Hyaluronic acid fillers such as Juvéderm have given us a new ally in the pursuit of a perfect pout. If you’re planning to get your lips enhanced with filler, what should you know about this procedure? As a clinical professor of dermatology, Dr. Seth Matarasso can provide a closer look at the top five things to expect after lip fillers.

1. Results Aren’t Permanent

Filler results don’t last forever because your body will metabolize the hyaluronic acid over time. Still, you can expect to enjoy your new look for six to nine months, and you can return for a quick touch-up treatment whenever you’re ready. Lip injections are an in-office procedure that’s minimally invasive and takes only a few minutes to perform.

2. Side Effects Are Minimal

You’ll see immediate results with lip fillers, but you may also have swelling, redness, and bruising around the injection sites. To help manage these side effects, wrap an ice pack in a clean cloth and apply it to your lips at 10-minute intervals. If you feel any pain, you can use an over-the-counter painkiller like Tylenol to manage it. However, avoid ibuprofen, which thins the blood.

3. Observe Activity Restrictions 

If you choose, you can return to work and other daily responsibilities after treatment. However, there are specific things you’ll need to avoid to minimize your chances of complications.

• Don’t do strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours after you get lip fillers. Elevated heart rate from exercise may make swelling or bruising worse. It’s OK to engage in light activities like walking.
• Steer clear of high-heat environments like saunas, Jacuzzis, or hot yoga classes for 48 hours after getting your injections. Heat can make swelling appear more pronounced. 
• Don’t smoke or drink alcohol before or after getting lip fillers. Smoking increases the risk of infection, while alcohol thins the blood and makes you more susceptible to bruising and swelling.
• You shouldn’t put makeup on your lips for 24 hours afterward.

4. Timing Is Essential

If you’re getting fillers in the lead-up to an event where you want to look your best, such as a wedding, vacation, or class reunion, you’ll want to give the fillers enough time to settle in and provide your desired look. This process can take up to four weeks, so be mindful of that when you schedule your appointment.

5. Choose Your Provider Wisely

The popularity of fillers has led many salons and medspas to offer them as a beauty treatment, even if the person performing the injections is not medically qualified to do so. Even for a treatment that seems relatively straightforward, you should be selective about who does your injections. A medical professional with skill at administering lip filler can make the process quick and nearly painless, while injecting precise amounts of filler into strategic areas to achieve the best – and safest – results.

The Best Place to Get Lip Fillers in San Francisco

If you’re looking for a provider of lip fillers in the greater Bay Area, Dr. Matarasso is here to meet with you for an in-person consultation to discuss your aesthetic goals. Please reach out to us today to learn more.

Thanks to social media, we’re all constantly seeing photos of women with voluminous, perfectly shaped lips. What’s their beauty secret? While it’s true that some people naturally have a defined upper lip and a generous lower lip, most of the photos you scroll through online are of women who have had their lips enhanced, either through dermal fillers or surgically. Here’s the skinny on how to get plump, youthful-looking lips in time for Valentine’s Day.

JUVÉDERM Lip Injections

We recommend a filler called JUVÉDERM for lip injections. This smooth gel can help plump the lips and create a more youthful, attractive shape for your mouth. By injecting precise quantities of this filler into targeted areas of your upper and lower lips using a fine needle, we can help enhance the overall size and shape of your lips, creating a perfectly kissable pout.

JUVÉDERM is formulated with hyaluronic acid, a substance your body produces naturally. Hyaluronic acid is naturally abundant in youthful skin, but you will make less of it over time as you age, which contributes to volume loss in various parts of your face. Hyaluronic acid’s unique ability to attract and retain large amounts of moisture helps your skin look plumper and more vibrant. When using this product for lip enhancement, we can create either subtle or dramatic results, depending on what you’re hoping to achieve.

What to Expect From Your Lip Injections

Your journey to luscious lips will begin with a consultation. During this one-on-one meeting, we will examine your face and answer questions about your cosmetic goals for your lip injections, including how dramatic you want your results to be. If you’re not sure, we recommend starting with a natural look. You can always work your way up to larger sizes with future touch-up treatments.

JUVÉDERM lip enhancement takes only a few minutes, and we perform it in our comfortable, well-appointed San Francisco office. If you choose, you can return to your regularly scheduled activities immediately after your injections, including going back to work. There are no stitches or scars involved, and the product is biocompatible, thus ensuring safety when used in a clinical setting. The most common risks are temporary bruising, swelling, and tenderness around the injection sites, which will resolve on their own in a day or two.

How Long Does JUVÉDERM Lip Enhancement Last?

Your body will eventually absorb the hyaluronic acid filler, which means the results of your lip injections will wear off over time. However, JUVÉDERM is a long-lasting filler, and you should be able to enjoy your new look for six to nine months. You can keep up your appearance by returning for periodic maintenance injections a couple of times a year.

Another advantage of JUVÉDERM is that it is reversible. If you decide you have gone overboard with your lip size, or you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your treatment for any reason, we can dissolve the filler with an injection of an enzyme called hyaluronidase.

Lip injections with filler are a good option for you if you have been weighing the pros and cons of surgical enhancements, such as a lip lift or vermilion lip advancement, but are not sure if you’re ready to commit to making a permanent change to your appearance. You can try on larger lips until you have decided whether you want to keep them for the long term by undergoing surgery.

Schedule Your No-Obligation Consultation

If you’re ready to get fuller, sexier lips to pucker up to your partner this Valentine’s Day, lip injections with JUVÉDERM are a zero-downtime option that can have you looking Instagram-worthy in less than an hour. Contact our San Francisco office to learn more and schedule a consultation.