Will a Kenalog Injection Help Reduce 'Bulky' Radiesse Results?

Kenalog is a particulate steroid which alters your body's natural immune response. It is effective at reducing inflammation by reducing your body's to produce certain proteins that are part of your immune response.
Kenalog has the following risks that your physician should discuss clearly with you.
1. tissue atrophy (a permanent problem)
2. in reducing your immune response can make you more prone to infection temporarily in the injected area.
3. can cause hypopigmentation of the skin (making your skin appear lighter - again a permanent problem).
4. systemically it can also temporarily increase blood sugar (usually not an issue in individuals who are not diabetic or in small doses of the medication).
It may also not correct the problem you're dealing with - especially if the residual swelling is secondary to a fluid collection.
You should discuss this issue in detail with your treating physician. He will likely tell you to wait and monitor your progress carefully with you for the next few weeks.
I hope this helps.
Steven Williams, MD

Early swelling with Radiesse can occur in some patients and is not unusual.  It is  important to determine if the swelling is from the Radiesse or from a collection of blood (termed a hematoma).  Wait for three months and if swelling is still present, consult with your physician.

Seven days is too early to make a decision about steroids or other intervention. You should wait at least 2 weeks to a month before considering some type of treatment for the radiesse. During the first 2 weeks to a month, you are going to have a considerable amount of swelling from the inflammation that is undergoing around the radiesse. Your body is fighting and adjusting to the new tissue that has been injected. Doing something this early would be a mistake.
There are several risks with steroids that should be considered before using them. You have the risks of high blood pressure, high blood sugars, muscle and bone loss, poor wound healing, immunosuppression (you could be more susceptible to infections), hip damage, adrenal suppression, hormonal changes, acne, weight gain, mood changes, psychosis, changes in your appearance and more.
These are systemic effects that can happen if you are on a lot of injections over a long period of time, which is unlikely to happen with 1 or 2 injections but these risks need to be considered by anyone getting steroids. Locally at the site of injection, the effects could be thinning of the skin, you can develop vessels and increase vascularity that can change the appearance at the area, fat can be metabolized and cause depressions, your chances of infection and rejection of your radiesse could also be increased.
Consulting a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon would be something that I recommend. We specialize in the face and are highly qualified to help you with this.