Will Swelling Be Inevitable After Restylane Injection Under the Eyes?

Dear Fiona
It is absolutely normal to have some degree of swelling under the eyes after an under eye Restylane treatment. If there is no brusing and if your have good skin integrity, then typically the swelling settles down in about 40 hours. Recognize that the treatment is placed by a tiny needle. This means that you can bruise.
The bruise can be a little skin bruise that lasts a couple of days (common 20% incidence) to something resembling a huge black eye, shinner, etc. These are rare occurring 2% of the time or less but here is the thing, it either happens to you or it does not. It is a risk of the procedure. However, this risk can be reduced by avoiding medicines that thin the blood like aspirin and ibuprofen before treatment, also many herbal products thin the blood.
In addition to looking unsightly, bruises bring their own swelling and this swelling does not go away until every element of the bruise is gone plus a couple of days. Is it worth taking this risk? Having treated thousands of patients, I can tell you absolutely. The results last well over a year and have a profound benefit to making the eyes and face look so much more youthful. So avoid things that will increase your risk of bruising. Be aware of your social calender before treatment and get treatment well before important social functions.

The treatment of the under eye area is considered off-label, but can be done by skilled injectors. You will more than likely experience some degree of swelling. The amount and duration of swelling varies from person to person and can depend on the amount of product used. You will also likely have some bruising as this area is very vascular. The swelling and bruising can last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. I usually advise my patients not to have injectable treatments done within 2 weeks of an important event to allow time for resolution of any bruising and swelling.

Like any other area treated, some swelling should be expected when the tear troughs are treated. It should last just a couple of weeks, and you can help control the amount of swelling by following your injector’s post-care instructions, such as avoiding vigorous physical activity on the day of and after your treatment, as well as refraining from touching the area.