Bruising, also known as ecchymosis is one of the most commonly occurring side effects after lip filler and other cosmetic injectable procedures. Bruising occurs when blood leaks out of our small blood vessels (capillaries) which sit very close to the surface of skin leading to the typical blue/purple mark on the skin. Bruising in this cases is caused by trauma to the small capillaries from needle insertion into the lip area.

There are a number of factors which can influence if you will bruise and the number of bruises that occur. You can read more about preventing bruising after lip filler here or speak to your cosmetic injector to ensure you are not taking any medication that can increase your chances of bruising after lip filler.

Bruising typically follows a similar pattern across a number of days which we will discuss below to support you in planning out your lip filler procedure around important events. Your injector will generally advise that bruising will settle within 14 days after bruising goes through its natural process.

To speed up the healing process and reduce the impact of bruising applying ice before and after your procedure in conjunction with our arnica healing balm can reduce your downtime by up to 50%.

Day 0-1: Bruising can appear red as the capillaries break and the fresh blood appears under the
surface of the lip. This is the best time to be applying your arnica healing balm and lip ice
pack.

Day 2-5: Bruising changes colour as oxygen is removed from the cells. Bruising at this time is
generally blue or purple.

Day 6-10: Bruising at this time starts to yellow which gives you a good indication it is beginning to
subside as bilirubin is produced from breaking down your red blood cells.

Day 10-14: Bruising by now may have started to dissipate altogether or may have turned into a
light brown colour (thankfully difficult to see on the lips).

If you have an event coming up try make sure you have your lips filled outside the 1-5 day window were bruising and swelling is at its most obvious. We recommend using arnica healing balm, ice and elevating your head whilst sleeping as the best way to reduce the size and severity of bruising.

Below is the lip filler bruising journey of a patient who underwent a lip filler procedure. In the first photo you are able to clearly see the visible signs of purple bruising that has started to emerge in conjunction with swelling which has increased as expected by day 2. This patient used our arnica healing balm as her lip filler aftercare 3-4 times each day and applied a lip shaped ice pack on days 0-2 which has significantly reduced the size and longevity of her bruising.

Like with all medical procedures, individual results may vary and the level of bruising and recovery time is dictated by a number of different features. We recommended discussing your treatment plan that is specific to your needs with your cosmetic injector.