How Long is The Recovery from Dermal Fillers?

If you’re looking for a non-invasive treatment that gives you a refreshed, youthful look, dermal fillers are a good start. Dermal filler treatments are one of the most popular ways to smooth out your facial lines and wrinkles or add facial volume for a rejuvenated look, mostly because they take a significantly shorter time to finish than surgical procedures.

So how long can you recover from these injectable filler treatment procedures? It usually varies per patient, but it usually lasts 1 to 2 days to recover and a few days to a week to see the final results after the visible side effects are fully gone. To avoid any adverse effects from your dermal fillers, make sure to go to a reliable beauty clinic with highly-skilled and well-trained aesthetic professionals.

Dermal Filler Recovery Process: What You Need to Know

Dermal filler treatment is a plastic surgery procedure that’s non-invasive. The most common dermal filler treatment involves dermal filler injections being applied to different parts of the face. This is designed to smooth out every wrinkle in your skin that you’d like through facial fillers (e.g, lip filler). It may also be applied to your nasolabial folds. But in cases of severe facial wrinkles, most doctors recommend cosmetic surgery procedures for a more effective solution.

Dermal filler treatments require very few restrictions after the procedure. Even its side effects are considered minimal. In general, people recover from the side effects of dermal filler treatments after 1 to 2 days but most patients are able to return to their normal activities immediately after treatment.

The recovery process involves the settlement of the filler products within the skin, as well as its recovery from the minimal swelling and bruises it had because of the procedure. What most people don’t know is that the skin is actually considered bruised just by simply penetrating it with a needle. So even without visible signs, you should always take into consideration the process of recovery from this procedure.

How Long the Downtime from Dermal Filler Treatments Lasts

The downtime from dermal filler treatments usually lasts for 1 to 2 days after the treatment. The recovery period from dermal fillers depends on 2 factors: the patient’s biological response to the treatment, as well as the art and science of injecting the fillers.

If you’re someone who easily bruises, it’s best to allot 2 weeks for your recovery period from the procedure. Furthermore, the healing process is different and tends to be longer if your own fat is injected as a dermal filler.

On the other hand, Botox injection procedures don’t have downtime but they also have restrictions. Patients aren’t allowed to touch their face for 1 to 3 days to avoid spreading the injected neurotoxins. But the recovery period from dermal fillers is much more worth it as they tend to last longer than botox.

What Happens During Recovery Period

The side effects and period of recovery from it depend on your body’s response to the treatment and the preparation you did before the procedure. So if you didn’t read enough on how to prepare for your dermal filler treatments and you took blood thinning medications or alcohol, you might want to consult with your physician. You should also expect a longer recovery period from bruising side effects if you’re someone who tends to bruise easily.

Dermal filler injections require experienced injectors whose aesthetic eye is able to determine the appropriate injectable area. Injectors should also possess knowledge of the amount of fillers to be injected in order to achieve desirable results.

The type of injectable filler and procedure is also important. It’s important to know the active ingredient or base of your injectable treatment to have a better understanding of what to expect during the recovery period and how to treat the side effects. The dermal fillers may be categorized according to their active ingredients based on the following:

• Deoxycholic acid
• Poly-L lactic acid
• Hyaluronic acid

1. Deoxycholic Acid

One of the dermal filler options that contain this active ingredient is Kybella. This is a popular dermal filler procedure to address the excess fat under the chin and around the neck. This active ingredient is naturally found in your gut which has the purpose of eliminating dietary fat. But when injected on the treatment areas, it eliminates white fat cells from the target area.

2. Poly-L Lactic Acid

This active ingredient is used in Sculptra Aesthetic. Unlike other dermal fillers which aim to add volume, this procedure specifically does all sorts of volume loss. But it can also eliminate facial wrinkles just like the other dermal fillers.

3. Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid filler allows free expressivity of your face so it may never look stiff after the procedure. Examples of a hyaluronic acid filler are Restylane and Juvederm. Both procedures mostly involve lip filler injection on the skin area around the lips of a patient to make the lips look plumper or remove the facial lines around it.

The only difference that they have is that Juvederm specifically includes Lidocaine in its treatment procedure, which is a liquid anesthetic for pain and minimal discomfort during and after your treatment. So if you’re concerned about what your face would feel after a lip injection or other injectable fillers, this might be the best option for you.

