Radiesse (formerly known as Radiance) is an injectable filler for cosmetic enhancement of specific areas of the face which is FDA-approved. Radiesse is made up of microscopic calcium particles (hydroxyapatite that is chemically similar to the mineral in bone) and suspended in a gel for injection. Radiesse is a safe material that is used in other medical applications such as bladder sphincter control, breast biopsies, and vocal cord injection and has proven to be very compatible with the body. Unlike collagen it does not require an allergy test and lasts in the range of 8 to 12 months. In rare cases, it may last even longer. It is purported that it will last longer when placed on top of bone, rather than just under the skin, but convincing studies have yet to be forthcoming about that belief.
Radiesse is a versatile injectable filler that can be used to improve numerous facial areas such as wrinkles in areas like the smile lines (or nasolabial folds) but also address cosmetic defects in the nose, augment and contour the cheeks, enhance the chin and contour the jawline. It is this ability to augment facial bone areas that makes Radiesse unique amongst the numerous facial fillers.
For those who desire cheek enhancement, due to a congenital flatness of the cheek profile or due to aging loss, Radiesse can add volume to cheeks because it can be used to treat the easily accessible, slightly curved surface area of the body of the zygoma. It can be directly injected with no structures of any importance between the cheek skin and the underlying bone. The result is an immediate fullness to the prominence of the cheek. It does not usually take more than 1cc or less per cheek area. While not as dramatic as that of a cheek implant, it does result in a noticeable enhancement of the cheeks. I have read published studies which show that a typical treatment for cheek augmentation can last for over a year or longer but I would not expect it to last any longer here than elsewhere.
Radiesse offers a quick and immediate procedure for select nasal contouring. Commonly known as a non-surgical rhinoplasty, it can be used to build up the bridge of the nose to camouflage a hump, (straightening your profile) or to correct defects and shape the tip of the nose. Very small amounts of the material are needed to make these changes, substantially less than 1 cc. The trick to doing it is to make it reasonably comfortable given the sensitivity of the nose.
Radiesse has also been used with some good results to augment a weak chin and is a non-surgical option to a chin implant when immediate results are desired. This concept has also been extended to re-shape and contour the jaw line and chin. It does result is a smoother, firmer jaw line but it does take a lot of material to do so which makes it not cost-effective for most patients. Putting it over such large areas is probably exceedingly the capability of what injectable fillers are meant to do.
When Radiesse is placed down at the bone level, the potential for normal side effects such as irregularities and bumps is eliminated due to its deep location. During placement, working the material against the bone makes it easy to shape it and eliminate the risks of unevenness and irregularities.
Radiesse is a unique injectable filler because it lasts longer than other compositions such as collagen and hyaluronic acid compositions. While it does last longer, it still is not permanent and that significant issue must be taken into consideration when comparing it to more conventional methods of facial skeletal enhancement such as implants. In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, it is a method of injectable facial filling that is best used in those patients who want an immediate result (and understand that it is not permanent) or for those patients who want to use it as a trial facial bone enhancement to determine if eventual facial implants are a good option. In the advent that they don’t like the result, time will resolve those concerns without surgery.
Dr, Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana