The most asked question before a first filler, and most answers online say either "nothing at all" or "a lot". Neither is true.
What you feel
The first needle pinch, then pressure as the gel goes in. Most fillers contain lidocaine, so the area numbs itself within seconds. For lips we apply numbing cream twenty minutes before; for cheeks, jaw and chin we use a cannula (a blunt-tipped needle) through one entry point, so there are few pinches.
Where it hurts more
Lips are the most sensitive: patients rate them 4 or 5 out of 10. Cheeks and jaw: 2. Under-eye with a cannula: 1 or 2. Between the brows: moderate. During your period sensitivity rises; postpone a week if you can.
Afterwards
A bruise-like ache for a day or two, settled by paracetamol and a cold compress.
When pain is not normal
Severe one-sided pain that grows instead of fading, skin that turns white or dusky in a patch, or numbness. These are signs of a blocked vessel: very rare, and treatable within hours. Dr. Sara gives every filler patient her direct number for exactly this.
Quick answers
Can I take a painkiller before filler?
Paracetamol, yes. Not aspirin or ibuprofen: they increase bruising.
Does the anaesthetic change the result?
No. Numbing cream and the lidocaine inside the filler do not alter the shape.
Can I have it under general anaesthesia?
No need and we do not. Filler is a twenty-minute procedure while you are awake and talking.
This guide is general information, not medical advice; your treatment is decided at your consultation with Dr. Sara El Hamawy.