Skincare After Fillers and Botox: What to Do in the First Two Weeks

After fillers or anti-wrinkle injections the skin surface is barely disturbed, so skincare is less about the skin and more about not moving what was placed beneath it. Keep hands off for the first hours, expect some bruising and swelling for up to a week, wait on facials and lasers, and restart products gently. Your treating doctor's instructions always come first.

Why skincare after injectables is different from laser aftercare

Fillers and botulinum toxin injections (commonly called Botox) leave only needle punctures, so there is no barrier damage to recover from; the aftercare rules exist to let the product settle where it was placed and to keep the puncture sites clean. An expert consensus in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery advises that a normal skincare routine may resume 24 hours after filler, and a literature review in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology advises not touching injected sites for two to three hours and staying upright for three to four hours after anti-wrinkle injections. Once the punctures have closed and your doctor clears you to resume skincare, a hydrating post-procedure serum is a common choice if the skin feels dry or tight — nothing you apply changes how the injectable settles. This guide covers the usual pattern; your treating doctor's protocol comes first. For skinbooster-type injections, which involve many more punctures, see our Rejuran and skinbooster aftercare guide.

The first 24 hours after fillers and anti-wrinkle injections

For the first few hours the job is to leave the area alone: no touching, rubbing, leaning on it or lying flat, and no heat. The table sets out the commonly advised timings from the two consensus and review papers above.

Cleanse that evening with lukewarm water and fingertips only, pat dry and apply nothing that stings. Alcohol on the first night is better left out, as it can make bruising look worse. Follow your treating doctor's instructions where they differ from the table.

Bruising and swelling: what is normal and how long it lasts

Some redness, swelling and small bruises at the injection points are expected and settle within days. A review of filler adverse events notes that bruising may appear immediately or worsen over three days, that most injection-related swelling disappears within a week, and that redness lasting more than a few days should be reviewed. Lips and the under-eye area swell the most. Cool compresses for ten minutes at a time help in the first day; keep the head raised at night. Stay out of direct sun while a bruise is present, because a fading bruise in Fitzpatrick type III to V skin can leave a brown mark — see our article on post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Swelling that is increasing after day three, or that is one-sided and painful, is not routine: contact your treating doctor.

No pressure, no massage, no facials or lasers for about two weeks

Filler stays mouldable for a while after placement, and pressure can move it, so the consensus advice is to avoid massaging the treated area and to avoid extreme heat or cold for 48 hours. In practice that means no facials, massage devices, gua sha, tight goggles or face-down sleeping on a fresh filler area, and no leaning your chin on your hand. Most clinics also ask you to wait about two weeks before energy treatments such as HIFU, radiofrequency, lasers and peels on the same area, partly so that swelling has gone and partly so any lump can be judged before heat is added; your doctor sets the exact interval. The same consensus advises avoiding dental work that could make gums bleed for three to four weeks after filler. If you have had tightening treatments in the same month, our Thermage and Ultherapy aftercare and HIFU recovery guides cover sequencing.

When you can restart your skincare routine

Gentle products return after 24 hours; stinging actives wait until any bruising and swelling have settled, commonly about a week. The order below is what clinics commonly advise — your treating doctor's instructions take precedence.

• Cleanser, hydrating serum, moisturiser, sunscreen: from 24 hours after filler, and the same evening after anti-wrinkle injections once punctures have closed. Apply with light fingertip pressure rather than a massage motion.
• Makeup: once no puncture is weeping, usually the next day; use a clean brush or sponge and avoid pressing hard on filler sites.
• Retinoids, acids, vitamin C and brightening actives: once bruising and swelling have gone, often about a week, one at a time. Our guide on when to restart retinol after procedures covers the sequence.
• Exfoliating scrubs and cleansing brushes: keep off filler sites until your review appointment.
• Prescription creams: as directed by your doctor.

If you use a second serum, bring it back only after the hydrating step and once your doctor clears actives.

When to contact your doctor — and when it is urgent

Most questions after injectables are about bruises and lumps, and most are routine, but a few signs need same-day attention. The filler adverse-event review describes the first signs of a blocked blood vessel as pain out of keeping with the injection and an area of pale, blanched skin; it also lists nodules appearing two to four weeks after injection and new lesions more than two weeks after treatment as reasons for review. Contact your treating doctor the same day, or go to an emergency department if you cannot reach them, if you notice:

• Pain that is severe, increasing or out of proportion to the injection.
• Skin turning white, mottled, dusky or purple, especially in a patch away from the injection points.
• Any change in vision, severe headache or weakness on one side of the face.
• Spreading redness, heat, pus or fever.
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing after neck or jaw injections.

Contact your clinic within a few days, with a photo, for: a drooping eyelid or brow, an uneven smile, a lump that is growing or tender, swelling or redness returning weeks after treatment, or a bruise that is not fading after two weeks. Do not try to massage, heat or treat any of these yourself; follow your treating doctor's instructions.

Why it is worth being patient

The literature review of anti-wrinkle injections notes that their effect begins between one day and two weeks, reaches its maximum at one to four weeks and lasts around three to six months, so the result you see on day two is not the result. Filler swelling can likewise exaggerate volume for a week. Judge the outcome at the review appointment your clinic sets, usually at two weeks, and bring any question about asymmetry or lumps to that visit. Our guide on how to choose a post-procedure recovery serum explains what to look for in a product for the days in between.