Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm, RADIESSE works by stimulating your body to produce collagen. It is made of Calcium Hydroxyapatite (CaHA) microspheres (25 µm to 45 µm) suspended in an aqueous gel carrier of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). When injected, it immediately adds volume to deficient areas and contour facial features. Over time, the CMC gel is fully absorbed and the body metabolizes the CaHA microspheres, leaving behind your own natural collagen.
It was first FDA approved in 2006 for treating folds and wrinkles in the face, with 6 million procedures being performed to date. In 2015, RADIESSE received FDA approval or treating volume loss in the back of the hands.
XpresHAn Technology
How Radiesse Works
Radiesse filler provides an immediate lift by restoring lost volume in the treated areas, such as the cheeks and temples. It corrects deep facial folds such as the nasolabial lines. However, the results do not end there – they continue over the next 3 months! The skin becomes smoother and firmer when the CaHA particles stimulate collagen in your skin. Tightening occurs, to pull the skin upwards and improve facial contours. One unique property of Radiesse is that it can be hyper-diluted and used primarily as a skin rejuvenator. When the procedure is performed this way, the skin rejuvenating effects are even more pronounced and visible.
What to Expect After a Radiesse Treatment
Filler generally lasts anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. Everyone breaks it down a bit differently. Most patients plan come in once per year to refresh their results. Many times fewer syringes are used at that time because some product remains. Yet, collagen stimulation occurs even after one treatment with filler. Therefore, even if you do not repeat your filler again, you may be better off than never having done filler.
FAQs
What to Expect After a Juvederm Treatment
The first thing you should expect after a Juvederm treatment is for the treated area to be swollen. Don’t be alarmed if your lips look larger than you anticipated. It can take up to 14 days for the swelling to subside and for you to see the final results of your new perfected pout. Also, some patients have the habit of touching their lips or cheeks afterwards and are alarmed when they feel lumps and bumps. While some of the lumpiness will smooth out over time, you may always feel small differences and this is normal. The important aspect is how the area looks, visually, not how it feels. As with any injection, you may experience some bruising or redness around the injection sites. You can expect side effects with Juvederm Ultra XC and Ultra Plus XC up to 14 days and side effects with Juvederm Voluma can up to four weeks. Think of it this way: since results with Juvederm Voluma last the longest (up to two years), the side effects can take the longest to subside.