Avoiding Bruising and Redness After Injections

How to avoid redness at injection sites after filler and how to get rid of the discoloration that persists months after injections? Seems like permanent redness developed after injection under eyes.

We get asked about this a lot at our clinic also.  And our team has developed some hints over the years to help with this.  Here are some tips for preventing bruising after receiving BOTOX, dermal fillers, or any other of our injectable treatments.  🙂

In our clinic, we also use a “vein” finder which is an expensive but wonderful device that has cut bruising by about half.  Most of our patients leave with little to no bruising thanks to our wonderful staff.

One week before your appointment:

  • Stop any aspirin, Advil/ibuprofen, or Aleve/naproxen THAT ISN’T MEDICALLY NECESSARY.  Please check with your doctor if not sure.  These inhibit clotting and make you bleed more.
  • Medically necessary and prescription “blood thinners”  should NOT be stopped.  But tell your dermatologist/nurse if you are on one of these
  • Look at all the supplements and herbal teas etc. you might be taking and look them up to see if they will make you bruise more.  Some of the more common ones are fish oils, ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, curcumin (turmeric), and many others.  Consider stopping these 3 days before.

The day of and/or day before your appointment:

  • Consider taking arnica as stated on its container for one or two days.  If you have a serious cardiac condition, clotting disorder, or high blood pressure ask your doctor first.
  • Some of our patients swear by pineapple the day before and day of.  This definitely won’t hurt you, so try it.  Fresh pineapple is the key.  I really have no idea how this might work, but it seems to. 🙂
  • Don’t plan on doing any exercise the day of your appointment, and try to exercise right before. Exercise dilates all your blood vessels, including in the skin.
  • Numbing creams and ice can help by constricting (narrowing down) the blood vessels some.

For several days after your appointment:

  • Keep your heart rate down (less than 100).  This helps to prevent more or late bruising.
  • Don’t do “inversions,” which is anything upside down.  Includes gardening, some yoga poses (down dog), and cleaning projects!
  • Follow your doctor’s post care instructions.  It’s odd but many people really don’t read them.  They really do help!!
  • Try not to fly the same day if you can.

 

Hope this helps,
Dr. Brandith Irwin
Founder, SkinTour
Director, Madison Skin & Laser Center
Follow my skin tips and travels on Instagram!

 

 

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

Ask me your skincare question!

Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
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