Do Lip Fillers Hurt? What You Need To Know About Pain During Injections

Lip filler injections are a popular option for patients who want to undergo lip augmentation without surgery. It’s a method that uses careful injections of filler material like hyaluronic acid around or inside the lips to increase their volume, lift the edges, and define their contours.

So do lip fillers hurt? Not by much. While there are factors that can certainly make it sting more for you compared to other patients such as pain tolerance or the thinness of your lips), the injections themselves don’t hurt much. And if you’re really worried, you and your injector can do things that can help lessen the pain.

How Painful Is Lip Filler?

Based on our own treatments, lip filler injections hurt as much as your typical injection – maybe slightly more because of the area where the filler is injected. However, there are a few factors that can change how painful this is.

The reason why lip fillers can hurt is because they’re injected in a relatively sensitive part of your face. The lips are full of nerve endings, all of which can be hit by the needle once it injects the filler material. Adding the muscle groups that control the movement of the lips and the blood vessels in the area – there are a lot of sensitive places to be hit.

This means that the skill of your injector would be the biggest factor that can lessen lip filler pain. An experienced provider will understand the proper treatment protocols, as well as your unique facial anatomy for your lip filler treatment, making it less likely to hurt overall.

How To Reduce Pain From Lip Filler Treatment

If you’re getting lip filler treatment for the first time and you’re worried if your lip filler will hurt, there are things that can be done to help lessen the likelihood of the treatment to exceed your pain threshold.

Before Your Treatment

• Find an experienced provider. A skilled injector is the key to avoiding most, if not all of the pain you may experience during lip filler injection. An experienced injector (a licensed doctor, nurse. physician’s assistant, and other similarly qualified medical professionals) should be the only one to inject your lip fillers.
• Do cold therapy. Some providers may apply an ice pack on your lips before your treatment to numb the injection areas. The lip filler is injected before your skin regains feeling, minimizing any pain you may experience from your treatment overall.

During Your Treatment

• Apply numbing cream. You can also opt for the topical or on-site anesthetic to help dull any sensations during your treatment. Most first-time patients usually go for this option during their treatments, though many find they stop needing them as they get used to further injections.
• Use lidocaine. Some facial fillers have lidocaine included in their ingredients, particularly hyaluronic acid lip fillers like Restylane. Using lip filler injections with this ingredient makes for a less painful treatment, though patients with sensitive skin can still opt for topical anesthetics.

After Your Treatment

• Observe proper injection aftercare. Your lips will be sensitive after your lip filler treatment, so it’s important to get plenty of rest, avoid straining the area, and keep your skin hydrated. Not only will this minimize pain, but it will also make sure that your fillers settle in properly.
• Ask for medications if necessary. If you want active management of lip filler pain, then you can ask your provider for medications you can use at home. Avoid medications like aspirin, as its blood-thinning medications like it can worsen your symptoms after injection. Typically, you’ll be prescribed something like Tylenol.

Why Does My Lip Filler Hurt?

Overall, lip filler treatments should not result in any significant or long-lasting pain after your procedure. However, if you are experiencing acute or intermittent pain after your injections (even after bed rest, medication, and injection aftercare), you may be experiencing a complication from your treatment.

Again, this shouldn’t happen if you find an experienced injector, but there will be factors outside of their control that can still result in complications. Always monitor yourself after your injections and consult your doctor/provider if you experience any unexpected symptoms.

Get Comfortable, Safe, and Effective Lip Fillers With Ethos Spa Today

Lip filler injections are non-invasive treatments – which means they’re more likely to hurt less compared to lip implants or other surgical procedures. Of course, it’s unreasonable for your provider to promise that it’ll be a painless procedure. But overall, you can expect a relatively comfortable treatment.

At Ethos Spa, we pride ourselves on our lip filler injections both in safety and efficacy. We make sure our patients experience the outcomes they want with the least possible hassle and work with them long-term for the best treatment solutions for their specific needs. If you’d like to get to know more about our services, get in touch with us today.