Tear Trough Aftercare Guide

This aftercare guide covers what to expect and how to care for yourself after tear trough treatment at Core Aesthetics. Corey Anderson, AHPRA registered nurse, provides individual aftercare instructions at every appointment. This guide supplements those instructions and provides a reference for the days following treatment.

What to Expect

Swelling in the under eye area is common after tear trough treatment and can be significant in the first few days. Bruising in this area is also common due to the delicate tissue and blood supply. The under eye area may look puffy or uneven during the initial healing period. This is normal and expected. This is a normal and expected response to the treatment process. It does not represent the final result. The settled result is typically visible at two to four weeks.

First 24 Hours

In the first 24 hours after treatment avoid vigorous exercise, alcohol, rubbing or touching the under eye area, direct sun exposure. These activities increase blood flow, inflammation or heat in the treated area which can worsen swelling or affect how the product settles.

First 48 Hours

In the first 48 hours continue to avoid saunas, steam rooms, intense heat, sleeping face down, any pressure on the under eye area. These activities are particularly relevant in the early settling period when the product is most susceptible to displacement from pressure or heat.

Aftercare Checklist

• The tear trough area is delicate and swells more readily than other facial areas
• Sleeping with your head elevated on an extra pillow for the first week reduces swelling
• Cold compresses applied gently for short periods help manage swelling in the first 24 to 48 hours
• Avoid rubbing, pressing or touching the under eye area at all in the first week
• Avoid all eye makeup for 24 hours and apply carefully for at least a week after treatment
• The settled result takes longer in this area and is assessed at your review appointment at two to four weeks

When the Result Settles

The initial appearance after tear trough treatment is affected by swelling and is not representative of the final outcome. The face looks meaningfully different at two to four weeks compared to the day of treatment or the day after. Corey recommends waiting for the full settling period before assessing the result.

A review appointment is scheduled at approximately two to four weeks after treatment. This allows Corey to assess the settled result, answer any questions and discuss whether any refinement is appropriate.

When to Contact Core Aesthetics

Contact Core Aesthetics on 0491 706 705 if you have any concern after treatment. Signs that require immediate attention include worsening pain rather than improving tenderness, skin colour changes in the treated area, and any symptom that feels unusual or is worsening rather than improving. Do not wait to see if it improves on its own if you are concerned.

For tear trough treatment specifically: vision changes of any kind after treatment require immediate emergency assessment.

Read more about aesthetic treatment complications and what to do and about tear trough treatment at Core Aesthetics.

For a full overview of facial volume treatment and how it is assessed, read about facial volume treatment.

General Information Only. This article is general in nature and does not replace a consultation with a qualified health practitioner. Treatment outcomes, suitability and risks vary by individual. Any medical or prescription treatment options can only be discussed and provided where clinically appropriate following an individual assessment.

Day by-Day Recovery Timeline Days 1-2: Immediate Recovery
**What to expect:**
– Swelling around eyes (peaks 24-48 hours)
– Puffiness under eyes and lid
– Possible mild bruising
– Mild tenderness
– Possible slight vision change from swelling (temporary) **What to do:**
– Ice around eyes (but not directly on eyeball)
– Keep head elevated
– Avoid touching eyes
– Rest and minimise screen time
– Stay hydrated **What to avoid:**
– No heat (hot showers, heat on face)
– No strenuous exercise
– No sleeping on face
– No touching or rubbing eyes
– No makeup around eyes
– No contact lenses (if possible; wear glasses instead) Days 3-5: Swelling Resolving
**What to expect:**
– Swelling noticeably better
– Puffiness decreasing daily
– Under eye hollowing improved
– Bruising darker but appearing less swollen
– Vision completely normalised **What to do:**
– Light activity okay
– Gentle facial movements okay
– Can resume glasses or contacts
– Light makeup okay (if desired, gentle application)
– Continue hydration **What to avoid:**
– Heavy exercise still not ideal
– Saunas and heat exposure
– Vigorous eye movements or expressions
– No aggressive skincare near eyes Days 6-10: Integration Complete
**What to expect:**
– Minimal swelling
– Under eye hollow very improved
– Bruising fading
– Natural appearance restored
– Results very apparent Week 2+: Final Results
**What to expect:**
– Under-eye treatment fully integrated
– Under eye area appearing refreshed
– Hollowness addressed
– Results stable and natural
– Full makeup application normal Tear Trough-Specific Care Eye Area Sensitivity
**Important:** Tear trough area is delicate. Be gentle with:
– Eye opening/closing
– Makeup application
– Skincare products
– Rubbing or touching Vision Changes
**Temporary:** Some people notice slight puffiness affecting vision (1-2 days)
**Resolve:** Always resolves within days as swelling reduces
**Contact:** If vision changes persist beyond day 5, contact clinic Contact Lens Wear
**Days 1-3:** Wear glasses instead if possible
**Days 4+:** Contacts okay but may feel slightly uncomfortable if puffiness remains
**Week 2+:** Normal lens wear fine Makeup Application
**Days 1-3:** No eye makeup at injection sites
**Days 4+:** Gentle makeup okay (mineral based better than thick foundations)
**Week 2+:** Full makeup routine normal **Application tip:** Be gentle around injection sites; use light patting motion rather than rubbing

Safety, Suitability and Clinical Assessment

All aesthetic treatment procedures carry risk. The suitability assessment at consultation identifies any contraindications or relative risk factors specific to your circumstances, including medical history, current medications, previous procedures, and anatomical features that may affect the risk profile for a given treatment area. This information is reviewed before any treatment is planned.

