Dermal Fillers Care Guide
Restoring Volume, Contour & Facial Balance
Dermal fillers are injectable gel products used to restore lost volume, improve facial contours, soften deeper lines, and enhance facial harmony. At LumiLife Aesthetics + Wellness, fillers are used to enhance your natural feature —not to change who you are.
As we age, the face naturally loses collagen, fat, elastin, and bone support. These changes may contribute to hollowing, sagging, deeper facial folds, and reduced facial definition. Dermal fillers help restore structural support and improve facial balance while maintaining a refreshed, natural appearance.
Our physician-directed approach focuses on treating the face as a whole rather than simply filling individual wrinkles. Careful assessment of facial anatomy allows us to create results that are balanced, subtle, and individualized.
Common treatment areas include:
- Lips
- Cheeks
- Chin
- Jawline
- Nasolabial folds (“smile lines”)
- Marionette lines
- Temples
- Under-eye hollows (selected patients)
- Facial contouring and symmetry
Before Your Treatment
Proper preparation may help reduce bruising and improve your overall treatment experience.
We recommend that you:
✔ Arrive with clean skin and minimal or no makeup.
✔ Eat a light meal before your appointment.
✔ Stay well hydrated.
✔ Inform your physician of any previous filler treatments, including the product used and the approximate date of injection, if known.
✔ Notify us of any allergies, autoimmune conditions, bleeding disorders, or previous reactions to injectable products.
If Approved by Your Treating Physician
If medically appropriate—and only after discussing with the healthcare provider who prescribed them—you may consider avoiding for approximately 5–7 days before
treatment:
- Aspirin
- Ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®)
- Naproxen (Aleve®)
- Fish oil
- Vitamin E
- Garlic supplements
- Ginkgo biloba
- Ginseng
- St. Johns Wort
- Other supplements with blood-thinning effects
Never stop prescription anticoagulants or other prescribed medications without approval from the physician managing those medications.
Alcohol
Limiting alcohol consumption for approximately 24 hours before treatment may reduce the likelihood of bruising.
Dental Procedures
Whenever possible, schedule routine dental cleanings or dental procedures approximately two weeks before or after filler treatment. Dental procedures can temporarily increase inflammation and, in some cases, may increase the risk of infection around recently placed fillers.
Cold Sores
If you are receiving lip filler and have a history of recurrent cold sores (herpes simplex virus), please notify your physician before treatment.
Preventive antiviral medication may be recommended in selected patients.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Dermal fillers are generally not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, as adequate safety data are lacking.
What Happens During Treatment?
Your physician will review your treatment plan, discuss the anticipated benefits and potential risks, and answer any remaining questions before treatment.
The skin will be cleansed, and a topical anesthetic may be used depending on the treatment area and the type of filler selected.
Most modern hyaluronic acid fillers also contain lidocaine to improve patient comfort during injection.
Using advanced injection techniques, your physician will place the filler in carefully selected areas to restore volume, improve contour, and enhance facial balance.
Treatment usually takes 30–60 minutes, depending on the number of areas treated.
What Should I Expect After Treatment?
Mild temporary side effects are common and usually improve over several days.
You may experience:
- Mild swelling
- Redness
- Tenderness
- Bruising
- Firmness at injection sites
- Temporary asymmetry while swelling resolves
These effects generally improve within several days, although bruising and swelling may occasionally persist for one to two weeks, particularly in sensitive areas such as the lips.
When Will I See Results?
Many dermal fillers provide immediate improvement following treatment.
However, the initial result may be partially obscured by swelling.
Final results are typically best evaluated approximately two weeks after treatment, once swelling has resolved and the filler has settled.
How Long Do Dermal Fillers Last?
The longevity of dermal fillers varies depending on:
- The specific product used
- The treatment area
- Individual metabolism
- Lifestyle factors
- Facial movement
Many hyaluronic acid fillers last approximately 6–18 months, although some products and treatment areas may provide longer-lasting results.
Your physician will recommend an appropriate maintenance schedule based on your individual goals.
After Your Treatment
For the first 24 hours, we recommend:
Please
✔ Stay well hydrated.
✔ Sleep with your head slightly elevated if swelling is present.
✔ Apply cool compresses intermittently if needed for comfort (avoid prolonged direct pressure).
✔ Follow your physician’s specific instructions for the treated area.
Avoid for the First 24 Hours
- Vigorous exercise
- Heavy lifting
- Hot tubs
- Saunas
- Steam rooms
- Excessive sun or heat exposure
- Alcohol
- Excessive touching or massaging of treated areas unless specifically instructed
Makeup
If there is no active bleeding from the injection sites, makeup may usually be applied gently after several hours.
Avoid vigorous rubbing of treated areas.
Skin Care
Gentle cleansing and moisturizing may usually be resumed the same day.
If recommended by your physician, temporarily avoid strong exfoliating products or retinoids for the first 24–48 hours, particularly if multiple injection sites are present.
Facial Treatments
To minimize unnecessary pressure on recently treated areas, we generally recommend waiting approximately two weeks before receiving:
- Facial massage
- Microneedling
- Laser treatments
- Chemical peels
- Radiofrequency treatments
- Ultrasound skin tightening
- Other facial procedures unless approved by your physician
Follow-Up Appointment
A follow-up appointment may be recommended approximately two weeks after treatment to evaluate your results.
Additional filler may occasionally be recommended to achieve optimal facial balance, but only after swelling has fully resolved.
When Should I Contact LumiLife Immediately?
Although serious complications are uncommon, prompt evaluation is essential if you experience:
- Severe or increasing pain
- Skin turning pale, white, gray, or dark purple
- Blistering of the skin
- Significant worsening swelling after several days
- Fever
- Spreading redness
- Drainage or signs of infection
- Vision changes
- Double vision
- Sudden loss of vision
- Persistent severe headache
- Any symptom that concerns you
Prompt evaluation is important because rare vascular complications require immediate medical attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Philosophy
At LumiLife Aesthetics + Wellness, PDO Threads are viewed as a regenerative treatment—not simply a lifting procedure. By combining mechanical support with the body’s natural collagen-building response, PDO Threads can help improve skin quality, facial definition, and early signs of aging while preserving your natural appearance. Every treatment is physician-directed, evidence-informed, and tailored to your individual anatomy and goals.