Radiesse: Stories

I scheduled for a TCA peel next week.... I figured the ulther would not do much for fine lines but worth trying too see if it helps with filler..... I hope that combination of few things and time will help me avoid surgery in the near future

I'm so worried and upset. I think I'm at 10 days of the beginning of a restylane nightmare. After speaking on the phone to my PS after sending him the pictures he asked for, it turns out NOT to be swelling. Under my right eye is overfilled, and under my left eye is sporadic bits of over filling. Before my injections, my main problem was fat protruding through my weakened right eye muscles (damn Botox). But I used to look perfectly smooth as long as I didn't smile. Now I look like a bike rolled over my face -- both smiling and not smiling. I'll be seeing him next week. In the meantime he instructed me on how to massage the mess of bumps, puffs and little craters. I'm doing my frantic best, but no movement of the stuff. I don't know if the lesser filled eye should be injected a wee bit more, at least to match the fuller eye. I'm not willing to go down the vitrase road. No! I'm already thinking future lower bleph. @Anika1 -- you say have a TCA peel before all the other numerous failed remedies you've gone through. Can you describe the difference the peel made for you? Did it noticeably dissipate any filler? Or, did it more so just help the condition of your skin after enzyme injections, etc.? Thanks, Lydia

I understand now why you keep the idea of future surgery in your mind. I see my current frustration very likely turning to panic -- if I don't have any improvement. What is a real bummer is that I would have to wait who knows how many months to have a lower bleph. I mean, right now there's too much filler under my eyes. And I guess a PS would rather a waiting period to allow some to dissipate. If that is even a reality...

With the Juvederm I did not have any swelling at all! I made a bad mistake and strayed from Dr. turkle because she was such a far drive for me. Radiesse should never be injected near the under eye and should be injected very deep to the cheek bone. It will be a year end of April and progress is at a snails pace. I'll post info and pics after the ulthera treatments! For months I looked in the mirror hoping it would just go away and nothing.... Oh mine did get worse before it got better.

Thanks for the info. I can see I'm in for a long wait as result of the restylane. My bags aren't lumpy or bruised or swollen like normal (expected) post injection procedures. They're soft. I'd rather be a bruised mess. At least then I'd think I just need to heal. PLEASE do post your post Ulthera pics, especially your before and after a few months when Ulthera changes can start to be noticeable. Maybe the eye area treatment works faster since the skin is thinner and more delicate, compared to say -- thicker neck skin. GOOD LUCK!!!

I'm in my late 40's, and I had Botox injections in between my eye brows and corners of eyes which worked well, but starting to wear off already! I asked the PS if there wAs anything he could do for some minor lower eyelid wrinkles and suggested Radiesse, all this was done in the beginning of December of last year and I still have swelling and now bags under my eyes! I will never use Radiesse again! It's not considered a filler, but an implant, which I did not know? It last much longer. I heard its great for cheeks and other areas, but not around your eyes! I've tried juviderm and restylane, but my body obsorbs it too quickly, just a waste of money for me! I am going to have a lower eyelid surgery and the plastic surgeon is going to try and scrape out most of the Radiesse! I hope this works??!!!!

