Lip Blush Aftercare
Lip Blush Aftercare
Everything you need for the next few weeks, in the order you will need it. These instructions also apply to Lip Neutralisation — the treatments differ, the aftercare does not.
The first 24 hours
Lips look their most dramatic on day one. Keep the area clean, handle it gently, and leave everything else alone.
01
Clean with water only
Clean your lips with water only, a few times during the first day. Nothing else is needed — no soap, no facial cleanser, no antiseptic wash and nothing exfoliating.
Be gentle. Pat the area dry rather than rubbing it.
02
Lip balm, only when you need it
Apply the lip balm recommended by ELKA CLINIC only when your lips feel dry or tight. If they feel comfortable, there is no need to apply it.
Your lips do not need to stay coated. A small amount when they feel dry is enough.
03
What to expect today
Your lips will look brighter, deeper and more defined than the healed result, and some swelling is normal. Swelling is usually greatest in the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours and then settles.
A cool compress can help if the swelling feels uncomfortable.
Eating, drinking and brushing your teeth
You do not need to change your life for a week. You do need to keep irritating things off the lip surface while it settles.
Food and drink
First 3 to 5 days, or until tenderness and peeling settle
Avoid anything that irritates the treated surface directly:
- Very hot food and drinks
- Spicy food
- Acidic food and drinks
- Very salty food
- Greasy food
- Crunchy food, where it rubs or catches on the lips
Using a straw
Helpful, not compulsory
A straw can be useful if it keeps hot or acidic drinks off your lips, or simply makes drinking more comfortable in the first few days. It is not a requirement, and there is no need to put yourself on a liquid or soft-food diet.
Brushing your teeth
From the same day
Carry on brushing from the day of your treatment, just carefully. Brush gently, keep toothpaste off the treated lip surface as much as you can, avoid rubbing or stretching the lips, and rinse carefully.
Washing your face
Carry on, but keep it off the lips
Normal face washing can continue. Keep facial cleanser off the treated lip surface, do not scrub the lips, avoid very hot water and prolonged soaking, and pat around the area gently rather than rubbing.
What to avoid during healing
Two different periods, and they are not always the same length.
Avoid for 10 days
A fixed period
- Swimming
- Sauna
- Steam room
- Heavy sweating and strenuous exercise
Until peeling has finished
However long that takes
- Lipstick, gloss and other lip makeup — wait 10 days, or until peeling has finished and the surface has healed, whichever comes later. Never apply product over peeling or broken skin.
- Kissing and direct lip contact — wait until peeling has finished and the lip surface has healed.
- Picking or peeling the skin — let flakes shed on their own. Pulling healing skin away early can interfere with healing and with how the colour settles.
The lip blush healing timeline
Lip blush heals over roughly four to six weeks in distinct colour stages, including a week in the middle when the colour seems to disappear. Knowing that stage is coming removes most of the worry.
Day 1
Bright and swollen. Lips look brighter, deeper and more defined than the healed result. Swelling is usually greatest in the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then reduces.
Days 2–4
Swelling settles. The colour stays deep. Light dryness or tightness is common, and mild bruising is possible though uncommon.
Days 5–7
Peeling begins. Light peeling or flaking may start. Let it shed naturally to protect the pigment underneath. Heavy scabbing is less common — contact the clinic if it seems excessive.
Week 2
The ghosting phase. Colour appears to fade as fresh skin covers the pigment, and lips can look almost bare. This is expected. It does not mean the treatment has failed, and it is not the moment to judge your result.
Weeks 3–4
Colour returning. The colour gradually re-emerges, softer than the fresh result, and continues to settle.
Weeks 6–8
Healed result. The healed colour and shape are generally visible. This is the point at which the result can fairly be assessed.
Healing varies from person to person. Your lips may move through these stages slightly earlier or later than shown, and colour retention differs between individuals. Treat the day ranges as a general guide rather than a schedule, and please do not judge the final result during the peeling or ghosting stages.
What is normal during healing
Commonly reported
Expected and temporary
- Lips looking brighter and deeper than expected on day one
- Swelling in the first day or two
- Dryness, tightness or a chapped feeling
- Light peeling or flaking
- Colour looking patchy or almost absent in the second week
- The two sides settling at slightly different rates
Worth telling us about
Please get in touch
- Anything that concerns you
- Scabbing that looks heavy or excessive
- Anything that looks noticeably different from the stages above
- Any blistering or tingling that could be a cold sore
This guide describes what clients commonly experience while healing. It is not a medical assessment and it does not list every possibility. If something worries you, contact us or an appropriate healthcare professional.
Important
Cold sores and lip blush
Lip procedures can trigger a recurrence in people who carry the cold sore virus, even if it has been dormant for years. This is common, well recognised, and worth planning for rather than worrying about.
Before your appointment
If you have ever had a cold sore
Please speak with your GP or another appropriate prescribing healthcare professional before your appointment about preventative antiviral medication. Whether medication is appropriate, which one, the dose, when to start it and how long to take it are all decisions for that healthcare professional rather than for us.
If one develops while healing
During your healing period
Contact an appropriate healthcare professional for advice, and let ELKA CLINIC know so we can guide you through the rest of your healing. Avoid kissing and direct lip contact until the cold sore has completely healed.
When to contact ELKA CLINIC
If something about your healing concerns you, get in touch. Most of the time we will simply confirm that you are on track, and we would far rather hear from you early than have you wait and worry. A clear photograph taken in daylight helps, so WhatsApp is usually the quickest way to reach us. Where a medical assessment is appropriate, please see your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional.
After healing, and sun protection
- Once your lips have finished peeling and the surface has healed, you can use a lip product with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.
- Do not apply SPF to lips that are still peeling, broken or freshly treated.
- Sun protection helps look after the healed lip area over time.
How long your colour lasts depends on your skin, your lifestyle and your sun exposure, and it varies from person to person.
The perfecting appointment is optional
A perfecting appointment can be considered approximately four to six weeks after your first treatment. It is not automatically required.
If you are happy with the result
No second session needed
If the healed colour and overall result suit you after the first treatment, there is nothing further to book. Plenty of clients stop here.
If you would like an adjustment
Four to six weeks
If you would like more depth, a more even tone or a refinement to the border once everything has settled, that is what the perfecting appointment is for. Because the colour is still returning through weeks three and four, there is nothing to gain from booking it earlier.