Victims of false cosmetologists spoke about the consequences of beauty injections

Features of the lip augmentation procedure

Hyaluronic acid is most often used to change the volume of the lips. Lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid is harmful only in large quantities. This drug is natural. Its distinctive ability is to retain water in cells. Every person has acid in their body. But under the influence of sunlight and age, a person loses this substance.

A cosmetologist may suggest giving your lips an attractive and aesthetic appearance, and for this you need to prepare:

• analyze the patient’s health status;
• find out your wishes regarding the procedure;
• no contraindications;
• choice of execution technique;
• selection of anesthesia;
• injections;
• removal of edema;
• care recommendations.

If you follow all care recommendations, the swelling will subside in 4-5 days. Girls who want to achieve extraordinary lip augmentation should understand that they cannot inject a lot of the drug. Lip augmentation is not harmful if you follow the rules.

Violation of the rules may cause:

• severe swelling;
• unexpected change in lip shape;
• formation of balls.

It is best to repeat the intervention after complete recovery, that is, in a month.

Vascular embolism

Embolism is considered the most severe complication of the lip augmentation procedure. The cause of the disease is a dense filler that gets into the lumen of the vessel. When the drug is injected too deeply, vascular ischemia may develop. As a result of all this, the vessels become blocked and blood circulation is disrupted, which can lead to serious complications.

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Signs of illness

This pathology develops at a high speed. The pain in the lips where the injection was performed does not go away, but only increases. On the second day, the vessels become overfilled with blood, and severe swelling is visible.

If timely treatment is not started, the disease will lead to necrosis - tissue death, which requires more serious treatment.

Treatment options

After the examination, based on the symptoms manifested and the severity of the embolism, a therapeutic course is prescribed. The doctor develops treatment methods individually for each patient.

The overall treatment picture includes:

• Medicines that improve blood circulation;
• Drugs that reduce the amount of filler in tissues.

Contraindications

Many girls dream of changing something in their appearance. For example, plump lips are almost everyone’s dream, but, unfortunately, not everyone can achieve it. The characteristics of the body do not always allow such manipulations. Many people think that “pumping up” lips is harmful, but this is not true!

There are not many contraindications to lip augmentation, but they are serious, and you should adhere to them:

1. pregnancy;
2. lactation;
3. immune failures;
4. disruption of the endocrine system;
5. infection or inflammation near the lips;
6. diseases (viral, infectious, inflammatory) in acute form;
7. exacerbation of chronic diseases;
8. taking certain medications (the list should always be checked with a cosmetologist).

It must be taken into account that there may be an allergy to the substance, especially if the person is allergic.

If you ignore contraindications, then after lip augmentation with hyaluronic acid there can be different consequences, you will even need the help of a surgeon.

How to care for your lips after fillers: rules and useful recommendations

Deciding on injections and then steadfastly enduring all the unpleasant sensations during contouring is still half the battle. The early post-procedural period will be no less responsible.

Careful care of lips after augmentation with hyaluronic acid fillers, as well as compliance with all recommendations of your cosmetologist are necessary to avoid complications and unexpected “surprises”, such as changes in shape, asymmetry, heterogeneous gel consistency, etc. How can you help your body recover faster, protect injured skin, prevent infection, and ultimately get exactly the result you were waiting for? TecRussia.ru shares detailed instructions:

↑ Volumetric and sensual. But not at once!

The main reason for the disappointment of patients and many negative reviews is the expectation of a miraculous transformation immediately after the injections. Unfortunately, this does not happen and you should accept in advance that at first your face will not look the best:

