Why aftercare matters as much as technique
Hyaluronic acid is a substance your own body produces and which, in aesthetic medicine, is used as an injectable gel to restore volume, soften folds or harmonize a profile. It is a resorbable material: the body breaks it down over time, so the effect is temporary. That feature, together with the fact that an enzyme exists that can dissolve it, sets it apart from permanent fillers and from the so-called biopolymers, which should not be used for aesthetic purposes. Even so, applying it is a medical act, and an important part of the safety and of the result depends on what happens outside the office: how you arrive at the session and how you take care of yourself afterwards.
Before: the conversation with your doctor
During the medical assessment you will go over your full medical history, and there honesty works in your favor. Tell your doctor if you have autoimmune diseases, if there is an active infection, inflammatory acne or lesions in the area to be treated, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and if you have ever reacted badly to a filler. It is essential that you mention any substance that has been applied to your face before, even if you don't remember the name or it was years ago: that changes the plan and the risk. If you get cold sores frequently, say so too, because lip filler can reactivate them and prevention is sometimes prescribed.
Also bring the list of everything you take, including supplements. Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs, anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen, and some supplements such as vitamin E, omega 3, ginkgo or garlic in high doses can increase the tendency to bruise. Paracetamol does not have that effect and is usually the preferred painkiller in this context. And one warning worth repeating: never stop a prescribed medication on your own. If you take aspirin or an anticoagulant on the instructions of your cardiologist or another specialist, only that doctor can decide whether it should be changed; if it cannot be stopped, the procedure is usually still possible, simply bearing in mind that bruising will be more likely.
How to prepare in the days beforehand
- Avoid alcohol the night before: it encourages bleeding and swelling.
- Arrive with clean skin and no makeup on the area, if possible.
- Don't schedule the treatment right before an important event or a trip: swelling and bruises need their days.
- Mention it if you have a dental appointment, a vaccine or a laser or radiofrequency treatment on the same area coming up; the right interval is decided in consultation.
- Make sure you are seen by a doctor, in a healthcare setting and with a product that has a valid health registration. This is not an administrative detail: it is your main safety net.
What to expect in the first few hours
Once the session is over, it is normal to see redness, swelling, some tenderness to the touch, small bruises and, at times, irregularities that can be felt and then settle. On the lips and around the eyes the swelling is usually more noticeable, because the skin is thinner and has a rich blood supply: don't be alarmed if the next day you see a lip that is more swollen than you expected. In general, the swelling is greater in the first few days and then gradually subsides.
Stay calm, avoid pressing or handling the area and don't self-medicate with anti-inflammatories without asking first. If your doctor recommends it, gentle cold helps; always apply it with a cloth barrier and never ice directly on the skin. Mild itching can be part of the process, but if intense itching with hives appears, swelling that keeps growing or any difficulty breathing, that is not expected and you must seek advice.
What to avoid in the first few days
- Intense exercise for the first 48 hours, because it increases blood flow and can accentuate swelling and bruising.
- Strong heat: sauna, steam room, very hot showers and prolonged direct sun exposure.
- Pressure on the area: sleeping face down, resting your face on something, wearing heavy glasses if the bridge of the nose was treated.
- Makeup during the first 24 hours, to give the entry points time to close and to lower the risk of infection. After that, apply it gently and with clean brushes.
- Massages, device-based procedures or facial treatments on the area, unless your doctor expressly recommends them.
Warning signs: when to seek help without waiting
Serious complications are uncommon, but recognizing them in time changes everything. Seek help immediately, without waiting to see whether it improves on its own, if you notice:
- Intense, increasing pain, or pain out of proportion to what you were told to expect.
- An area of skin that is whitish or pale, or a net-like purple pattern that does not look like a common bruise.
- Visual changes: blurred vision, loss of vision, eye pain or a drooping eyelid.
- Fever, local heat, discharge or swelling that increases as the days go by instead of going down.
Blanching and disproportionate pain may indicate a vascular occlusion, that is, that the product has compromised the circulation of an area. There is an enzyme, hyaluronidase, that dissolves hyaluronic acid and is the treatment of choice in that scenario; the fact that it exists does not mean everything is always resolved, because the outcome depends greatly on how quickly action is taken. That is why the message is to act now: contact your doctor and, if there are visual symptoms or the situation is progressing, go to an emergency department.
Late complications and follow-up
Weeks or even months later, nodules, delayed inflammation or asymmetries may appear; in very superficial areas, a bluish tone known as the Tyndall effect. None of that is corrected at home or with massages done on your own. If something doesn't convince you, come back to the office: there we assess whether it is better to wait, adjust or partially dissolve. And in any case, avoid going to people without medical training or to places where they cannot tell you with certainty what they are injecting.
In the medium term, the care is the usual: daily sun protection, not smoking and a suitable skincare routine. Don't do it because the sun "melts" the filler, but because looking after the quality of your skin is what sustains a natural result over time. How long the effect lasts varies depending on the area, the type of product, the amount and your own metabolism, so the sensible thing is to set expectations and follow-up visits during the assessment, not according to how long it lasted for someone else.
How we support the process in consultation
In our practice we insist on something simple: a good result starts with an honest assessment, where your history is reviewed, the real risks are explained and we decide whether hyaluronic acid is the best option for what you want to achieve, or whether it isn't. If you want to keep reading, take a look at our section on facial treatments, the guide to non-surgical rhinomodeling and the information on hyaluronic acid Bogotá.
Every face and every medical history is different, and no article replaces an in-person review. If you are thinking about a filler or have doubts about one you have already had, we invite you to book an assessment.
