Beautiful and natural-looking full pouts are hyped up all over social media because they make people look more youthful and attractive.
If it’s your first time trying non-surgical lip augmentation treatments using dermal fillers, then you must know about the things that patients avoid before and after the procedure – like alcoholic drinks.
So why is alcohol consumption prohibited after getting temporary lip fillers? Alcohol has blood thinning effects which increase the risk of bruising and swelling. It also dries the skin in the injection site, resulting in peeling and itching after the cosmetic procedure.
These side effects negatively impact the healing process, so it’s crucial to avoid alcoholic drinks for a couple of hours or days after getting lip injections.
Can You Drink Alcohol After Getting Lip Fillers?
Cosmetic injections like dermal fillers are known for their plumping and age-defying effects – which is why it’s not surprising that about 3.4 million soft tissue filler treatments were performed in the country in 2020 alone.
They’re also the go-to injectable treatment for people who want to enhance the shape and volume of their lips without getting lip implants and undergoing plastic surgery.
Finding a trusted medical spa or skin clinic to perform the treatment allows patients to achieve ideal results and minimize adverse effects, but it’s also up to the patient to take extra care of the treated area after the procedure.
Regardless of the brand or type of filler injection administered on the lips, patients must still avoid alcoholic drinks among other things to ensure that the hyaluronic acid fillers settle quickly and without any problems.
Why Can’t You Drink Alcohol After Lip Fillers
Lip filler treatment involves tiny needles that puncture the skin and lips to precisely inject the dermal filler. As much as the cosmetic injector does its best to minimize the procedure’s impact on the skin, patients may still experience common side effects like pain, swelling, bruising, and bleeding in the treated area.
The good news is that these common but mild side effects go away on their own a few days or weeks after lip fillers, leaving behind fuller lips that patients want. However, it’s crucial to contact a medical professional immediately if these symptoms persist or worsen.
Alcohol is a vasodilator that causes the blood vessels to widen and dilate. If the patient consumes alcoholic drinks after the dermal filler treatment, their blood vessels take up more space on the lips – which further increases the risk of excessive bleeding, bruising, and swelling for the next few hours or a couple of days.
What Happens if You Drink Alcohol After Lip Fillers
Minor side effects typically appear hours after treatment. However, some patients may experience worse side effects than others if they got lip fillers from an inexperienced practitioner or if they ignored the provider’s warnings about drinking and other prohibited activities.
Swelling can get really bad if patients consume alcoholic drinks after their dermal filler treatment – like what happened to Morgan Proudlock as she recounted the story on TikTok. Hours after she got her lip filler injections, she went out to drink with her friends. When she woke up in the morning, her face was extremely swollen and her lips doubled in size. She also mentioned that the pain she felt was “ridiculous.”
Does Alcohol Make Lip Fillers Swell?
Mild swelling after lip fillers is a common side effect that many patients experience. But alcohol intake can make swelling worse because the body tries to counteract the dehydration by increasing fluid retention.
Does Alcohol Cause Bruising?
Alcohol is a vasodilator that significantly widens the blood vessels and increases blood flow throughout the body. But even the slightest prick from a dermal filler injection can damage the enlarged blood vessels, causing bleeding around the injection site.
The blood then leaks into the nearby lip tissue, resulting in a purple or bluish patch that’s similar to a bruise. Since alcohol is also a known blood thinner, consuming it increases the risk of bleeding and bruising.
Will Alcohol Dry Your Skin?
Alcohol also has diuretic properties that cause patients to urinate frequently, resulting in a loss of water in their bodies. They eventually experience dehydration, which reduces skin elasticity and slows down the recovery time of the treated site. To avoid dry skin and dehydration after getting lip filler injections, make sure to drink plenty of water.
How Long to Avoid Alcohol After Lip Fillers
Avoiding alcohol consumption after getting lip injections speeds up the recovery period, minimizes the risk of any negative reaction, and ensures better long-term results. Most patients are advised to stay away from alcoholic drinks for about 24 to 48 hours after the dermal filler procedure, but more specific instructions about drinking may be based on factors like:
- Patient’s medical history, if they experienced side effects after undergoing similar procedures
- Medications, if the patient plans to take other medicines that have blood thinning properties
- Type and amount of filler used, if the patient had multiple lip injections then they might have to wait longer before they’re safe for a night of heavy drinking
Can You Drink Alcohol Before Getting Lip Fillers?
Unfortunately, patients are also advised to skip alcohol before lip fillers for the same reasons – alcohol can slow down the healing process and worsen bleeding, bruising, swelling, and other side effects.
Even if a qualified practitioner performs the treatment and helps minimize the risk of different side effects and complications, patients still have the responsibility to follow their pre-treatment and aftercare instructions to ensure the best results.
Other Things to Avoid After Lip Filler Treatments
Dermal filler injectables for the lips are a safe and effective option for patients who want a luscious pout without the need for lip implants. The treatment doesn’t require extensive preparation before the procedure, but patients are given dermal filler aftercare instructions to help manage possible side effects and ensure the best results.
Aside from alcohol consumption before and after lip fillers, here are other things that patients must avoid:
- High-temperature environments like saunas, steam rooms, and hot showers must be avoided because the high heat increases body temperature and dilates the blood vessels.
- Physical activities result in sudden blood rush, increased heart rate, and elevated blood pressure – increasing the risk of bruising and swelling.
- Smoking may increase the risk of infection for patients after their appointment for lip fillers.
- Hot drinks and certain foods, including spicy foods, salty foods, high-temperature drinks, and crunchy foods cause burning and stinging sensations while the lips are still in the early stages of the recovery period.
- Make-up and lip products like lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm, or lip liner might cause infection or have negative reactions with the dermal filler, so they should be avoided for the next 24 hours after the aesthetic treatments.
Trusted Lip Filler Injections for You at Ethos Spa
Non-invasive treatments like lip fillers are safe and effective for most patients, but they still require attentive lip filler aftercare to minimize the risk of serious side effects. After getting lip fillers, it’s crucial to avoid consuming alcoholic drinks for at least 24 hours to speed up the healing process and prevent worse side effects.
If you feel nervous about the lip filler treatment, it’s important to find other ways to calm down that won’t affect the results of your lip injections. At Ethos Spa, we always do our best to provide a relaxing environment for each of our patients. It’s important to us that you feel comfortable throughout the procedure so you can achieve your desired results. Get in touch with us today to know more about our lip filler treatments.
