Will this swelling go down or will I have duck lips forever? (Photos)

Question

I’ve had lip fillers before but they’ve never been this swollen before. I got them done a day and a half a go! I haven’t been taken pain killers or anything to make swelling worse. Please tell me it will go down and look less hard?

Joseph J. Castellano, MD · Answer

Sorry to hear you’re having a different experience this time around than when you got fillers in the past. The good news is that the swelling in your photos appears to be a normal side effect of lip fillers and should gradually diminish on its own over the next two weeks. Our lips are such a delicate area that it can be hard to predict how they will react to fillers, even if you’ve had them before. Try not to stress over your results just yet. If you’re still not loving the way they turned out after the two-week mark, talk with your provider about your options. But hopefully the swelling goes down and you’re happy with your outcome.

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You are asking if the swelling from lip fillers will go down as they are swollen a day-and-a-half after treatment. You indicate you’ve had lip filler before.
I can certainly give you some guidance about this, with just your one photo, and without a physical exam. I’m a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Fellowship-trained Oculoplastic Surgeon. I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I perform lip enhancement often in my practice, using softer hyaluronic acid fillers from the Restylane and Juvederm families. I also use blunt cannulas and minimal entry points to deliver the filler, while reducing reactive swelling due to needles and excessive pokes to enter the lips.
You indicate that you have had lip fillers in the past, but you don’t indicate if this has happened before, if you have changed doctors, or changed filler material. If this hasn’t happened to you before, then doctor and their technique has changed, or the material has changed. Lip filler application technique can vary widely between doctors, so the number of pokes with the needle, using needles instead of cannulas, and the locations of the entry points can all affect temporary swelling. If the right amount of filler was used, swelling can be due to the reaction of the needle, not necessarily too much filler material used. However, if you have changed doctors, and your new doctor used more material than your previous one, then the swelling can also be due to excess filler.
Since you indicate doing lip filler in the past, and worry that the effect of your current filler is “forever”. It sounds like you do have experience with hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane and Juvederm, which do need maintenance as they are safely metabolized by the body with time. If you had a hyaluronic acid filler placed, then it can be safely dissolved with the injectable enzyme hyaluronidase immediately, or safely and gradually metabolized by the body with time. If you had another filler material placed like a semi-permanent or permanent filler, these are not easy to remove, and can in the body long-term. I don’t recommend semi-permanent or permanent filler to be applied anywhere because they can’t be reversed easily, and not all the material may be removed even with multiple removal surgeries.
I do hope you used a hyaluronic acid filler so it can be reversed easily if results are not to your liking. I just hope you didn’t change to a longer lasting filler material, where the tradeoff for reducing maintenance procedures is a material that is not as safe, and more difficult to remove. I suggest you meet with your doctor for dissolving, or discuss other options if you had a semi-permanent or permanent filler placed in your lips. I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for your question.

Salinda Johnson, MD · Answer

Hello!
It is easy to panic after lip filler treatment, as they can swell a lot. Gentle ice packs, using a clean tea towel and antihistamine may help reduce the swelling. Most filler swelling will settle after 2-4 weeks. If it is hyaluronic acid filler, rest assured that it is unlikely that you will feel 'duck like' forever.
Best wishes,
Dr Salinda Johnson

Shaun Patel, MD · Answer

Swelling and bruising are common after lip filler treatment. It make take 7-10 days for the swelling to resolve.

Christine Gould, MD · Answer

Hello! The answer is Yes. Your swelling will subside in a few days and the hardness that you are experiencing with soften and smooth out. You can take bromelain for the swelling and continue to ice throughout the rest of the day today. You will see a marked improvement in a few days.

Will this swelling go down or will I have duck lips forever? (Photos)

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Will this swelling go down or will I have duck lips forever? (Photos)

Answers (7)

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Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.