@Ghonolulu--I'm in my late forties, too. When you say you had the Radiesse in December of last year, I'm pretty sure you mean 2012. Right? Which is about 3 months ago. I ask because if you meant 2011, you would be closer to seeing "some" dissipation of your Radiesse. It's not an implant, just a long lasting filler, unlike the HAs (rest and juv). I had Radiesse in my cheeks when I was younger and because it lasted so long, my cheeks looked good, but the overfill I had pushed up my under eyes when I smiled, creating lines eventually. So I had Botox around my eyes to try to help, but the Botox only eventually weakened my under eye muscles so that they (especially on the right side) stopped holding in the natural fat, creating ugly creases/protrusions. Since I had the restylane under my eyes almost a week ago, I've been researching all this like crazy. Some people after even a year, like 3406anon, still have the bags from Radiesse after a year. But some people just take "months" to see the bags start to lessen. Maybe you are just the "months" type, which would be encouraging. I'm freaking out a little right now because the typical swelling we all expect the first 3 or 4 days is gone on me. But now I have non-tender and innocent looking pillow puffs just about where 3406anon's pictures show hers. If they remain, I'm going to buy giant sunglasses and wait at least 6 months before even thinking about a lower bleph. Just had a thought! I also had some Radiesse injected in my nasiolabial lines. I wonder if the stuff can spread upwards into the lower eye area!!! Who knows? Anyway, being a few months shy of 48, after at least 6 months, I would personally consider a lower bleph. Only, a bleph is filled with possible awful complications. And, at our age, we'd need a canthopexy to make sure our lower actual lids don't droop. And about a million other possible problems. You should get at least two more PS opinions. I'm certainly not wealthy! But...if you have the money, and you do at some point decide to have surgery, go to the best PS you can afford. Even travel to go to best one possible! We're not young 20 or 30 something's looking to minimally have NATURAL fat repositioned beneath our eyes and then nice younger skin springs back! Honestly, I've got to take a break from constantly looking in the mirror. I want to see my PS now and get his opinion. But I just know he'll say to give it a few more weeks. But my gut feeling is that it isn't just usual swelling :( Did you get married yet? If not yet, I wouldn't rush into surgery before at least 6 months just because of your wedding. You've got to get several PS opinions. BTW, did you have any temporary "bags" after you first tried Restylane? I know you said your body absorbed it too quickly. But if you did have swelling/bags from restylane, do you remember how long they lasted? Lydia

I'm so sorry... It's miserable. I saw another ps last week and he recommends lower eyelid surgery. And I have another appointment next week for a second opinion. The ps said that he has to pick out the product piece by piece... He said it can last 2 years. The filler I had in fall helped mask it but I'm finding the only way to resolve this issue is surgery.

Ive come to realize the same issue.. it has increased the line under the eyes. I am going to see another plastic surgeon later this year and see what he recommends. I hope I can treat line with filler for 5-10 years and then have a lower eye lift in my mid 40's don't want to do it now in my late 30's ... but if he suggests that a lower eye lift would be best. I may do it within a year or 2... we'll see!

I'll be keeping an eye on your post to see what your ps suggests. I am so afraid that a lower surgical bleph will not only change my eye shape, but removing the now excess skin will, for me, prob require an incision to keep my eyelid from dropping, causing all sorts of medical issues. I keep asking myself what's better -- having different shaped eyes OR getting rid of most of the creases and looking younger again? Being younger than me, you may have a better outcome. I'm 47 now, but when I first so happily (and stupidly?) had my cheeks injected so nice and full, I was a truly young-looking 42 year old. Oh well... Please do post what your ps says, later this year. I'm curious about how long your ps believes that fillers alone will keep you less creased! (Right now I have allergic pinkeye that I think I got from trying out an OTC eyelash enhancer. Anyway, around my eyes is some swelling that makes my creases so much less. It's like I had an upper bleph and the "perfect" filler under my eyes! Of course my eyeballs are bright red! LOL. ) Good luck!

i had the lump too and it wont go away for the next year or so but it will slowly shrink you can get another injection to even it out a bit or just leave it as is and do a touch up in 6 months or so.

Well, I did what 3406anon did and took antihistamines last night (had a good sleep!) and iced each bump for five minutes last night and this morning. They are looking better. On the positive side, the reason I went in the first place--nasolabial folds--look much better. I don't think I'll go down this road again--the fillers, I mean. Lesson learned! Thanks for your comments, LA Boi.

U r right so not worth it! I really hope it dissolves with in the year. I fear that I my have to have lower eyelid surgery much sooner because of this...

For most... as i have researched it lasts 6-10 months... Hopefully I'm some where in there.. She did not inject directly in tear trough.. she injected at the bone. i think she over injected and thats why i developed the nodles. I would recommend staying away from radiesse at all costs because it cannot be dissolved. i usually do a lot of homework before doing anything and i don't know why i didn't this time .. now I'm paying for it. turn the clock back and i would not have done radiesse after what i know now.