Lip Neutralization

Follow these instructions to help keep your lips calm, hydrated, and ready for the procedure.

Several days before your appointment:

• Keep your lips moisturized. At night, apply a thin layer of a simple lip balm or moisturizer that you have used before.
• Do not bite, pick, peel, or aggressively exfoliate your lips. They should be intact and free from cracks, open areas, or significant irritation.
• Avoid tanning and prolonged direct sun exposure. Lip Neutralization cannot be performed on sunburned, peeling, severely chapped, or irritated lips.
• Avoid chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, and other resurfacing procedures around the mouth for at least 2 weeks.
• Avoid Botox and other injectable treatments around the mouth for at least 2 weeks.
• Schedule Lip Neutralization at least 4–6 weeks after injectable lip augmentation and only after all swelling, bruising, tenderness, and unevenness have fully resolved.

24 hours before your appointment:

• Do not drink alcohol.
• Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and supplements that may increase bleeding unless they are prescribed or medically necessary.
• Do not stop or change any prescribed medication, including blood thinners, without approval from your healthcare provider. Please inform us before your appointment if you take these medications regularly.

On the day of your appointment:

• Avoid coffee, energy drinks, and excessive caffeine.
• Eat a normal meal and drink enough water before your appointment.
• Arrive with clean lips. Do not apply lipstick, lip liner, gloss, or lip-plumping products.

If you have ever had a cold sore:

Please inform us before your appointment and speak with your healthcare provider about whether preventive antiviral medication is appropriate for you. Follow the medication schedule provided by your healthcare provider. The appointment must be postponed if you develop tingling, burning, blisters, or an active cold sore.

Dehydrated or irritated lips, recent cosmetic treatments, increased bleeding, or an active cold sore may affect the procedure and healing process. In some cases, the appointment may need to be rescheduled.

• On the day of the procedure, gently clean your lips every hour using clean cotton pads dampened with bottled water. Do not rub. After cleaning, apply a very thin layer of the aftercare balm provided by the studio.
• Continue applying a very thin layer of the provided aftercare balm as needed for 4–5 days. Use only enough to prevent excessive dryness and do not overapply.
• For the first 24 hours, use a straw for beverages other than water to minimize contact with the treated lips. Avoid very hot drinks.
• Avoid alcohol for 24 hours. During the first few days, avoid very hot, spicy, salty, or acidic foods that may irritate the lips.
• Do not touch, rub, bite, lick, pick, or peel your lips. Allow any flaking or scabbing to come away naturally.
• Do not apply lipstick, lip gloss, or other cosmetic lip products until the lips have healed.
• Avoid swimming and hot tubs until all flaking or scabbing is completely gone and the lips have healed, usually within 7–10 days.
• Avoid saunas and steam rooms for 2–3 weeks.
• Avoid teeth-whitening treatments for 4 weeks.
• Schedule injectable lip augmentation no sooner than 4–6 weeks after Lip Neutralization and only after the lips have fully healed.
• Avoid tanning beds, sunbathing, and direct sun exposure while the lips are healing. Once the skin has fully healed, use a lip-safe, broad-spectrum SPF 50 product.

• Immediately after the procedure, the lips may appear brighter, warmer, and more saturated than the final healed result. Warm pigment tones are used to balance naturally dark, cool, gray, brown, or purple tones, so the fresh color should not be considered the final result. Mild swelling, tenderness, or redness may occur and usually subsides within the first few days.

  During the first 7–10 days, the lips may feel dry and develop light flaking or fine scabbing. Allow this to come away naturally without picking or peeling.

  Once the flaking has ended, the color may temporarily appear very pale, uneven, less visible, or darker in some areas. Different areas of the lips may settle at different rates. Allow at least 8 weeks before evaluating the healed color.

  Lip Neutralization is a gradual process, and one session may not be enough to balance the natural lip tone evenly. The number of sessions varies depending on the starting pigmentation, undertone, individual healing, and how the lips respond to pigment.

  Additional sessions, when appropriate, are scheduled at least 8–10 weeks apart. Once the desired result has been achieved, the color will gradually soften and fade over time. Future maintenance varies from person to person.

Lip Neutralization may not be suitable for everyone. Please disclose any relevant medical conditions, medications, allergies, and recent treatments before booking. Depending on your individual circumstances, the appointment may need to be postponed or medical clearance may be requested.

The procedure cannot be performed if:

• You are under 18 years of age.
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You are under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs, or are unable to provide informed consent.
• You currently have a fever, acute infection, or are feeling significantly unwell.
• You have tingling, burning, blisters, or an active cold sore.
• The lips are severely chapped, cracked, sunburned, peeling, or significantly irritated.
• There is an active infection, rash, dermatitis flare, open wound, or other unresolved inflammation on or around the lips.
• There is an undiagnosed lesion, growth, or recent unexplained change in the color or condition of the lips.
• The lips have not fully healed following surgery, oral surgery, laser treatment, chemical peeling, or another procedure around the mouth.
• Injectable lip augmentation was performed less than 4–6 weeks ago, or swelling, bruising, tenderness, or unevenness is still present.

Please contact us before booking. Medical clearance may be required if you have:

• A bleeding or clotting disorder, or take prescribed blood-thinning medication.
• Diabetes or a history of delayed wound healing.
• An autoimmune condition, immune deficiency, leukemia or another active cancer, or are currently receiving chemotherapy or immunosuppressive treatment.
• Epilepsy or another seizure disorder.
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure or a serious cardiovascular condition.
• A history of keloid or abnormal scarring.
• A history of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or lips becoming significantly darker following injury, irritation, or a previous cosmetic procedure.
• A significant allergy or previous reaction to tattoo pigments, topical anesthetics, latex, antiseptics, or aftercare products.
• A history of cold sores. Please inform us before your appointment and speak with your healthcare provider about whether preventive antiviral medication is appropriate for you.
• Recently undergone surgery, dental treatment, injectable treatment, or another medical procedure around the mouth.