Time should resolve bruising after Restylane lip injections

Wilfred Brown, MD answers: How do I treat bruising after lip augmentation with Restalyn?

I had Restalyn injected in my lips yesterday. I made it clear to my practitioner that i wanted the results to be very subtle, that I was starting a new senior job next week and did not want to deal with any bruising or freakish swelling. They assured me that it would be fine and that I could even go out that same night. They also promised to be very restrained in how much they used - saying that i could always inject more later. Well, going anywhere is not a possibility and I'm really worried about my first week at work.

The biggest problem is the duck like appearance, an imbalance between my top and bottom lip and, most importantly, severe bruising which has turned the left side of my bottom lip black. Oddly enough my top lip is totally fine ( although they did do more injections on the bottom) I'm icing all the time, taking Benadryl and Arnica, and sleeping upright. I think the swelling will probably be gone by Tuesday ( start day) but I'm worried about the black bruising. It's even on my skin next to my lip. is there anything at all I can do to make the blackness dissipate? I can't even cover it with concealer. Does anyone know of any make-up that can cover black and blue lips? It almost looks like they're bleeding black and blue


Wilfred Brown, MD
9 months ago
By Wilfred Brown, MD - Connecticut Plastic Surgeon

Bruising following Restylane injections to the lips are very common, and often don't become evident until this next day. The lips are highly vascular, and the inadvertant injury to a small vessel is the norm rather than the exception. To minimize the risk of excessive bruising I suggest you ice your lips both before and after the procedure.

I do not feel that Arnica is beneficial in this scenario, and am not aware of any studies demonstrating its efficacy. Benedryl probably would not be helpful, because this is unlikely to be an allergic type reaction.

Time will usually resolve the bruising issue. If excessive fullness is noted once the bruising has resolved, then Hyaluronidase can be injected into the lip, which will remove the Restylane.

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