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So, today we’re setting the record straight on massaging lip filler. Depending on where you got your dermal fillers done, you might have been told not to massage your lip filler at all, and you might have been told to do so lightly, eventually. 

But the info out there is mixed. Does massaging lip filler break it down, or not?

With hyaluronic acid fillers, it’s super important to know what to massage and when in order to get the very best possible results from your lip filler treatments. 

And above all else, you want to make sure you’re keeping it healthy and ensuring you’re getting plumper lips with the fewest possible side effects. 

So, let’s get into it. 

Does massaging lip filler break it down?

Yes! 

And I know you’re like, I just paid $1,000-2,000 for this treatment and now you want me to break it down? 

But — massaging is an important part of the process for managing lip filler bumps and lumps that are going to interfere with your optimal results. 

I know you would rather carefully break down tiny bits of filler yourself rather than have to go back and get hyaluronidase injections to dissolve the whole thing! So we’re going to be smart about our massaging — not too much, and not at the wrong time, but enough to get you the smooth, kissable lips you came for. 

Lip filler massage timeline – when to massage, when not to

Week 1 after injections – absolutely no massage

So, the days after your injections are a little rough. Dermal filler injections at the lip do tend to swell and bruise quite a bit. Your initial swelling is likely to be pretty intense. I have a post about lip filler bruising with some suggestions for how to manage it. But there’s not a ton you can do in those first few days .

A LOT of the puffiness in those first few days is swelling in the treatment area, not filler. And what might feel like ‘bumps” at this point could just be related to the swelling. Stick to your ice pack for the first several days after your injections. 

Even the most gentle massage is going to hurt your results here — it’s going to bring blood flow to the area and make swelling and bruising worse, and it’s also going to break down filler in a way that doesn’t specifically address lumps. Just let it heal. You’ve still got time to address lumps. And you won’t have that duck lip look forever!

Just keep focusing on your recovery and lip filler aftercare: no strenuous exercise, drink plenty of water, take your arnica to minimize bruising. 

A quick off-topic note on vascular occlusions

I gotta put it in here because it’s so important: be on the lookout in this week for the signs of vascular occlusion. Vascular occlusion is a rare but serious side effect where filler is placed in a blood vessel, blocking blood flow. Early detection of vascular occlusion has few side effects, but if it’s left too long, there can be serious complications. The skin around the area can even die if it’s not getting anything from the blood vessels around it. 

Signs of vascular occlusion: sharp pain at the time of injection (where one injection site feels much worse than the others); skin turning white (“blanching”) longer than an hour or so after injections; skin turning purple; skin turning cold. 

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, go back to the injector or seek medical treatment ASAP. You won’t even need to have all your fillers dissolved, they just dissolve around the occlusion.  (And, fyi — one of the things they recommend clinicians do if there’s an occlusion is massage HARD to get it to start breaking down.) More on vascular occlusion here.

Week 2 after injections – introducing gentle massage at some point

Okay, so you’re still not quite seeing your final results yet, because there’s still going to be some mild swelling at this point, but you’re getting an idea of the final size of your lips. Yay! You might be ready for gentle massage at day 8, and you might need to wait even until day 14 for the swelling to go away. It depends on how you react in the treated area and you can’t rush it! 

You will almost certainly feel small lumps at this point, and it doesn’t mean you had a bad injector or plastic surgeon. You can safely assume that they’re lumps of filler, not the result of the injection skin trauma. So now it’s time to start massaging a little bit. 

How to massage your lips

First, put oil, Vaseline, or lip balm on the lips, and wash your hands! 

So, you gently massage the lumps only. Focus on gently working the lump without also breaking down the regular-texture filler around it. Imagine trying to gently smush the lump so that it can properly bond to the surrounding areas. 

One of the places that this can get a little tricky is along the lip line. Your injector might have called this the “vermillion border” — where you’d put lip liner. If you have lumpiness on this line or close to it, you have to be super careful when massaging not to accidentally squeeze any filler out of the lip and over the lip line. (We call this “filler migration”.)

So, the best solution is to keep pressure outside the lip. That way, as you’re smushing the lumps, your filler isn’t being squeezed across the lip line. You can do this a couple ways: 

• as you work on your upper lip, do one side at a time. Keep the outside of your index finger on one hand pressed against the skin above your upper lip while you work out lumps with the other hand. 
• Alternately, press the heel of your hand against the skin above or below the lip while you work. 

The best grip is going to keep the filler in the lip rather than let it be squeezed out. As long as you’re not using too much pressure, this is pretty unlikely. But it looks bad when it happens, so it’s worth putting the effort in to avoid it and to protect the shape of the lips. 

Plan to massage morning and night. Most lumps will respond quickly and be gone within a couple of days. If you feel like new ones are popping up, don’t freak out. Keep gently massaging the lip tissue. 

Weeks 3-4

You’ll keep up the gentle massaging for the rest of the first month for the best results. Keep going after the lip filler lumps but limit the amount of massage you do overall so you don’t lose your filler results. At this point, does massaging lip filler break it down? Stick to the lumps and you’ll be fine.

If you feel like the lumps are not going away or there’s something else wrong with your treatment? Go back for a follow-up appointment. Skilled injectors will know what to do to keep you happy and coming back to their office. 

Enjoy your new lips!