For certain conditions and medications, injectable treatments are not appropriate, or require modification of technique or timing. For others, the treating practitioner may recommend that you consult with your primary healthcare provider before proceeding. These are clinical judgements that can only be made with accurate, complete medical history information, which is why the consultation history taking process is thorough.

Complication recognition and initial management are part of the clinical competency required of practitioners performing injectable treatments under AHPRA’s September 2025 guidelines for nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. The practitioner at Core Aesthetics holds current training in this area and maintains the relevant management supplies on site. Understanding that risk exists and is actively managed is more useful than assuming risk does not exist.

How Facial volume treatment Is Used as a Structural Tool

Facial volume treatment is often described in terms of volume, adding more to make something look bigger. This framing misrepresents how volume treatment functions in skilled clinical practice. Volume treatment is a structural tool. It can restore lost support in areas where facial volume has diminished with age. It can define a contour that was never clearly pronounced. And in some cases it can shift the proportional relationships between facial regions in a way that changes how the face reads overall.

Volume, in the sense of visible fullness, is sometimes a goal. But the mechanism is anatomical. Volume treatment placed in the right tissue plane, at the right depth, with an understanding of the surrounding anatomy, produces a different result than volume treatment placed superficially to fill a surface irregularity. This is why technique, placement, and clinical knowledge matter far more than product selection.

At Core Aesthetics, treatment decisions are based on a full facial assessment. Corey evaluates the face as a whole before deciding whether volume treatment is appropriate, where it would be most effective, and what volume would be consistent with a proportionate outcome. This assessment may lead to a recommendation not to treat, and that outcome is equally valid.

Understanding Facial Volume Loss and Why It Matters

The face changes with age through a combination of processes: bone resorption, fat pad redistribution, muscle changes, ligament laxity, and skin quality decline. These processes do not happen uniformly or at the same rate in different people. Two people of the same age may present very differently because of genetics, lifestyle, sun exposure, and individual anatomical variation.

Volume loss is one of the most clinically significant contributors to an aged appearance. When the structural support provided by subcutaneous fat and bone diminishes, the overlying skin is no longer held in place by the same framework. Features that once appeared well defined become less distinct. The relationship between facial thirds can shift. Hollowing in specific areas, the cheeks, the temples, the under eye region, creates shadows and contours that are often interpreted as tiredness or loss of vitality.

Understanding the underlying anatomy is essential to treating it appropriately. Volume treatment placed to address a surface concern without accounting for the structural deficit beneath it will produce a less effective and less enduring result. The consultation process at Core Aesthetics focuses on identifying the anatomical contributors to the concerns you have raised, not just addressing the surface appearance.

The Assessment Process Before Any Volume treatment

At Core Aesthetics, the consultation for facial volume treatment is a structured clinical appointment, not a sales conversation. Corey assesses the face in three dimensions, at rest, during movement, and from multiple angles. The goal is to understand the structural landscape of your face before deciding where, how much, and whether volume treatment is the right approach.

Key aspects of the volume treatment assessment include evaluating facial symmetry and identifying natural asymmetries that should be preserved or addressed; assessing the depth and distribution of any volume deficit; reviewing skin quality to determine how volume treatment would integrate; and discussing your goals in the context of what is anatomically achievable. For some concerns, volume treatment alone is sufficient. For others, a combination of treatments, or a different approach entirely, may be more appropriate.

You will leave the consultation with a written treatment plan that documents the assessment findings, the proposed approach, and the expected outcomes. Treatment is scheduled at a separate appointment, allowing time to consider the plan, ask further questions, and make an informed decision without any time pressure.

Dissolution, Complications, and Revision

Hyaluronic acid volume treatments are reversible. If a complication arises, if the result is unsatisfactory, or if a patient wishes to return to their baseline, hyaluronidase enzyme can be injected to dissolve the volume treatment. This is an important safety feature that distinguishes hyaluronic acid products from permanent or semi permanent volume treatments, which cannot be dissolved.

Dissolution does not always produce an immediate return to the pretreatment state. The process requires time, and in some cases more than one dissolution treatment. Swelling from the dissolution procedure can temporarily alter appearance. Corey will explain this clearly at consultation so that patients understand what reversal involves before they commit to treatment.

At Core Aesthetics, only hyaluronic acid formulations are used for facial volume treatment, the reversibility of these products is a deliberate clinical choice. Emergency protocols for vascular occlusion, the most serious potential complication of volume treatment, are maintained at the clinic. Patients are briefed on the signs of this complication and given emergency contact instructions as part of every treatment appointment.