For the first 24 – 48 hours, you will experience mild swelling, and you might have a slight sunburn sensation.  You can take anti-inflammatory and antihistamine medications for this.  You may also use an ice pack to relieve swelling.

If you are taking antiviral meds prescribed by your doctor, you will still need to take them to avoid fever blisters.

You can wash the area with a mild cleanser like Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser or something similar, rinse with water and pat dry, morning and evening.  You can apply the healing balm I will provide you with as needed.

NO sweating, tanning, sun, swimming pools, salt water, sauna and steam, makeup and skin care products for seven days

Apply a layer of Vaseline before eating/ brushing your teeth.

Avoid spicy hot foods and drinks the first few days

After seven days, your lips should be healed, and you can go back to your regular skincare routine.

Avoid all other products and makeup in the area for 5-7 days

For the first 2 -4 days, the lip colour will appear much darker than it is.  This is because the lips are a very vascular area.  You do not need to worry, as this is not your final colour result.  Expect the colour to be 40 -60% lighter once it is healed.

Do not scrub or pick off the scab!  It must come off by itself.

Long-term care includes:

• Sun tanning and tanning beds
• Avoid skin care products and serums with Vit A/ Retinol on the area
• Avoid chemical peels and laser treatments on the area
• Colour boosts are needed once in a while to keep the colour looking fresh (between 2 -5 years) after initial treatment.