the actual procedure, your pre-treatment habits and behavior may also affect the extent and likelihood of bruising that you’ll experience, such as the following:

• Intake of blood thinning medications or supplements (i.e, ibuprofen, garlic, green tea)
• Alcohol consumption
• Extensive exercise before the treatment

Furthermore, the tear trough area is one of the areas that are most susceptible to bruising caused by dermal injectable fillers. The under eye is vulnerable to bruising because the area is vascular, which means that veins are more difficult to avoid.

What Kind of Bruising to Expect

Bruising and swelling are perfectly normal side effects of dermal filler treatment procedures that generally subside as the dermal filler is gradually absorbed into the skin and metabolized by the body.

Bruising is an expected side effect of injectable treatment procedures, especially in vulnerable areas like the tear trough or under eye. Patients who had lip filler injection treatments are also prone to bruising.

The bruising that can be expected after facial filler injections may range from mild to severe, depending on the following factors:

• Pre-treatment preparation. The severity and possibility of bruising depend on the pre-treatment preparation that you did.
• Post-treatment care. Failure to follow skin care instructions may cause or worsen bruising on the treated area.
• Kind of filler used. There are certain dermal fillers (i.e, hyaluronic acid fillers) that claim to result in less bruising than other injectable fillers. Although the type of filler affects the extent of bruising, it still depends on your body’s individual reaction to the dermal filler injection used.
• How the filler is placed under eye. If the filler isn’t injected properly into the skin, it affects the kind of bruising to expect. So if the aesthetic provider lacks experience and expertise, then it may lead to more than just the normal kind of bruising. Aside from that, the amount of filler placed in your under eye will also affect the amount of bruising that your skin will have.

If you’d had blood tests or intravenous treatments before, the bruising you’d experience from dermal fillers is the same as those procedures.

How Many Hours After Dermal Eye Fillers Does Bruising Appear?

Bruising is a direct result of trauma or injury inflicted upon the punctured blood vessels, which is generally visible after 12 to 24 hours following the treatment session regardless of whether you used Restylane, Juvederm Volbella, Juvederm Voluma, or Belotero Balance for your under eye fillers.

The noticeable bruising usually subsides within 5 to 7 days after the treatment session, depending on your skin’s sensitivity to bruising. Seeking the services of expert injectors is helpful to reduce the amount of bruising in your skin and achieve faster recovery because expert aesthetic providers have sufficient knowledge on the proper application of injectable fillers.

Pre-Treatment Tips: How to Avoid Bruising After Dermal Eye Fillers

The first tip to reduce any side effects such as bruising and swelling is to consult your aesthetic provider on how to prepare for your injectable dermal filler treatment. For maximum safety, it’s best to take note of precautionary measures at least a week before your dermal filler appointment, or as instructed by your provider. The following are the important things to take note of before your treatment to reduce bruising in your tear trough area:

1. Avoid Alcohol Before Your Treatment

Regardless of the treatment area, it’s important to avoid alcohol at least 24 hours before your treatment. Although most doctors would recommend avoiding alcohol for more than a day before your dermal filler treatment, if alcohol consumption is unavoidable, make sure to consume it at least 1 day before your appointment.

In case you accidentally consume alcohol the day before your scheduled dermal filler treatment, make sure to inform your aesthetic provider so that they can implement the best safety measures or postpone your appointment.

It’s important not to overlook this precaution on alcohol because the elements of alcohol tend to induce skin reactions that would more or less worsen the bruising in areas of your skin.

2. Avoid Blood Thinners Before Your Treatment

Aside from alcohol, it’s also important to strictly avoid blood thinners before your treatment. If doing so is unavoidable, then consult with your aesthetic provider for a feasible arrangement and safety advice.

Blood thinners that should be avoided before your dermal filler appointment involve oral medication, supplements, and even food. Blood thinners adversely affect the ease of blood clotting, which may result in vulnerability to bruising and an increased risk of other unfavorable side effects. It’s difficult to avoid bruising in your tear trough area so avoiding blood thinners to reduce the amount of expected bruising is extremely important.

3. Avoid Exercise

Bruising isn’t simply a case of skin discoloration. Even if there are no visible or noticeable symptoms on your skin, any treatment that involves puncturing, breaking, or inflicting trauma on skin layers is already enough to assume that the skin area is bruised.

You may be wondering how arm exercises would affect your under-eye, but for safety measures, any form of extensive force inflicted into your skin that may cause bruising should be avoided before and after the treatment procedure.

