Dermal Fillers Aftercare & Recovery

Please follow these instructions carefully after your treatment. Correct aftercare helps support healing, reduces avoidable irritation and ensures that any possible complication is recognised promptly.

These instructions apply to hyaluronic-acid facial fillers. Advice given directly by your practitioner for your specific treatment, product or treatment area takes priority over this general guide.

Contact the clinic promptly if you have any concerns, even if you are unsure whether your symptoms are normal.

For a non-urgent concern, or if you are unsure whether something needs attention, you can also call NHS 111 (free, 24/7).

A guide only — everyone heals at their own pace.

Most symptoms are mild and settle on their own — here's how to stay comfortable:

Avoiding makeup and unnecessary touching during the initial period may help reduce contamination and irritation at the injection sites.

Until the initial redness and swelling have settled, avoid:

Heat and vigorous activity can make swelling, redness and bruising more noticeable. Swimming pools, saunas and steam rooms should be avoided until the initial skin reaction has settled.

After the first 12 hours, you may gently cleanse the skin using clean hands and a mild cleanser. For the first few days:

• Pat the skin dry rather than rubbing it
• Use clean towels and pillowcases
• Avoid scrubs and exfoliating brushes
• Avoid chemical exfoliants directly over the entry points
• Avoid retinoids and strong active skincare over irritated skin
• Avoid waxing, threading or hair-removal products over the treated area
• Do not squeeze spots or blemishes close to the injection sites
• Avoid facials, facial massage, microneedling, chemical peels, laser or energy-based treatments over the area until it has healed and your practitioner confirms it is appropriate

Wear appropriate sun protection once the injection sites have closed and the skin can tolerate it.

Some swelling is expected and may be more noticeable the following morning. To help manage it:

Persistent or delayed swelling should be reviewed by the practitioner rather than treated at home without advice.

Bruising is common after injectable treatment and may extend beyond the precise area treated. Bruising may:

• Appear immediately or develop the following day
• Become darker before it begins to fade
• Look different on each side
• Take up to approximately two weeks to settle

Do not massage, press or repeatedly examine a bruise.

Temporary firmness, minor lumpiness or unevenness may occur while swelling settles and the filler integrates into the tissue.

Only massage if you have been given specific instructions for your exact product and treatment area.

Filler-related lumps and nodules can appear immediately or may develop weeks or months later, so persistent or delayed changes should be assessed properly.

Lip filler

Lips commonly swell more than other facial areas, and swelling may be worse the following morning. Until normal sensation has returned: avoid very hot or very cold food and drinks, take care not to bite or burn the lips, avoid unnecessary pressure or manipulation, and do not massage unless instructed. Contact the clinic if you develop tingling, blistering or symptoms of a cold sore — lip injections can trigger a herpes or cold-sore outbreak in susceptible clients and treatment may be required.

Tear-trough filler

The under-eye area is particularly prone to swelling and bruising. Swelling may be more noticeable the following morning, and bruising can sometimes resemble a black eye. Do not rub or massage beneath the eyes, avoid pressure from sleep masks or tight goggles, and avoid aggressive under-eye skincare until the skin has settled. Contact the clinic if puffiness is persistent, increasing or accompanied by pain or colour change. Persistent swelling here should be reviewed rather than repeatedly massaged at home.

Cheek filler

Mild tenderness, swelling and temporary differences between the two sides may occur. Avoid sleeping directly on the cheeks where possible, do not press or attempt to reshape the filler, and avoid facial massage until cleared by your practitioner.

Chin and jawline filler

Temporary tenderness, firmness and swelling may occur, particularly when touching, speaking or chewing. Avoid resting your chin heavily in your hand, avoid tight chin straps, helmets or garments that press directly on the treated area, and do not massage unless specifically instructed.

Nasolabial and marionette-line filler

The area may feel firm or tender when smiling or moving the mouth. Avoid repeated pressure or manipulation, do not massage unless directed, and report increasing pain, unusual colour change or significant asymmetry.

Temple filler

Some tenderness or mild headache may occur, but severe or increasing pain is not normal. Contact the clinic immediately if you experience severe temple pain, visual disturbance, a drooping eyelid, weakness, confusion or unusual neurological symptoms.

Non-surgical nose filler

The nose is a higher-risk area because of its blood-vessel anatomy. Do not press or manipulate the nose, wear tight glasses over the treated area unless approved, massage the nose, or attempt to correct the result yourself. Contact the clinic immediately for increasing pain, blanching, mottling, unusual colour change or any visual symptom.

Facial injections, particularly around the lips, can trigger a cold-sore outbreak in clients who carry the herpes simplex virus. Contact the clinic if you develop tingling, burning, itching, blisters, crusting, or an outbreak that is more severe than usual.

Do not pick the area or share lip products, towels, cutlery or drinks while an active cold sore is present.

Infection may not appear immediately — it can develop several days after treatment. Contact Layali Clinic promptly if you develop:

Do not apply leftover antibiotics or attempt to drain the area yourself.

Allow the initial swelling and bruising to settle before assessing your result. Your practitioner may arrange a review to:

Do not arrange corrective treatment, additional filler or dissolving treatment elsewhere before Layali Clinic has had the opportunity to assess you. Additional filler should not be added simply to correct temporary swelling or early asymmetry.

Please contact Layali Clinic if:

• You are worried about any symptom
• Pain is greater than expected
• Swelling is severe or persistent
• Redness or warmth is increasing
• You develop a lump or hard nodule
• You develop a cold sore
• Your result changes after initially settling
• You develop illness or infection
• You are unhappy or uncertain about the healing process

Photographs and telephone advice may help with initial triage, but some complications require a face-to-face clinical assessment.