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Can You Drink Alcohol If You Get Lip Fillers?

Morgan Proudlock got her lips injected, went out drinking and had a nasty surprise when she woke up the next morning. Thing is, it shouldn't really have been a surprise.

Book your lip fillers with one of our medically qualified professionals. And listen to what they tell you!

What happened?

Morgan Proudlock had lip fillers. For bigger lips, obvs. That evening she went out with her friends and had a few drinks. She says she didn't have many, but she had enough to mean when she woke up in the morning her lips had swollen to treble in size and the surrounding skin was also puffy and swollen.

Ooooomph!

Why Did It Happen?

Well. I don't know who did Megan's lip fillers and what advice she received (if any!). Of course, anybody can legally administer lip fillers. There are no regulations. Megan may have bought some lip filler from eBay and her mate injected it for her. Who knows! But if she went to a medically qualified professional, it's almost guaranteed she would have been told not to drink booze.

Shelley Folkes, nurse practitioner and owner of The Glow Clinic Hereford, says: "During a consultation in my clinic the after effects are clearly discussed and swelling can be significant in some people. I always advise patients to have restful 24 hours post lip filler and not to consume alcohol 48 hours before the treatment and ideally 48 hours after."

Why Does Booze Do This?

Alcohol thins your blood and causes dehydration, which biologically will all have an impact and react to the filler that's been injected into your lips. Add to this, when you're a bit drunk, you're less likely to take care of your lips generally!

Does Anything Else Cause This?

After looking at the images, Shelley felt a little concerned about the condition of the Morgan's skin generally, with signs of make-up and possibly fake tan. Shelley said: "I would hazard a guess this isn't just alcohol but a total disregard for the treatment itself and zero effort to keep things clean, calm and cared-for afterwards. It's not unusual, some patients are flippant about these treatments and don't really give them the respect they deserve!"

And look what happens!

Is Swelling After Lip Filler Normal?

Yes, it's one of the most common side effects. Shelley advises: "I would say two or three in every hundred treatments swell significantly. I personally am one of those people. The worse thing you can do is exacerbate the problem by doing all the things you're advised not to do!" What we don't know is if Megan had any kind of consultation or after-care advice or if she simply ignored the advice she was given.

Is It Dangerous?

No, not really. It can be painful and uncomfortable, particularly when it's extreme like this, but generally swelling isn't dangerous. It's an immune response, your body saying 'no no, something isn't right here, this is different' but it usually subsides within a few days.

Are Lip Fillers Safe?

Hyaluronic acid fillers are FDA-approved, and as long as they are performed by a medically qualified practitioner, they are safe. If you do experience any issues with your lip fillers, contact your practitioner, who will be able to best advise you on what to do. HA fillers can be dissolved if needed, but it’s far more complicated to remove collagen lip fillers.

Your practitioner's skill, level of training and medical background will have an impact on how safe the treatment itself is. If they have a medical background - i.e. is a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist prescriber - they will have a much great understanding of facial anatomy, and will know where it is safe to inject. Lip augmentation can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and can lead to vascular occlusions, which you can read all about here. It's important to know that dermal fillers are not regulated in the UK, so anyone can pick up a syringe and buy some dodgy filler on the internet. Be careful about who you get your lip filler treatment done by because your face is way too precious to put in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

A gorgeous before and after of lip filler treatment from Julia Mansell at Rejuvia Aesthetics in London.

Do Lip Fillers Hurt?

The lip area is quite sensitive so the treatment might be a bit uncomfortable. But, any discomfort experienced should only be minimal. Either a numbing cream or local anaesthetic will likely be applied before the treatment to help reduce pain and lots of fillers contain lidocaine - an anaesthetic that will numb the lips throughout the procedure.

Want to find out more? Check out our lip fillers treatment guide. And have a read through our 10 things to know before having lip fillers here.

Book in for lip fillers in your area now - whether it's lip enlargement, hydration or lip symmetry you want, we have around 1000 medically qualified aesthetic practitioners to choose from! So if you're tired of googling "lip fillers near me", you'll find the experts who can give you the lips you'll love, reviews and lip filler before and after images - all in one place!

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