After Lip, Forehead, Chin Tip, or Nasolabial Fold Fillers: When Can You Drink or Smoke?

Hello, I’m Director Park from Relive Clinic.

One of the questions I hear most often after filler treatment is:

"When can I drink alcohol?"

"Is it okay to smoke today?"

To give you the conclusion first, I recommend avoiding both for now. Let me explain how long you should abstain and why.

Why Drinking and Smoking Can Be a Problem After Lip, Forehead, Chin Tip, or Nasolabial Fold Fillers

Alcohol dilates the blood vessels in our body and increases blood flow. You may be wondering, “Why is that a problem?”

For fillers to produce the best results, they must be precisely injected into the correct layer and location.

If blood flow increases around the area where the filler was placed, the likelihood of bruising or swelling may increase.

The probability is not high, but there is also no guarantee that dilated blood vessels will have no effect whatsoever on the filler.

Alcohol may also activate the immune response and potentially trigger an inflammatory reaction.

You may have noticed that your face becomes red or feels hot after drinking alcohol. These sensations are caused by blood vessel dilation, which is why you need to be particularly careful about drinking alcohol immediately after filler treatment.

In practice, the inflammatory response caused by alcohol is the most concerning.

I recommend absolutely avoiding alcohol for at least 2–3 days after treatment, and preferably avoiding it for up to a week.

Why Shouldn’t You Smoke After Filler Treatment?

Smoking constricts the blood vessels instead.

If alcohol dilates the blood vessels, smoking has the opposite effect.

The problem is that this constriction can significantly interfere with skin regeneration and the stabilization of the filler. Looking at the components of cigarettes:

Nicotine reduces blood flow, interfering with the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissue.

This delays tissue recovery and reduces the body’s ability to regulate inflammatory responses, increasing the possibility of inflammation.

In particular, research has found that smoking increases the risk of necrosis in areas with abundant blood vessels or that are sensitive to pressure, such as the nose, lips, and nasolabial folds.

I recommend avoiding smoking for at least 3–5 days after treatment.

And then there are people who ask:

"How many drinks can I have?"

There are people who ask this... (Please, just hold off for a few days...)

It cannot be said that having one drink will inevitably cause an inflammatory reaction.

However, if even a small amount of alcohol or smoking happens to trigger an inflammatory reaction, you could end up in a situation where the filler you paid good money for needs to be dissolved.

To summarize, care during approximately the first week after filler treatment is the most important.

Let’s hold off just a little longer.