• Damage to the mucous membrane of the lips with a syringe leads to local hemorrhages. The occurrence of small hematomas is a natural, expected reaction of the body to a violation of tissue integrity and the introduction of a foreign body (filler). Normally, all bruises will gradually resolve in about a week.
• In response to tissue injury, a local inflammatory reaction occurs, which is accompanied by swelling and hyperemia. It begins already during the session and reaches its peak after 12-24 hours. Due to this, the lips look huge, much larger than planned. Mild numbness and minor speech problems may occur. The main thing here is not to panic and not to make premature conclusions: gradually the excess liquid will go away and all the excess volume will subside.
• After the effect of the anesthetic wears off, the patient may experience discomfort and even pain of varying intensity for 3-5 days - you also need to be prepared for this.
• In some cases, the hyaluronic acid is not immediately distributed evenly, forming small lumps and lumps along the contour of the mouth. Normally, they resolve by the end of the first week.
• Due to numerous microdamages, the immune system becomes vulnerable, and the body’s barrier functions deteriorate. This creates ideal conditions for exacerbation of herpes infection. As a result, if appropriate prevention has not been carried out, ulcers appear on the lips.

↑ Proper preparation: speeding up recovery, minimizing side effects

It is almost impossible to completely avoid hematomas, swelling and other unpleasant accompaniments of injections, but making them subtle and almost imperceptible is quite possible:

• The mucous membrane of the lips is very delicate and easily damaged. Before enlarging them, direct sunlight should be avoided and peeling should not be done - all this can lead to the appearance of cracks. Frost has a similar effect: in winter, before going outside, you should lubricate your skin with a rich cream or balm with beeswax.
• If there is a tendency to herpetic rashes, the patient is prescribed a course of an antiviral drug, for example Acyclovir, in advance. The medicine must be taken a week before and the same time after the procedure.
• In the first days of the menstrual cycle, a woman’s body is very vulnerable; during this period, pain sensitivity increases, the ability to regenerate decreases, and the likelihood of severe swelling increases. Therefore, it is better not to plan procedures to increase lip volume with fillers during your period or immediately after it.
• A week before visiting a cosmetologist, you should stop taking blood thinners (Aspirin, Heparin), as they can cause extensive hematomas and also inhibit healing.
• In rare cases, hyaluronic acid injections can cause an allergic reaction. It is manifested by increased swelling, urticaria, and sometimes increased temperature. To reduce this risk to zero, the doctor can do a preliminary skin test and select a drug that is safe for your body. This is not required for ordinary patients, only for those who are initially prone to excessive hypersensitivity or have already had a corresponding unpleasant experience with GC. For more information, see the article “Allergy to hyaluronic acid.”

↑ How to care for lips after injections: key measures

Within a few minutes after the injection of fillers, you can return to your normal routine. No hospital observation is required, no bed rest is required and you can do without sick leave. But still, there is a recovery period and it cannot be called completely cloudless.

• Attention!
  There are quite a few restrictions that should be observed in order not to harm yourself and not spoil the result of the procedure. We talk about them in detail in this article.

At the same time, cosmetologists recommend not to be overzealous with care, and ideally just endure all the “side effects” - after just a few days there will be no discomfort left. Let's take a closer look at the basic rules and recommendations:

↑ First day: fighting pain and swelling

Immediately upon completion of the injections, you may experience some euphoria. The dream has come true, soon you will be able to enjoy the long-awaited result, severe pain does not bother you - this is due to the effect of the anesthetic that the doctor applied before the manipulation. But after a few hours the situation changes: the pain worsens, and a feeling of fullness is added to it. Discomfort intensifies during conversation and facial muscle contractions.

The next day after the injection of fillers, the pain becomes moderate, but the lips themselves can almost double in size, resembling small dumplings. No need to panic! This is a normal reaction to damage from the syringe and penetration of a dense gel. The following will help ease the condition:

• Cold. Place pieces of ice in a bag, then wrap them in soft cotton cloth and apply for 8-10 minutes (no longer, otherwise you can further injure already damaged skin!) every 2.5-3 hours. There is no need to press the compress on your lips or perform any massage movements - just apply it.
• Proper sleep. Only face up, and preferably on two pillows to slightly verticalize the body position. This promotes blood flow and reduces swelling.
• Painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs. You can either smear it externally (Bepanten, Solcoseryl) or use internal agents, for example Paracetamol. Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Diclofenac and other blood thinning medications are strictly prohibited.
• Soothing masks. For example, a mixture of cream and fat cottage cheese. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth and apply a thin layer on the lips. After 15 minutes, carefully remove the mass with a regular cotton pad. Licking with the tongue is not recommended. This mask can be used daily, from the second day after the procedure, when the damage from the needle has healed.
• Decongestant ointments. They help reduce swelling due to their venotonic properties. Heparin, Troxerutin, Troxevasin, Traumeel gels are suitable for this purpose.

