Bumps and lumps after lip injections, should I massage them out? (Photo)

Consider sitting tight for all of your lip swelling to go down since your photo shows a pleasing lip appearance. If you have visible bumps, your doctor should be able to address your concerns. Wishing you well. Dr Joseph

Lip filler bumps is fairly common after filler.  The bumps can occur early on and many settle down.  Although massage after filler is considered a mainstay, beware that massage can drive the filler into another location if done too early.  
Reasons for bumps after filler:
Technique- Filler may have been used too superficially or wrong type of filler
Mouth movements- In some patients their movements can promote the accumulation of bumps and an alternative technique can be advocated.
Treating lip filler bumps:
Observation +/- massage-  Should be done for almost all lip filler bumps for 2 weeks.  For our patients we usually advocated massage after 48-72 hours to let the filler settle into place.
Reversal- A reversal agent can be used such as Vitrase to dissolve the filler if there is a large obvious persistent bump
Additional filler- An expert filler injector can used improved technique to mask the lip bumps.
The application of lip filler is very technical and should be done by an expert injector.

Thank you for sharing your question and photograph. It is difficult this early after your injections to know if the lumps will remain once your swelling resolves.  In general it is best to allow at least 2-3 weeks to pass over which most small bumps will soften and dissolve.  If there are particular areas of concern, see your injector for an in-person evaluation and reassurance. 

Don't simply massage your lips because these doctors should not be making such a recommendation to you.  You are swollen.  It is impossible to know at this moment what is swelling and what is fullness from too much product.  If you "massage" your lip you will simply be further traumatizing the lip and possibly moving the product out of the lip edge which will harm your long term result.  Massage does not "destroy" filler but it certainly can affect the result of a treatment.  You should continue to let the lips settle down and any irregularies present a week after the service should be carefully adjusted by your injector.  If you are seeing an issue at that point and your injector is not seeing your issue, you have the wrong injector.  

Massaging may help, and swelling is definitely normal post injection. If the bumps haven't gone away in a few more days, I'd suggest consulting with your injector to discuss the results. If necessary, the hyaluronic acid may be dissolved to get rid of the bumps.

Best, Dr. Emer

Your lip augmentation looks really nice. Congratulations. Massage can help if you're not too swollen. Icing is also helpful. I suggest you ask your injector about how much you should be massaging.Warmest regards, Dr. ALDO

Thank you for your question.  It is common to have some palpable lumps following injection with any filler.  The lumps are usually caused by inflammation from the track of the needle used to place the filler, or by inflammation from the slight displacement of your soft tissue by the filler.  Lumps can also occur because of a local reaction to the filler by your immune system.  Less commonly, lumps can be the result of poor injection technique, resulting in placement of too much filler in one spot, or injection of  a filler that is not completely hydrated, which will expand when it takes up water.  At 48 hours, the cause of the lumps can not be easily distinguished, however the most likely cause is inflammation, which will typically resolve by two weeks.  
I recommend you follow up with your injector if you are concerned.   Your injector may elect to gently massage the lumps or may leave them alone.  I also recommend  that patients leave the lumps alone and not massage for 2 weeks to see if they resolve on their own.  Because the most likely cause of the lumps is inflammation, regular massage will cause the inflammation to persist longer.  I also recommend you follow up with your injector if the lumps do not resolve by 2 weeks.  After 2 weeks, your injector may gently massage the lumps manually in the office, have you gently massage them at home, inject a steroid if they feel you have a nodule, or possibly inject hyaluronidase if they feel you need some of your filler dissolved.
I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question. It is common to have some bruising, swelling and bumps after lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid fillers which can last up to 2 weeks. Massaging your lips after injection is not necessary and can increase swelling. If you have any other concerns please follow up with your injector. Best of Luck!

Thank you for your question. It is common to have swelling and bumps after lip augmentation. This can take up 2 weeks to resolve. You can ice your lips to help reduce any swelling and massage the lumps to help smooth them out. If you are unhappy with your final results you have the filler dissolved with an enzyme known as hyaluronidase. Best of Luck!

I do not recommend doing any massaging on your own. Massage following lip injections is often unnecessary however if you are concerned, I would always advise following up with your injector to allow them to determine what, if anything, is necessary to improve the result. I think it is important to remember that you spent money and effort to achieve this result so I would recommend only allowing a professional to augment it in any way.