Radiesse

When volume is filled undiluted, the shape shows right after injection. For the first few days it is mixed with swelling, so we look at the result 1–2 weeks later, after the swelling goes down. With the diluted skin booster method, collagen takes time to form, so changes begin to show from around 4–6 weeks.

For volume filling, it usually lasts 12–18 months, and sometimes up to 24 months. For diluted treatment aimed at texture and elasticity, many people have it again after about 1 year. It varies from person to person with age, skin condition, area, and the amount injected.

Because it is an injection, you will feel stinging and a dull ache. We usually start after applying numbing cream for 20–30 minutes, and a product containing an anesthetic (lidocaine) is sometimes used. For a few days after treatment, the area may hurt when pressed. We explain DM Dermatology's numbing method at your visit.

Hyaluronic acid filler works by the gel itself filling volume. With Radiesse, the gel fills volume at first, and over time new collagen forms around the calcium microspheres. Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with Hyalase, but Radiesse does not dissolve. Rather than one being better, the choice depends on the area and goal.

It cannot be dissolved. Hyalase is an enzyme that breaks down only hyaluronic acid, so it does not act on Radiesse, which is calcium-based. Small lumps usually shrink over time; if they last, medication is injected or, rarely, they are removed through an incision. A drug that dissolves calcium (sodium thiosulfate) has been discussed, but test results are mixed, so it is not an established treatment.

Common reactions are swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness, and itching, which usually settle within 1–2 weeks. A common adverse reaction is small lumps (nodules), which form more easily in areas that move a lot, such as the lips. Rarely, infection, allergy, or a complication that blocks a blood vessel can occur, so learn the warning signs after treatment in advance.

With the diluted skin booster method, a common schedule is 2–3 sessions, 4–8 weeks apart, and sometimes 1 maintenance session every 12–18 months after that. Volume filling is 1 session as standard, with a top-up after 4 weeks if needed. DM Dermatology sets your schedule after an examination.

It is the same Radiesse, thinned with saline and spread widely and thinly just below the dermis. It aims at skin texture and elasticity rather than creating volume. Diluted use on the face and neck is a method based on expert consensus.

Radiesse is sometimes planned together with hyaluronic acid filler, Botox (botulinum toxin), and ultrasound or radiofrequency lifting. When a heat-based treatment is done on the same area, the order and intervals are set in advance. Please tell us at your visit about recent treatments and any treatments you have scheduled.

You can have these tests, but you need to tell them in advance. Calcium microspheres show clearly on CT and may also show on ordinary X-rays, so the US product labeling says to tell your doctor and the radiology department. There are also reports of the treated area showing on MRI images. At your test, tell them where and when you had Radiesse.