What symptoms are important to pay attention to:

• Constantly increasing severe pain, especially if it is accompanied by a general increase in temperature and/or a sharp change in the color of the skin on the lips. You should immediately contact your cosmetologist or seek other available medical help. The reason may be an infection or blockage of a blood vessel - both options require prompt intervention from a specialist.
• When the first signs of an allergic reaction appear - itching, redness - you should take an antihistamine (Suprastin, Claritin) and visit a doctor to understand in more detail the causes and nature of what happened.

↑ First week: waiting for complete healing

In the absence of complications, after 2-3 days the unpleasant sensations subside. The pain recedes, bruises and swelling gradually disappear - normally, after 5-7 days there is little left of them. By this time, you can preliminary evaluate the result of the procedure and understand whether you like yourself in your new look. No specific care is required during this period:

• Often, enlarged lips will peel slightly - the reason is that the damaged skin needs time to fully recover. If desired, you can help her with any nourishing, moisturizing and regenerating masks. It is only important not to apply them until the injection wounds are completely healed, otherwise there is a risk of infection.
• Sometimes patients are concerned about the fact that small balls and lumps remain in the area where the gel was introduced. In the first 5-7 days, this is a variant of the norm: over time, the hyaluronic acid will “settle down” and be distributed more evenly in the lips. You can speed up this process with the help of a specific massage: a cosmetologist will show you the technique. But it is extremely undesirable to act according to “instructions” from the Internet; incorrect movements can greatly spoil the final result of the procedure.
• You should carefully monitor the general condition of the body and the treated area of ​​the face. If during injections or shortly after them pathogenic bacteria get under the skin, obvious symptoms appear precisely at the end of the first week - pain reappears, swelling that has already subsided increases again and becomes much denser, the temperature may rise: general or locally in the lip area. With such manifestations, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible - treatment is simple and is usually limited to a course of antibiotics, but if they are not taken in a timely manner, extremely serious complications are possible, including general blood poisoning.

↑ Second and subsequent weeks: finishing touches

After 7-10 days, the swelling finally goes away, the hematomas resolve, and you can enjoy the result:

• Finally, it is allowed to fully use any decorative cosmetics for the lips.
• Delicate mucous membranes may still require special care. If you feel such a need, you can use any nourishing masks. Before going outside, you should apply a balm to your lips: in the sunny season - with SPF, in the cold season - protective, moisturizing.
• By the end of the second week, no visible traces of the procedure (except for the increased volume, of course) should remain: if bruises, swelling, compactions, asymmetry and any other defects persist, you should work with a cosmetologist to find out the cause and carry out correction. See also the article “Complications after contouring.”
• During the same period, a final conclusion about the aesthetic results can be made. If necessary, perform another injection session to add volume or correct the shape of the lips, or use hyaluronidase to remove the previously injected hyaluronic acid if you do not like the changes at all.

Danger of fibrosis after hyaluronic acid

Why is lip augmentation dangerous? Fibrosis is tissue scarring in the injection area, which becomes noticeable 3-4 weeks after the intervention.

Causes of fibrosis:

• non-compliance with the cosmetologist’s recommendations;
• incorrectly selected technique for administering the drug;
• acid rejection.

Seals, so-called “lumps,” appear on the lips. If the seals do not disappear after 2-3 weeks, then you should immediately contact a cosmetologist. A professional will help prevent fibrosis after using hyaluronic acid.

How to disguise bruises and hematomas

No woman likes to walk around with bruises on her lips. Therefore, girls try to hide defects under foundation. A cosmetic pencil will help disguise a bruise.

When painting, it is worth considering the tone of the corrective agent and the color of the bruise. So, an orange tint will help against cyanosis, and green will hide red spots. Light purple hematomas are best tinted yellow. Upon completion, you should retouch the skin with powder.

What complications can there be?

