Why Are my Cheeks and Lips Swollen After Restylane?

Before any filler treatment you should be informed by your surgeon about possible swelling and bruising around the injection sites. To minimize the chance of swelling it is recommended to ice the area up to two hours after the injection. Restylene is made out of the hyaluronic acid, which attracts water. Therefore, the feeling of puffiness and swelling is quite normal. It should resolve within a week or so. Some patients also feel some lumps under the skin and also experience bruising. In that case it is recommended to gently massage the site.

Thank you for your question. It is very common for the injected areas including the lips to look
over corrected or fake the next day. This is worse if there is bruising. This is due to all the swelling
that ensues. In the lips, for example, I often tell my patients that this
is the "oh my gosh" day. It can be 'oh my gosh' my lips are so
swollen! It could also be 'oh my gosh' I love my lips even more than
yesterday. Either way, the swelling may last a few days with every day
showing a decrease
in swelling. The more you ice the first day or two, the less swelling
you will have. I would wait a few days to a week and then return to
your injector if you still have concerns after that. If you like the
look of the lips at some point during the swelling reduction, then take a
picture. This way you know what volume you like in the lips for the
future.

Swelling is a very common side effect of any injection treatment, regardless of the product injected. This is something that reputable injectors always inform patients about prior to treatment, along with bruising and instructions on aftercare. I’m surprised that you weren’t aware of the possibility of swelling. Fortunately, it does subside within a couple of weeks.