Lip augmentation: about the procedure
Lip augmentation using contouring and intramuscular injection of hyaluronic acid is a popular procedure that helps make the appearance more attractive. The natural drug is well absorbed by the body and is not rejected when administered. Hyaluronic acid injections add volume to the lips depending on the injection site and change their shape. Using this method, you can easily correct any defects, including asymmetry, adhesions and scars in the mouth area.
Know the contraindications
Dermal fillers are a safe and effective treatment, but there are always risks associated with any injection procedure. Your doctor will discuss this carefully with you before starting treatment. But it is important to know the contraindications after you leave the treatment room. If you experience bruising that begins to spread, unusual or ongoing pain. Excessive heat in the area or generally feeling unwell. Seek advice and help from your cosmetic specialist immediately!
First days
To correct the contour of the lips, various drugs are used, which differ in composition. There are silicone and biopolymer gels, as well as substances based on collagen or hyaluronic acid. Recently, biopolymer gels and other synthetic drugs are losing their relevance due to the fact that they cause the greatest number of complications.
The most commonly used is hyaluronic acid, which helps the body restore its hydrolipid balance, stimulates rejuvenation processes and is gradually eliminated from the body naturally.
Regardless of the naturalness of the components, injections used for contouring are perceived by the human body as a foreign substance. Therefore, in the first days after the procedure, some unpleasant symptoms occur, which then disappear. These include:
- slight swelling and swelling at the injection sites;
- local redness;
- hemorrhages in the puncture area;
- painful sensations.
A preliminary sensitivity test to serum components helps to minimize such a reaction. A slight swelling of the tissue occurs in any case. This is the body's response to the use of a substance. This effect goes away on its own after 2-3 days. To alleviate the condition, special tonic compresses with ice are used. They are applied for 2-3 minutes at intervals of 2-3 hours.
After administration of the drug, the redness inside the border of the lips is noticeably greater, but after a few hours this effect disappears on its own. If the symptoms do not go away, it is better for the patient to consult a doctor for additional advice.
Before the procedure itself, a special anesthetic cream is applied, but the injection may still cause discomfort. During the first three days after injections, painful bruises may remain on the lips, and swelling disappears after a week. In order not to damage your lips, which are already injured as a result of the procedure, to alleviate your condition and speed up healing, you should not use decorative cosmetics, go to a bathhouse or sauna, or other places with temperature changes in the first 7 days.
Sign up for an inspection
The one-week check-up is an important part of the injection process. After two weeks, your lips have acquired a new shape. Your esthetician can review them to make sure you are happy with the results! This is a great opportunity for you to ask any additional questions. About your results and add your before and after photos - they are always nice to look at!
If you would like to learn more about cosmetic injectables or would like to book a free consultation. Visit our cosmetic skin clinic today or call.
Temperature
Heat or extreme cold negatively affects the structure of the gel, which is only absorbed by the body during the first seven days. Because of this, punctures on the skin do not heal well, and minor damage occurs inside the soft tissues of the lips. Such wounds can become an excellent environment for the appearance of pathogenic bacteria.
Under the influence of inflammatory mediators, blood vessels dilate, and blood flows more and more to the soft tissues. The already existing swelling can become much greater due to the characteristics of hyaluronic acid. It attracts water molecules to itself, causing lymph to accumulate.
Low temperatures affect the gel itself. Because of them, it is distributed unevenly, and the skin itself becomes excessively dry. Lack of water stimulates the healing process to slow down. The edges of injection wounds may crack.
The elimination of the drug can be slowed down by maintaining the correct temperature. Do not overheat in the sun, go to the solarium or bathhouse. Additionally, refrain from drinking hot or cold drinks, as well as any food, for at least the first 4-10 hours after lip contouring.
Too spicy and salty foods can stimulate blood circulation and cause fluid retention in the skin.
Apply ice immediately after treatment
After dermal filler, it is normal to experience some swelling. Your esthetician will provide you with some ice to reduce the amount of swelling that occurs. Apply every 5-10 minutes as needed, up to six hours. It's also important to keep in mind that this initial fullness will decrease as the swelling subsides to reveal your natural new look. It may take several treatments to achieve your desired lip size.
Massage lips according to instructions
Your esthetician will advise you on how and when to massage to help create a natural-looking end result. Sometimes you may be asked not to massage them at all. It is extremely important to follow the cosmetologist's recommendations! If you are not sure when you will return home, call the treatment clinic for clarification.
The main advice of a cosmetologist: buy Bepanten from your pharmacy to help massage your lips. The antibacterial properties of this product (typically used on babies' soft skin) are ideal for healing and reducing potential flaking.
How to care for lips after augmentation
What is possible and what is not
After introducing the drug into the lip contour, it is prohibited:
- use active lip expression, smile widely or open your mouth;
- make physical efforts with your lips to bite off hard foods (for example, fruit or apples);
- visit the dentist and other specialists where you need to open your mouth wide.
The muscles of the mouth that are located after contouring during the rehabilitation period become tense, which leads to stretching of the skin. In the first 34-48 hours, the injected gel is gradually distributed among the cells inside the soft tissues. Due to active facial expressions and articulation, the substance can fill the cavities unevenly, skew and the occurrence of asymmetry and various compactions are possible.