Even with the choice of safe drugs, careful administration and the experience of a specialist, side effects and consequences after lip augmentation still occur.

Swelling

After injections, tissue swelling is always observed. This shows that the acid is holding water in the cells. Swelling usually disappears after a couple of days. In people prone to swelling, it usually goes away within a week.

Causes of excessive swelling:

• excessive amount of administered drug;
• low-quality filler;
• non-compliance with care recommendations.

There is a proven way to remove swelling - an ice cube. You need to wrap the cube in a handkerchief and apply it for a couple of minutes, approximately every two hours. But you need to be careful with this method, as hypothermia is possible.

Hematomas

After an intervention of this kind, hematomas may appear. The fact is that the lip area is very delicate. The cause may also be an incorrectly chosen technique for administering the drug. The bruises go away within a week. To speed up the healing process, you can use gels and ointments for hematomas.

Balls and lumps

Seals in the form of balls and lumps may appear immediately after injections or later. The appearance of a hematoma at the injection point may indicate that too much of the drug was injected. You need to properly care for it and massage it, then the balls will disappear. If the lumps increase and the pain intensifies, then you need to consult a cosmetologist.

Herpes

Herpes appears due to decreased immunity. During lip augmentation surgery, small injuries occur at the injection site. Because of this, small blisters may appear - herpes. If you are prone to the virus, you need to take medications to boost your immunity.

Hydrogel was injected instead of hyaluronic acid

The procedures performed by false cosmetologist Natalya Korosteleva also led to dire consequences. Together with two other women posing as professionals, she opened a cosmetology salon on Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow. Services were provided there without a license.

In March 2013, Korosteleva gave an injection to the patient’s face. After this, the girl developed serious inflammation, which resulted in an abscess of the soft tissues of the face and eye area. The consequences had to be eliminated by another doctor. Two other clients were hospitalized with severe shock and pain after a beauty salon injected them with hydrogel instead of hyaluronic acid. As the substance disintegrated, it moved under the skin, disfiguring the faces of women.

In total, 19 clients suffered at the hands of unqualified “doctors” and received “irreversible changes in appearance and psychological trauma.”

In 2021, false cosmetologist Natalya Korosteleva was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. In the courtroom one could see the victims of her unprofessional actions. On the faces of the injured Muscovites there were hematomas and swelling from drugs, gels and antiseptics that could not be used.

A criminal case was opened against pedicurist Elena Dzyk after complaints from clients

Questions and answers

When should all side effects go away?

Swelling lasts on average 3-4 days, bruises take a little longer to resolve. By the end of the first week, you will be able to evaluate the results obtained and, if necessary, make additional changes.

How many days should you not drink alcohol and why?

Alcohol contributes to the development of swelling and reduces the effectiveness of the procedure. You should refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages for at least 3-5 days.

When can you paint your lips?

After just a few days, you can use decorative cosmetics. The doctor must inform the patient about all restrictions.

How can you correct a cosmetologist’s mistakes?

To eliminate the shortcomings, there are 2 options: introducing an additional portion of hyaluronic acid or drugs to break it down.

Is it possible to tattoo lips after lip augmentation?

It is necessary to wait at least 3-4 weeks until the wounds heal completely. It is worth considering that permanent makeup lasts longer than contouring, and therefore in the future some defects may appear due to the loss of volume and shape of the lips.

Rehabilitation after biopolymer removal

It will take approximately 2 weeks to return to your normal life; during this period, the swelling after the operation should go down and the stitches should dissolve. In fact, an unhealed wound on the lip is at constant risk of infection: food, hot spices can stimulate inflammatory processes, as well as street air with inevitable bacteria.

Wound infection can stimulate the development of fibrosis, and to avoid such consequences, experts recommend:

• treat seams with antibacterial agents;
• talk little;
• do not wet the operated area with water or touch it with your hands;
• the first few days you can take painkillers;
• eat food carefully, drink through a straw;
• for several months, refuse to visit the pool, bathhouse, sauna and beach;
• do not take blood thinning medications without the permission of your doctor;
• do not consume nicotine and alcohol.

