Although swelling can be significant (especially with more aggressive treatments), there is only minor discomfort during the days following the procedure. Patient routinely tell me that they took a single Vicodin to sleep the night after their procedure and have not required anything stronger than ibuprofen after that.  Depending on the amount of swelling, oral steroids such a Prednisone are usually offered to the patients. Patients who have a history of cold sores should also be placed on antiviral medication such as Acyclovir or Valtrex.