Day 1 — too dark and too sharp
Swelling concentrates the tissue, surface pigment has not yet exfoliated, and inflamed lips are just redder. The colour can look like a bold matte lipstick. It is not the result and will lighten substantially.
Day 4–7 — 'my colour disappeared'
The healing film and light scab carry away the top layer of pigment as they shed, and a fresh, slightly opaque layer of epidermis forms over what remains, veiling it. Near-total colour loss at this stage is common and temporary.
Day 8–21 — patchy and blotchy
Different zones re-epithelialise and de-swell at different rates, so colour returns unevenly. Dry flaky patches sit next to areas that look fine.
Week 4 — the honest view
Epidermis has settled to normal thickness and swelling is gone. Now the tone, evenness and any gaps are real and can be judged — which is exactly why the touch-up is booked for after this point.