If the shape of the lips does not live up to expectations, it can be corrected with hyaluronidase, but only several months after removal of the biopolymer.

What to do to stop your lips from drying out

If your lips become dry after the lip augmentation procedure, it is important to change or supplement your usual lifestyle with some useful actions. Thus, increasing the amount of fluid consumed, using healing agents and taking vitamins will have a great impact on the body.

Ointments for peeling and dryness

Ointments and creams that combat dryness and flaking can reduce discomfort from this side effect. Hydrocortisone, which is part of medications, can improve the condition of the skin and its appearance, however, when using such assistants, you should know when to stop, because the active substance, if used thoughtlessly, may not restore, but only worsen the existing problems.

Along with pharmaceutical developments, it is important to use various hygiene lipsticks and balms that will help protect injured skin from the negative influence of the external environment.

Drinking regime

If there is a problem of dryness after hyaluronic acid, it is important to normalize the drinking regime, since dehydration of the body can increase the unpleasant phenomenon. The effect of the drug injected into the skin depends solely on the fluid contained in the body, since one molecule of sodium hyaluronate can bind up to 500 microparticles of water.

Thus, daily consumption of about eight glasses of clean water will help not only quickly restore comfort and activate inhibited regenerative processes in the body, but also enhance the results of injections.

Vitamins

Vitamins will help cope with the problem from the inside: it is important to increase the intake of tocopherol (vitamin E) and retinol (vitamin A). All fat-soluble substances can give a good result in the fight against flaking and dryness, and oils of plant and animal origin will make a particularly significant contribution.

Removing biopolymer gel

The surgical operation consists of several stages:

1. Antiseptic treatment of the operated part of the face.
2. Anesthesia.
3. An incision on the inside of the lip.
4. Extraction of biopolymer particles.
5. Excess fragments of the mucous membrane are excised, and the shape of the mouth is corrected.
6. The second lip is corrected (if necessary).
7. Suture.

The operated lip does not look aesthetically pleasing, but over time the sutures heal and normal “native” lips return.

Technique of the procedure

The basis of the method is the introduction of a special filler based on hyaluronic acid along the contour and pink part of the lips. This substance is a polysaccharide, which is actively produced by the human body at a young age. That is why the risk of complications in the form of adverse reactions is minimal.

The whole process takes about half an hour and looks like this:

1. During consultation with a specialist, the type of drug and the scope of the upcoming manipulation are determined.
2. An anesthetic cream is applied to the treated area or a pain-relieving injection is made into the gum.
3. Injections of hyaluronic acid are carried out along the contour of the lips; to distribute the filler evenly, the injection sites are kneaded with fingers.
4. To create volume, a rejuvenating drug is injected along the pink part of the lips; at the end of the procedure, the doctor must perform a massage.
5. If necessary, after a week or two, correction is made by additional injection of hyaluronic acid.

Post-procedure care rules

In order not to harm the body through your actions and not to worsen the result achieved with hyaluronic acid, it is important to follow the prohibitions and recommendations intended to be followed during the rehabilitation period.

What to do for lips

Actions beneficial for beauty and health will be:

• proper care, including cleansing, moisturizing with masks and creams and gentle daily massage, the technique prescribed by the doctor;
• the use of medications that can resolve bruises and remove swelling;
• sleep on your back or side, so as not to disturb the symmetry and naturalness of the acquired lip volume;
• refusal of decorative cosmetics for 3 days after injections, so as not to disrupt the process of natural healing of the skin after microtrauma.

What not to do

At the same time, if quality results are important, it is strictly prohibited:

• additional aggressive effects such as mechanical peeling;
• lick your lips, as this leads to chapping;
• sunbathe during hours of active radiation without using products with a high sun protection factor;
• undergo sudden temperature changes such as a sauna, bath, bath or dousing with cold water;
• take excessively spicy, salty or smoked foods;
• lead an unhealthy lifestyle: smoke hookah or cigarettes, drink alcoholic beverages;
• use cosmetics from an unverified manufacturer.

The important thing is that these rules should be followed for 10-14 days, after which you can gradually return to your normal behavior.