4. Go to an Expert Injector

Having your filler skillfully applied by a provider who has experience is the key to reducing bruising after filler injections. Expert injectors are knowledgeable about facial anatomy and take special care when injecting. Aside from that, these expert injectors also have sufficient knowledge of the right type of needle to use at the injection site that’s essential to reduce any type of bruise, allergic reaction, and other adverse effects.

The right type of needle is important to minimize bruising, as it allows your plastic surgeon to penetrate your skin correctly and precisely. When injections of dermal filler are performed using a needle, commonly known as a "cannula", fewer bruises are likely to result even if there are multiple areas in the face that require filler injections. What happens is that the long, blunt-tipped needle is used to create an entry point in every side of the face, allowing for a contained area of bruising.

Additionally, there may be topical creams or medications prescribed to ease the bruising in your tear trough area, which further emphasizes the need to seek the services of an expert team. Aesthetic providers with vast knowledge and expertise may also provide reliable pre-treatment and aftercare instructions to reduce overall side effects in the treatment area.

Aftercare Tips for Faster Recovery Period from Bruising

Bruising is almost unavoidable, and it’s actually considered a perfectly normal skin reaction to injectable treatments. Thankfully, there are a couple of tips that you only need to keep in mind for a speedy recovery from bruising in your tear trough area. First, you have to ensure that you follow any recommended skin care instructions and then take note of the following:

1. Apply Cold Compress, then Hot Compress

It may take a while for bruising to become noticeable in your under eye, but applying an ice pack on the treatment area may help reduce any bruising that will appear within the next few hours.

Remember to apply a cold compress gently to avoid inflicting pressure in the treatment area and causing further bruising. You may apply ice to your treatment area for up to 8 hours for the best results.

Once you’ve applied a cold compress to the treatment area, remember to switch to a hot compress the next day. Applying a hot compress on the under eye helps facilitate and improve blood flow into the treatment area for a faster healing process.

2. Take Arnica Supplements

You don’t just drink Arnica before the treatment, you should also drink it after the treatment. In spite of the fact that Arnica merely minimizes skin bruising, it is especially beneficial if you're hypersensitive to bruises since this would still make you more susceptible to bruises after your treatment even if you already had Arnica beforehand.

3. Wait for 24 Hours Before Applying Makeup

Before you go flaunting your good looks, it’s best to wait for at least 24 hours before applying any makeup to minimize the risk of infection and other complications. You can’t also have an accurate view of your bruises if you have makeup on, which is important to know if your bruises are worsening or improving.

Aside from this, any skin care products that are not recommended by your aesthetic provider, or those that have a concealing effect should also be avoided. Basically, any signs of worsening bruising and even swelling must be reported immediately to the doctor to avoid the risk of further medical complications.

4. Avoid Blood Thinners

Blood thinning medication and food must also be avoided after your dermal filler treatment, because blood thinners make you more susceptible to bruising. Some of the medications and supplements that you need to avoid are the following:

• Motrin, St John, Fish Oil
• Aspirin and other painkillers
• Vitamin E supplements
• Vitamin C supplements and cream

If you are currently taking any blood thinning medication simultaneous with the procedure, you might want to consult your plastic surgeon for some advice regarding that matter.

5. Don’t Drink Alcohol

Consuming alcohol, no matter the alcohol content, increases the likelihood of bruising. Alcohol widens the blood vessels, causing it to dilate and increase blood flow while lowering oxygen levels. So it’s important to avoid alcohol to reduce bruising and achieve faster recovery.

Achieve Longer-Lasting Results and Reduced Downtime with the Expert Injectors at Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

Any trauma or blunt object inflicted on the skin is automatically considered as causing bruises that may or may not be visible. It’s normal to experience side effects such as bruising and swelling, especially during your recovery period from your dermal filler treatment session. But seeking the services of an expert cosmetic dermatology provider may help reduce the amount and period of bruising after facial fillers.

With over 10,000 aesthetic treatments performed, you can trust Dr. Lanna Aesthetics to provide safe aesthetic services (e.g, acne treatment, laser treatment) and faster recovery from side effects so you can flaunt your newly injected facial fillers in no time. Book an appointment with us and let’s discuss a custom treatment plan and appropriate aftercare instructions to reduce bruising.

Reach out to us through our website or contact us at (929) 565 - 7539.