Restylane to Tear Trough, Clear and Brilliant Permea and Excel V Laser for Venous Lake - New York, NY

I have had a prominent venous lake on my lower lip for many years that was slowly growing and I wanted to have that taken off. I also have sun damage to my skin - had permea clear and brilliant laser for that and this was my second treatment (no before and after photos of the first treatment). I have prominent darkening under my eyes which has gotten worse in the last six months.

I'm posting photos of before and after today without makeup and with. The clear and brilliant permea really helped shrink my pores the first time I had it done but found it didn't do much for darkened pigmentation or redness. I don't find it painful. My face was numbed with topical lidocaine for a 1/2 hour before.

The restylane to tear trough hurt a bit despite the numbing. I think that I was under filled on the left side. The doctor really focused on my right eye thinking it needed more. I won't know for sure until the swelling subsides. It did lessen the dark areas under my eyes but didn't fully fix the issue and I knew going into this that I have hereditary issues with under eye darkness. I'm very bruised on the right side and not as bruised or swollen on the left - the left doesn't look much different to me. The doc used two syringes and this procedure cost the most at $1500

Right now I see very little change to my venous lake from the excel v treatment. That had to be zapped three times and it did hurt (they don't numb the area as it effects the outcome) but it was over very quickly and they put ice on it post treatment. It was pretty sore. She said I will need a second treatment. I was told to expect a scab and swelling. So far it is just discolored and slightly swollen.

So yesterday, until later in the day, I was fine but at around 8 p.m. (9 hours after treatment) my face began swelling and hasn't stopped despite icing and sleeping with my head propped. I called the doctor this morning and was prescribed prednisone. Just took first dose and I'm hoping it will help because the swelling is effecting my eye sight. Nurse said that it should reduce the swelling within hours. I truly hope it does. I do not believe that this is the normal amount of swelling after this treatment and that I'm having a bad reaction. I'm posting a photo but unfortunately photos don't do the amount of swelling justice. It's so much worse...

Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for this treatment. Someone I know well had it done and she experienced swelling and bruising but not like this. She didn't do anything special. When I was researching how to treat the sweeping I came across some things I wish I had known: Stop taking all meds that thin your blood prior to treatment (ibuprofen, aspirin, vit. E, etc) Make sure you get iced before and after treatment for a while and continue icing till you go to sleep. Take oral arnica and bromelain 500 mg bid before and after.

I slept with my head elevated and iced my face which didn't help me. I think my reaction is beyond what the above could help... which is why I called the doctor but I think there should be a basic standard for having this procedure done and that anyone getting it done needs to be aware of it.

So it's day three. Yesterday I took 40 mg of prednisone at around 10:30 a.m. It definitely helped stop the swelling from continuing and by the end of the day it had gone down. This morning the swelling is better but still there and my face looks deformed. The swelling is softer and if I touch the area it feels like there is water under the skin. I'm supposed to take another 40 mg of prednisone this morning.

The Excel V to my lower lip venous lake is still a work in progress. My lip is very swollen this morning and I've been having mild shooting pains in the area of the venous lake on and off since last night. They are very mild.

It's been three days and today the swelling is finally more manageable. Still puffy and uneven but I look more like myself than I have in days. I took prednisone day after procedure and yesterday which helped tremendously. I also started arnica and bromelian yesterday - little late but I think it helped too. Wish I had known about it before hand. Here's a pic with make up but without, my skin looks pretty good. The Clear and Brilliant treatments are wonderful - really shrink pores and even skin tone. I can still see the venous lake in my lip but it is much fainter. I still have strange zinging kind of pains in that area of my lip but they aren't bad. Lower lip is still swollen.

I'm a bit worried about having nodules/lumps where the restylane was injected as I can see the unevenness of my skin in the area where she placed it but I won't know until the swelling is completely gone. Hoping it is not an issue!