It’s easy to think that lip fat transfer surgery isn’t a big deal, but it’s important to remember that it is still a surgery. Your body goes through a healing process every time your body experiences trauma, and it views a fat transfer to the lips as such an event. You will need time to let the fat in your lips settle and integrate into the tissue, and the liposuctioned areas your donor fat came from will also need a little TLC.
Immediately after a fat transfer to the lips, you should expect swelling, tenderness, and bruising in the area. You may also experience some numbness or a tingling sensation, which is temporary. All of these symptoms may also occur in areas where you had liposuction to gather the donor fat placed in your lips. A lip fat transfer is a bit more intense than getting dermal fillers, so don’t expect to be back in the office or on the job site for a few days.
The swelling and bruising in your lips may be enough to make you self-conscious at first, and it may not be even. Swelling isn’t a precise science, and it may make your lips appear lopsided or asymmetrical for a few days. Your lips may also appear overfilled, but this is by design. Some of the transferred fat cells will die, so plastic surgeons often add a bit more fat than needed to account for this. All of this is completely normal after a lip fat transfer, but you may need a few days to let things settle before you venture out into public—your lips will look worse before they look better.
Most patients recover from their fat transfer procedure fairly easily and without incident. Problems, although rare, can happen, however. It’s good to know the signs of trouble so you can act quickly and contact your surgeon if you see a potential issue. Mild asymmetry and areas of firmness are normal, but severe pain, pus, and increasing redness are not. Neither is an unexplained fever, skin that is hot to the touch, or swelling that begins to get worse after the first two or three days. If you experience these symptoms, reach out to your plastic surgeon right away.
We understand that surgery is something we do every day, but that’s not the case for you. While we know exactly what you can expect during recovery, you may not, and we recognize that the unknown can feel intimidating. As such, we’ve put together this timeline to help you know what to expect and when as you recover. Your experience may vary slightly since every patient is unique, but it should generally follow this path.
After your lip fat transfer surgery, remember that you and your plastic surgeon are a team. Your surgeon and patient care team will take excellent care of you while you’re with us, but we need you to take good care of yourself when we send you home. One of the ways you can do that is to take steps to minimize swelling. Doing so will help you look and feel better while helping prevent complications. It will also promote better surgical outcomes. We recommend the following:
Doing all of the above will help with swelling, and so will avoiding these things:
After a fat transfer to the lips, you should avoid lip movements as much as you realistically can. We understand that this is a tall order. Some strategies for doing so include avoiding kissing, whistling, using straws, and other things that make your lips pucker. We include smoking and vaping on that list, but since patients are already asked to avoid those things post-op, we know that those activities won’t be a problem. You may also want to engage in a soft diet to limit chewing.
When you do move your lips to talk, smile, or even chew your food, they will likely feel stiff, awkward, and tight. With time, your lips will start to feel more natural again, but the first week or two may feel, to use a technical term… weird.
Patients can generally resume using lipstick or lip balms about 10 to 14 days after their procedure. Kissing needs to wait a little longer, and you may need to abstain for two to three weeks. During this time, we highly recommend the coveted but often overlooked forehead kiss.
If you have a question or concern during fat transfer recovery, we want to hear from you. Please don’t be shy or concerned that you’ll be a pest. We’re here to help, and we want to do so. Small problems can turn into big ones if left unchecked, so please reach out to us immediately if you experience:
Our friendly staff is here to help 24/7 when you call the number listed on your post-op care sheet.
Hard lumps and bumps are common after a lip fat transfer procedure. They occur for several reasons. Some of the transferred fat cells die, and they may cause a lump until the body absorbs them. Fat cells can sometimes clump together when injected, and this can also result in a bump. It’s also possible for swelling to compress tissue and push or clump it together. Some lumps and firm areas are expected after a fat transfer to the lips and typically resolve as the swelling settles and the fat cells integrate into the area.
Mild movements are okay after a few days, but excessive stretching could impact early fat placement. Cracking an occasional smile isn’t going to hurt, but you probably should avoid talking to your funny friend for a few days. Excessive movement too soon can displace the fat, shifting it out of its proper position.
Temporary fullness is normal, but a persistent overfilled look that lasts beyond two months should be evaluated by your surgeon. Plastic surgeons intentionally overfill the lips and other areas during a fat transfer procedure to account for the fat cells that will inevitably die. Even so, most still take a less-is-more approach. The overly done look should subside as you heal. Please reach out to your surgeon if it doesn’t.
You can. But you should wait at least three to six months after your fat transfer to the lips. Waiting gives the transferred fat time to fully stabilize so your surgeon can see your final results before adding even more volume. Failing to wait could result in overfilling.
Small asymmetries can occur, but the risk of asymmetrical fat absorption is low. Plastic surgeons inject lip fat carefully and precisely, using microinjections for a very high level of control. A skilled surgeon will account for natural differences in your lips and make their plan accordingly. This is another reason why choosing the right plastic surgeon is critical.