To avoid this, you should protect your lips from any physical activity during the first 5-7 days. This is why you should not visit the dentist or other doctors during this period. A wide open mouth puts undue stress on the lips.
Hyaluronic acid
Why is hyaluronic acid (HA) so attractive, what secrets does its intricate formula keep?
The answer lies on the surface. At birth, you and I are more than 80% water. By the middle of life – already by 70%, and by old age – by only 58%! That is, we age due to the fact that we lose moisture. But inside us there is not simple water, but colloidal solutions based on it. One of them is hyaluronic acid. In fact, it is a mucopolysaccharide, the tail of a large molecule produced by fibroblasts, the most important cells of the skin. Hyaluronic acid fills the intercellular space of the dermis; it plays the role of a kind of shock absorber, guaranteeing its turgor. A decrease in the amount of hyaluronic acid leads to dryness, flaking, wrinkles, sagging skin, and reduces our attractiveness. This means that in order to remain young, it is necessary to replenish its reserves, especially in the dermis - the largest organ, like a mirror reflecting the state of human health. Moisturize it. Actually, this is what cosmetologists do, restoring youth to the skin and attractiveness to women. Increasing lip volume is one of the local options for such aesthetic therapy.
Alcohol and smoking
After the procedure, experts recommend temporarily giving up such bad habits as drinking alcohol and smoking, including hookah. In fact, the alcohol molecule does not come into direct contact with hyaluronic acid and cannot cause any harm. But do not forget about the ability of alcoholic drinks to thin the blood and stimulate blood circulation.
If you drink strong alcoholic drinks for several days after contouring, then:
- the drug introduced into the soft tissues will be processed faster and will be eliminated by the body naturally along with other metabolic products;
- swelling around the lips will increase due to slower lymph flow.
Smoking mixtures have the same effect. They constrict blood vessels for a short period of time, but do not help slow down regeneration.
The most you can afford is a little red wine.
Rules for lip massage
After lip augmentation, massage is done twice a day in the bathroom. One session lasts about 5-7 minutes. If you follow the massage technique, the result of the procedure will last as long as possible, and the effect of the enlargement procedure will meet your expectations.
Instructions for massage with a toothbrush:
- After brushing your teeth, turn the brush over on the opposite side and apply it to your lips.
- Knead the surface with soft circular movements. We do this carefully, without pressing.
- Massage from the center to the corner and in the opposite direction. Movements should be light and smooth.
- Then from the center to the corners and in the opposite direction we carry out pats, not strong and soft.
- We pronounce vowels with elongated lips. Their position should look like when singing a lullaby to a child.
- We inflate our cheeks one by one. The inhalation should be long and drawn out. Before exhaling, hold your breath for a few seconds, and then release the air through your mouth, after making a “duck mouth”.
- We close our lips and turn left and right. This movement engages the lower jaw. For convenience, you can use additional cosmetics for application.
After the massage, your lips will need to be smeared with a special moisturizing ointment. An analogue of this composition can be hygienic lipstick or cosmetic oil.
In the absence of an allergic reaction to honey, it will be an excellent medicine for relieving swelling on the lips. It is recommended to use light varieties of honey and in liquid form.
Post-procedure care
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is possible to use special healing ointments or creams that will help relieve discomfort. This is indeed allowed, but it is important to pay attention to the composition.
The list of approved medications includes:
- D-Panthenol - relieves irritation and bruises;
- Dolobene gel - heals the skin, softens it;
- Traumeel ointment is a homeopathic remedy that contains arnica extract.
Before use, you should consult your doctor. During this period, you should not self-medicate and take medications that reduce blood clotting. Because of this, hematomas may occur at the injection sites. If the pain or discomfort is too unpleasant, the safest painkiller is paracetamol. In addition, it reduces the temperature, which can rise in the first days after contouring. If you took antibiotics during the period of lip augmentation, then there is no need to worry. They do not affect the removal of hyaluronic acid from the body.
After the filler is injected, it is allowed to use hygiene products to soften the lips. Avoid touching your lips with dirty hands to avoid introducing infection and bacteria into the punctures.
There is no need to use scrubbing agents until the soft tissues are completely restored and the gel is distributed inside. You should not apply decorative makeup or use any cosmetics with pigments until the swelling subsides and the former sensitivity of the tissue returns.
When brushing your teeth and other hygiene procedures, be sure to control your usual movements with a toothbrush.
In what cases is massage required?
Before massaging the lips, first of all, you need to identify signs of the need for the procedure. It is imperative to massage the skin if the following factors are present:
- The use of anesthetics and fillers. These are additional components used for enlargement. They are not considered biological in structure and may cause adverse reactions in the body;
- Formation of tubercles and bumps. It doesn't matter where exactly they appeared;
- If an excess amount of filler was introduced, which ceases to be distributed proportionally.
If lip massage is necessary, it is carried out only a few days after the injection of the augmentation component.
A professional cosmetologist will tell you how to perform the movements correctly and in what cases you need to massage. In this case, the client just needs to listen carefully and remember.
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