Can you go in the sun after fillers or Botox®?
HLN, 30 August 2024
Sun after fillers or Botox®: what is the risk? Dr Griet Voet and Dr Fran Baete explain in HLN what to look out for.
On social media, the warning goes round that you should not go in the sun with lip fillers or Botox®. HLN asked Dr Griet Voet and aesthetic doctor Dr Fran Baete whether there is any truth in it.
Dr Baete explains that every injection creates a small wound that can turn brown under the influence of sunlight. That sunlight causes more swelling or affects the filler itself has not been clearly demonstrated, according to both doctors; Dr Voet does not rule out faster breakdown of hyaluronic acid, but cannot say so with certainty.
Their advice: avoid the sun just after the treatment and protect the injected area well. Once the injection sites have healed, the greatest risk is gone. General sun protection remains important, though, including on the lips, to limit skin cancer and premature skin ageing.
Key advice
Avoid the sun in the first few days after fillers or Botox®.
Protect the treated area well until the injection sites have healed.
Use SPF50, a hat or covering clothing, including for your lips.
Avoid the sun at the hottest time of the day.
“Once the injection site has healed, however, the greatest risk has gone.” — Dr Griet Voet and Dr Fran Baete
Want to know more? Read about Hyaluronic acid fillers at Clinique Dermatologie Gent.