Your visit · by treatment

The week either side.

Most of what determines how a treatment goes happens outside the room. Here is what to do before and after each one, and the short list of things that mean pick up the phone now.

Cedar & Glow / Before & after

Before injectables

No aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo or high-dose turmeric for a week, if a doctor has not told you to take them. No alcohol for twenty-four hours. All of those thin the blood and all of them increase bruising.

7 days

Bruising

After injectables

Upright for four hours, no exercise for twenty-four, no facial massage or facedown massage for two weeks. Arnica helps a little; ice helps more. Bruising, if it happens, peaks at day two and clears by day seven to ten.

—

Upright 4 hr

Before laser

Four weeks with no deliberate sun and no self-tan. Stop retinoids five days before. Prophylactic antivirals if you get cold sores, prescribed at the consult.

4 wk

No sun

After laser

Two weeks out of the sun, SPF 30 or higher daily, and no picking at anything that flakes. Brown spots darken before they leave, which is the treatment working and looks alarming on day three.

2 wk

No picking

Before microneedling

Stop retinoids five days before, no exfoliating acids for three days. Arrive with a clean face and thirty minutes of numbing built into the appointment.

5 days

Clean face

After microneedling

No makeup and no exercise for twenty-four hours. Sweat in open microchannels is the one real infection risk here. Gentle cleanser and a plain moisturiser only, for three days.

24 hr

No sweat

Ring us now Blanching or
white patches
after filler

Pain that
increases
after 24 hours

Vision change
of any kind

Any of the three:
(520) 555-0155
then the ER

The three that are not wait-and-see

Almost nothing after these treatments is an emergency. Three things are, and they all relate to filler.

Blanching. A patch of skin that goes white, or develops a dusky, mottled, net-like pattern, in the hours after filler. This can indicate a vascular occlusion: product compressing or entering a vessel and cutting off blood supply to the tissue it feeds.

Pain that increases. Discomfort after filler should decrease steadily from the moment you leave. Pain that is worse at hour twelve than at hour two is the other main sign of the same problem.

Any change in vision. Extremely rare and the most serious complication in aesthetics. Blurring, a shadow, or loss of vision after any facial injection is an immediate emergency.

In all three cases: ring (520) 555-0155, at any hour, and if there is any delay in reaching us go to the emergency department. Hyaluronidase reverses a hyaluronic acid occlusion and it works best within hours. This is why the question “is hyaluronidase on site and in date” is the most useful thing you can ask any injector anywhere.

What is completely normal

Bruising after filler or a needle near the eye. Small firm lumps in lips for up to two weeks. Swelling that is worse on the morning of day two than it was on day one. Asymmetry at day three, which is almost always swelling rather than placement.

None of those need a phone call, though you are welcome to make one. All of them are why the follow-up appointment is at two weeks rather than at three days.

Asked often.

How do I avoid bruising after filler?

Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo and high-dose turmeric for a week beforehand unless a doctor prescribed them, and no alcohol for twenty-four hours. Ice afterwards helps more than arnica does.

How long does filler swelling last?

It is worst on the morning of day two, largely settled by day five, and completely settled by two weeks. Asymmetry at day three is nearly always swelling rather than placement, which is why the follow-up is at two weeks.

What are the warning signs after dermal filler?

Blanching or a mottled net-like pattern in the skin, pain that increases rather than decreases after the first day, and any change in vision. Any of the three means ring immediately and go to the emergency department if there is a delay.

Can I exercise after Botox or filler?

Not for twenty-four hours, and stay upright for the first four after injectables. After microneedling, no exercise for a full day, because sweat in open microchannels is the one real infection risk.

Why do brown spots get darker after laser?

Because the treatment is working. The pigment is drawn toward the surface, darkens for about a week, and then flakes away. It looks alarming on day three and it must not be picked at.

Any hour, any question.

(520) 555-0155. Nobody has ever been told they should not have rung, and the three on this page are why.

Book a consult Find the adobe

The three that are not wait-and-see

What is completely normal

Asked often.

Read next.

Any hour, any question.