Dermal fillers based on hyaluronic acid targets different areas around the skin such as the following:

Type of Hyaluronic Acid Filler	Dermal Filler Procedure	Target Area
Restylane	Restylane Silk	Lips, lip line
	Restylane Lyft	Cheek, midface, hands, forehead
	Restylane Refyne	Laugh lines around the nose and mouth
	Restylane Defyne	Laugh lines or nasolabial folds (moderate to severe)
	Restylane Kysse	Upper lip lines, lip color
	Restylane Contour	Cheek, midface
Juvederm	Juvederm Ultra XC	Lip area
	Juvederm Volbella XC	Lip area
	Juvederm Voluma XC	Cheeks
	Juvederm Vollure XC	Facial lines and wrinkles (moderate to severe

There are only a number of restrictions during the recovery period from the procedure (e.g, no alcohol, no intense physical activity, etc). Be sure to clarify the restrictions and properly discuss your post-dermal filler recovery plan with your physician when creating your treatment plan.

What to Expect During Recovery Period

Although results are usually immediate right after the treatment, your appearance after the treatment may differ because of the visible side effects. You can expect the following after your dermal filler procedure:

• Treatment areas that appear "overfilled"
• Mild to severe swelling or bruising
• Feeling numb or red for a short period of time
• An injection site that has lumps
• Allergic reactions (e.g, hives, swelling)

These are generally manageable with over-the-counter medication but it’s still best to discuss with your doctor all the possible side effects and how to treat them accordingly. Additionally, if you experience pain or weakness on one side of your body, you should contact your plastic surgeon.

Recovery Tips

The recovery from dermal filler procedures may be affected by your aftercare habits after the treatment. It’s important to consult with your doctor or follow your recovery plan for a faster downtime period.

1. Aftercare Tips

Aside from preparing for your dermal facial filler procedure beforehand, you can also minimize the side effects from dermal filler treatments through these aftercare tips:

• Avoid extreme temperatures
• Follow the dermal filler aftercare instructions provided by your doctor
• Don’t touch injection sites
• Don’t put pressure on treatment areas
• Avoid exercise
• Report unusual side effects

You may need touch-ups to your treatment to achieve the best results. This is usually done 1 to 2 weeks after the dermal filler has fully settled within your skin.

2. Tips for Faster Downtime Period

For faster recovery after your dermal filler treatments, it’s best to follow the recovery plan recommended by your doctor. You should also take note of the following tips for faster recovery:

• Stay in an upright position for 3 to 4 hours after dermal filler procedure.
• Take Arnica supplements to reduce bruises.
• Apply ice around the treatment area to reduce the bruising from spreading.

3. What to Avoid During Recovery Period

Before you go on celebrating and flaunting your newly rejuvenated face, it’s important to take note of the important things to avoid for at least 1 to 2 days after your treatment. Some of which are the following:

a. Alcohol

Alcohol causes bruising and swelling. It’s important to avoid it not only after dermal fillers, but also before the appointment itself.

b. Blood thinning medications

This is also something that is recommended to be avoided before and during after the treatment as it causes bruising and swelling.

c. Makeup

Before you further enhance your youthful look with makeup, it’s recommended to wait for 24 hours after the procedure for best results.

d. Exercise

Avoid intense physical activities for 24 hours after the dermal filler procedure. This is to reduce further bruising.

e. Sun Exposure

Before you flaunt your good looks, it’s best to stay indoors for at least 1 to 2 days after the treatment to avoid exposure to the sun. Sun exposure may cause redness around the treatment area, which may extend your recovery period.

f. Pressure on Treatment Areas

Doctors advise not to massage, rub, or put pressure on treatment areas unless instructed to do so. This is to avoid bruising and swelling around the area.

g. Sleeping

Avoid sleeping for 3 to 4 hours. When you do sleep, ensure that your head is elevated to reduce swelling.

Treatments Offered by Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

For your other skincare or aesthetic needs, we offer a wide range of aesthetic skin treatments for your plastic surgery needs, such as the following:

• Acne treatment procedures
• Reconstructive surgery
• Botox cosmetic procedure (e.g, brow lift procedure)
• Laser treatment (e.g, laser skin resurfacing)
• Lip treatments (e.g, lip injections, lip treatments, and lip augmentation)
• Breast surgery (e.g, breast augmentation, breast implant, female / male breast reduction)
• Other facial plastic surgery procedures

Experience Stunning Treatments from Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

Say goodbye to facial wrinkles with exceptional skin treatments from Dr. Lanna Aesthetics. If you wish to have other non-invasive treatments such as filler injection procedures to restore your youthful look and rejuvenate your skin, go to

Experience treatments and aftercare from Dr. Lanna Aesthetics, NYC’s expert injector. To schedule a consultation, you may check out our website at http://doctorlanna.com/. You may also contact us at (929) 565 - 7539.