Aftercare for non-surgical aesthetic treatments

First, the emergencies

Most aftercare is about comfort and getting the best result. A small number of symptoms are different and need immediate contact rather than a wait-and-see approach. Read this section before the rest.

• After dermal filler: severe or increasing pain out of proportion to the treatment; skin turning white and then dusky, blotchy or mottled; the area feeling cool; skin breakdown or blistering. These suggest compromised blood supply and are treated urgently with hyaluronidase.
• Any change in vision after facial filler, including blurring, a dark area, double vision or pain in or behind the eye. This is an emergency. Seek urgent medical attention immediately as well as contacting the practitioner.
• After any injection: spreading redness with heat and swelling over days, fever or feeling generally unwell, which may indicate infection.
• After botulinum toxin: difficulty swallowing or breathing, or generalised muscle weakness. Very rare with cosmetic doses and an emergency if it occurs.
• After any treatment: signs of a significant allergic reaction, including swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, wheezing or a widespread rash.

After botulinum toxin

First four hours

• Stay upright rather than lying flat or face down.
• Do not rub, massage or press the treated area.
• Gentle use of the treated muscles is fine and is often suggested.

First twenty four hours

• No strenuous exercise, saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga or very hot baths.
• No facials, massage or anything pressing on the area.
• Avoid alcohol, which increases bruising.
• Leave make-up off the area if you can, and use clean hands rather than brushes if not.

First two weeks

• No microneedling, peels or laser over the treated area.
• Expect the effect to appear gradually from around day three.
• Attend the two-week review. Small adjustments are normal, not a failure.

After dermal filler and lip filler

First forty eight hours

• Expect swelling, most marked at around twenty four to forty eight hours, and greatest in the lips.
• Sleep with your head slightly raised for the first few nights.
• Avoid strenuous exercise, saunas, steam and very hot showers.
• Avoid alcohol for the first day.
• Do not massage the area unless specifically instructed.
• Cool compresses gently applied can help, without pressing hard.
• Avoid make-up over injection points on the first day to reduce infection risk.

First two weeks

• Avoid dental treatment where possible, and tell your dentist you have had filler.
• Avoid facials, massage, microneedling, peels and laser over the area.
• Small firm lumps that soften are usually normal. Persistent nodules need assessment.
• Judge the result at two weeks, not before.

If you get cold sores and have had lip treatment, watch for tingling and start any antiviral you were given promptly.

After peels, microneedling and resurfacing

First forty eight hours

• Cleanse gently with clean hands and lukewarm water only.
• Use only the products you were given or told to use.
• No active skincare: no retinoids, no acids, no vitamin C, no exfoliants, no scrubs.
• No make-up on the first day after needling or a peel.
• No exercise, swimming, sauna, steam or very hot showers.
• No picking, pulling or helping peeling skin along. This is the main cause of scarring and pigmentation after a peel.

Days three to ten

• Expect dryness, tightness and flaking. Keep the skin comfortable with a bland moisturiser.
• Reintroduce active ingredients only when told to, usually after about a week.
• Broad-spectrum sun protection every day without exception, including near windows and on grey days.
• Avoid waxing, threading and hair removal creams on the area for two weeks.

Sun protection after resurfacing is not general advice. It is the specific step that prevents a brown mark outlasting the problem you treated.

What normal healing looks like

Bruising

Common after any injection. Follows the usual colour progression over one to two weeks. Arnica and concealer are the usual approach.

Swelling

Peaks at around forty eight hours after injectables and settles over one to two weeks. Lips swell disproportionately.

Small lumps

Normal in the first fortnight after filler as the product settles. Should soften.

Redness

Expected after needling, peels and laser. One to three days for needling, longer for deeper work.

Tightness and dryness

Normal after resurfacing, generally days three to seven.

Headache

Common for a day or two after botulinum toxin and settles.

Numbness

Expected for some weeks after cooling-based body treatments.

Protecting the result

Aftercare in the first week protects the healing. What protects the result is what you do for the following months.

• Daily broad-spectrum sun protection, all year, in Scotland included.
• A retinoid where appropriate and tolerated, which has the strongest evidence base of any topical for photoageing.
• Not smoking, which affects dermal collagen directly.
• Sleep, and managing weight stability if you have had body contouring.
• Attending review appointments so that adjustments are made at the right time.
• Spacing treatments sensibly rather than stacking them.

None of this is glamorous, and all of it does more for your face over five years than any single appointment.

Keeping a record

Write down, on the day: what was injected or used, how much, where, who treated you, their registration, and the date. Take a photograph in consistent light before treatment and at two weeks.

This takes two minutes and is invaluable if you need to see someone else, if you develop a delayed problem months later, or if you need to raise a concern. Most people who need this information later cannot remember it and cannot obtain it easily.