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... more

Kenalog injections work great for inflamed skin, rashes and acne cysts. The swelling after Radiesse injections can be either 1. normal inflamation and will go down over the next few days with ice 2. infection and will need oral antibiotics 3. excessive inflamation due to the fanning technique of all the needle passes in which case kenalog injections would bring down the swelling or 4. seroma or hematomas which are fluid collections under the skin which need drainage with a needle and... more

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... more

I wouldn't use steroids here because of the risks of permanent visible deformities resulting from the steroids. These could include: Loss of pigmentation Increased vascularity Thinning of the skin Atrophy of the fat with a sunken in appearance. On the other hand, Radiesse is not permanent, but it is long lasting. A second "booster" set of injections is usually given 5 weeks after the first set. I would just ride it out. Go back for your five week check up and see how... more

Facial fillers correct areas of facial atrophy, loss of volume, and deep wrinkles. The various forms of facial filers have high or low complication profiles depending on their method of injection and inherent chemical stability. In the early postprocedural period, a patient may experience bruising, swelling, hematoma, and accelerated swelling due to the absorptive effects of facial fillers. Many of these effects will subside. It is important that the patient avoid corrective procedures in... more

Hi JC, One of the down sides to Radiesse is that it is not reversible. You and your physician should be very careful. Kenalog is a steroid that can cause atrophy of the skin and soft tissue. I would advise against using it to decrease the effects of excess Radiesse. The Radiesse will eventually go away, if you get atrophy from the Kenalog injections, you will have a life long problem. Massage to move the product around and possible additional filler (hyaluronic acids) to blend the... more

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.

Steroids will not help Radiesse injections that have become "bulky."

I would advise that you make a follow up appointment with your treating physician in the near future to discuss the various options with you. Being only a week out, some of the volume effect could be related to swelling. I would massage the areas treated with Radiesse several times per day. I would not consider a steroid injection at this time. Be patient and see your physician…more than likely, this will improve with time. Thanks for your question. Stephen A. Goldstein, MD... more

One week is a reasonable amount of time to judge the outcome of Radiesse in most patients. However, there are a few patients where the swelling lasts longer. Before you jump to any conclusions and subject yourself to the risks of a steroid injection, give yourself a little more time. Robert M. freund, MD