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How Do I Treat Bruising After Lip Augmentation with Restalyn?

asked 3 years ago by black and blue in canada
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 31,457 times
Tags: bruising, side effects

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

14 answers to How Do I Treat Bruising After Lip Augmentation with Restalyn?

You are doing everything you should be doing

Dear Black and Blue, Keep doing what you are doing. Unfortunately you were not given the proper information. There is always a possibility of bruising and swelling and you should have been informed so you would have been prepared for the outcome. The bruising and swelling should subside over the next few days.

Chia Chi Kao, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Allow for bruising

Careful technique can minimize bruising, of course. Also Juvederm may be a better choice for patients who experience bruising and swelling with Restylane. As hyaluronic acid fillers have become longer lasting and thicker, the complications from injections have increased. In all patients who need to be "camera ready", we recommend 48 hours-72 hours of down time, "just in case". Also, for a patient's first injection, we often recommend Prevelle, which does not last as... more

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Dermablend or CoverMark are good coverup makeups

You are doing everything you can at this point. I would recommend not taking any alcohol drinks or aspirin nor advil for at least 5 days before your next injection session. Don't blame the restylane or the physician for the bruising. It happens regardless to the best of us physicians from time to time. It doesn't mean that it will happen next time so don't give up on fillers for your lips unless you want to go to the permanent (but reversible) implants that look and feel very natural. ... more

David Hansen, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

Time should resolve bruising after Restylane lip injections

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... more

Wilfred Brown, MD
Fairfield Plastic Surgeon

Bruising will subside with time

Bruising is a commong problem when injecting the lips. Over the years I have found that it is very important to avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, alleve and other anti-inflammatories for at least a week before your treatment. Alcohol, vitamin E supplements and gingko can also make you bruise more easily. Regardless of the technique, bruising is common and you are doing the right thing to ice and take benadryl for the swelling. The swelling seen with Restylane will subside over the first two days... more

Brenda Dintiman, MD
Fairfax Dermatologic Surgeon

Lip augmentation

It is almost impossible to completely avoid bruising when augmenting the lips. The lip tissue is very delicate and filled with blood vessels. Apply your ice packs for 5 minutes every half hour for the first 8 hours and sleep upright as you are doing. You may apply Arnica cream and take the Arnica tablets. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen in the first 24 hours after your treatment, as that may increase your bruising. Bruising may last up to one week in some people. If you have severe... more

Jordana Gilman, MD
New York Dermatologic Surgeon

Black and Blue

Ice and elevation are usually the 2 best things for the first few days. I am not a big fan of arnica and allt he other herbals that are out there. Make-up and lipstick can help camouflage the brusiing on the skin and the lips.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Facial Fillers and Bruising: Arnica, BruisKare, Sinecch, Massage

There are two things to do if you experience bruising with facial fillers or other injectables: 1. Speed up the rate of recovery from bruising by employing the following treatments: Arnica tablets: BruiseKare; Sinecch, Homeopathic arnica montana Arnica ointment: BruiseStick ointment Massage 2. Prevent future bruising by speaking to your physician prior to performing your next treatment about the above-mentioned pre-procedural treatments: Arnica tablets: BruiseKare, Sinecch,... more

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Bruising

There is always a possibility of bruising post treatment. However, it can be minimized with proper technique and managed further with the use of arnica.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

Bruising and Swelling after Restylane

Greetings~ Unfortunately, it is really not uncommon to bruise or have swelling after Restylane injections. Despite taking great care and every precaution prior to injecting and immediately afterward, there is always a chance and patients need to be informed of this and prepared. Even if you've had injections before and had no bruising or swelling, each time is different. To minimize your chances of bruising, stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, CoQ10,... more

Grant Stevens, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Pulsed Dye Lasers for Bruising

We often have patients come to us with bruising issues like the one you describe because practices around us know that we are using a pulsed dye laser to resolve the injection bruises in a matter of days. It is not commonly known that using pulsed dye lasers can resolve injection bruising very quickly. We generally reverse any injection bruising within 3 days by using low fluence pulsed dye laser treatments. The laser is designed to treat vascular lesions such as Rosacea and port wine... more

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after Restylane to lip

We inform patients that there is a small risk of swelling and bruising after Restylane injections to the lips (a risk with any injection). Immediate ice application afterwards, Sineech, avoiding aspirin, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and vitamin E are all measures that can reduce the risk. If a patient has an important function soon, it may be more prudent to wait until after the event. Rarely, some female patients will get more swelling than usual after Restylane injection... more

Corey S. Maas, MD
San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon

Prevention is key - You can always take away Restylane with an injection

Prevention is the key to bruising and bleeding. You should always stop high dose vitamin E, anti-inflammatories, aspirin, herbal medication, supplements and any blood thinners 2 weeks before and after your injection or procedures. These are elements that affect your body's ability to clot your blood. Hence, if you are on these things during the time of your injection, you will have more of a chance for bleeding and bruising. I also never suggest Arnica. I recently did a literature... more

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

You are doing all the right things, but make sure to avoid any aspirin, advil or aleve while healing

This is common, even with good physicians. The only thing that is a shame is that the doctor didn't tell you to not do it. If a patient tells me that they have a major event coming up, I tell them to avoid restylane in the lips prior to it for 2 weeks because it is always a possibility to have bruising and swelling. The good thing is that the swelling typically goes away soon (maybe 3 days), but the bruising is probably with you for about 2 weeks. We sell a good makeup at our office,... more