Sep 29, 2008
Radiesse has a patient satisfaction study on its site. The study measured patient satisfaction with Radiesse and then compared it with satisfaction for Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm.
Needless to say, as these are popular cosmetic fillers, I had to compare the Radiesse study with the real-life reviews here on RealSelf.com. Here's how everything stacks up...
Radiesse-reported Results
96% of patients were satisfied with Radiesse vs. 58% for Restylane.
90% were satisfied with Radiesse, vs. 48% for Perlane, and 7% for Juvederm.
RealSelf.com Reader Reviews
Juvederm: 65% said it's Worth It
That's right--only 50% of RealSelf.com reader reviews thought Radiesse was worth it. I realize this is not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but it is one of those things that makes you go, "hmm".
Return to Beauty Cred
10/3/08
I must say I view all studies with a healthy degree of skepticism. Before I look at the satisfaction study, I need to know who did the study and more importantly who paid for the study. What questions were asked?
It is well known in the medical community that studies can be designed to give you the answers you or your paymaster wants.
10/7/08
As I have stated in prior posts, I think the percentages of unsatisfied patients is skewed higher on realself than in the general population who have had the procedure. I would say comparing the 2 studies is tough because the population on realself is (in my opinion) more likely to be negative. I would say that my Radiesse clients are, for the most part, at least as satisfied as my HA patients, but the difference is probably not as high as the Radiesse study suggests.
Steve Weiner, MD
Facial Plastic Surgery
Destin, Florida
10/17/08
This is simply Marketing 101. Any CEO would fire the marketing department of his company if they could not find a way to put a positive spin on their product, or find some way of favorably comparing it to a competing product.
Patients should have equal skepticism about positive satisfaction surveys from product manufacturers and negative patient satisfaction reports from websites. The "silent majority" is most often very happy with the result, but not willing to take the time to report it, whereas unhappy customers usually can't find enough outlets to vent their dissatisfaction.
If you get good advice from your plastic surgeon about the proper product for your needs, you are most likely to get a good result that will make you happy.
10/17/08
Couldn't have been said better Dr Cambre!