Although extremely rare, dermal fillers are able to migrate within the skin if consistent and adequate pressure is applied to them. For this reason, we advise patients not to get a facial, massage (on the treated skin), or microdermabrasion for the first two weeks following their filler injections.
Massage can encourage the filler to be broken up by the body more quickly. But in practice this still takes a long time (like weeks of daily vigorous massage) to improve the outcome. This may also spread the product over a larger area causing more problems.
Trauma at the Injection Site
The single most common cause of lumps or bumps after filler is the trauma of the injection itself. This is why we recommend waiting for the swollen, bruised skin to heal before beginning to massage it.
Massage prevents any uneven distribution of the product and helps to ensure a good balance in terms of the lip shape, projection, fullness and proportions. This creates the more natural-looking finish. Dr Barbara Kubicka explains: “It is important to be consistent, massage the area evenly, and avoid strong pressure.”
The Results Improve Over Time
Because these injections stimulate your body's production of collagen and elastin, the final results of treatment won't be seen for several weeks. Even as the hyaluronic acid is processed by your body, healthy collagen and elastin grow at a more significant rate.
Generally, any lumps or bumps that appear after fillers will disappear on their own within one to two weeks. Give the treatment a couple of weeks to improve, applying ice regularly.
If it is your first time getting an injectable treatment, you may have many questions about the aftercare and healing process. Lip filler may cause the treatment area to feel swollen, hard, or lumpy at first, but this is all part of the healing process, and the fillers will soften and settle over time.
Hard and tender lumps suggest that your body might have reacted to the filler. A mild allergic reaction can be sorted out quickly and easily by a prescription of steroids, which our aesthetic medical professional can provide you with. This prescription is available at most pharmacies.
DON'T: massage your lips.
Massaging freshly injected lips risks moving the filler around causing the possibility of desportation and undesirable results.
It is not likely that the filler products would move if you wait at least a few days before pressing really hard on the areas and having extractions. The hyaluronic acid fillers settle nicely into the skin, and once any swelling goes down, it would be pretty unusual for anyone to be able to displace them.
In rare cases, facial fillers like Juvederm can migrate to another site of your face within a few days of your injections. This happens when the filler moves before it has fully bonded with your facial tissue.
That said, these injectable treatments take some time to integrate into your tissues, and it's normal for your dermal filler to take up to two weeks to fully settle into your face.
Over time, as facial movement increases in areas like the lips or cheeks, it causes the filler to break down and dissolve at a quicker rate. This makes the filler disappear faster in more active areas of the face.
Smoothing Out the Lumps
The good news is yes, those pesky filler lumps will in fact go away. It's actually quite uncommon for patients to experience any irritation or lumps following their procedure, but if you do, then you should expect them to dissipate after a few days.
While massage can sometimes improve mild symptoms such as moderate lumpiness or slight asymmetry, don't perform massage on your fillers unless instructed to do so by your plastic surgeon or injector.
The swelling that can often occur after Lip Fillers can cause the lips to look a little uneven for a short time. This doesn't necessarily mean that anything has gone wrong and it may just take a little time for the product to fully settle and for residual swelling to subside.
Not to worry though, lumps following a filler treatment are completely normal. The lumps you may experience are often caused by swelling and bruising of the treated area.
Upon injection, dermal fillers may feel firmer or harden due to a healing response of the body. Additionally, the filler needs to settle into the correct and ideal position. Some fillers may feel firmer than others. Injectors do tend to use firmer fillers for the cheeks, especially if accentuating the cheekbones.
The data and experience suggests that not only is there NOT a worsening of the look of the face, in fact most people look better than had they never had the filler prior.
If a filler is injected too superficially, it can cause lumps. They can also occur when too much product is injected into one area, or the product moves to create a large deposit in an area. The injector should also take precautions to avoid bruising as much as possible.
The best way to prevent lumps from filler is to use the appropriate product at the appropriate layer (depth), using the appropriate technique. Ensure you know when to massage and when to mould and what is acceptable post-procedure.
Lumpiness is fairly normal after dermal fillers. Most often this is due to swelling immediately after a treatment. This should resolve within a week but rarely can take several weeks to fully resolve.