Radiesse: Stories

Surfgstor. I wish it was an easy fix, but I am living proof it is not easy. I had the Radiesse under my eyes in 2008 around May. My body never dissolved the product. My sinuses have like glue in them. Just yesterday I got this beige stuff out of my nose that looked like rubber cement. I have had the bags. They are finally getting better. The product is still no where near gone from my sinuses. The only thing that I have found to work after seeing countless Dr.s is vigorous massage to the area. I massage all the time. It is the only thing that makes it better.Good luck to you.

I am so disappointed....my wife has been getting Radiesse for a few years, and it is never what she wanted. I finally told her that she could spend what she wanted, to tell them to do everything correctly...I agreed to never complain about the cost but to get it done right this time. It's been a month or two...and she had a few personal issues to deal with....but all of this stuff has dropped from under her eyes and she has these ridiculous pouches. She is upset over that now. I told her to get back to the doctor and get it fixed. She said it didn't work that way.

I do not want to be a stupid ignorant husband, but I think she is being taken to the cleaners on this. So I am asking for impartial advice.

1. Why can't she go back to the doctor and complain?
2. Surely for all that money crying for a day wouldn't ruin it...or would it?
3. Is there a solution?
4. Did her doctor screw up?

Thanks for any help. Again, I don't want to fly off the handle but this is just wrong.

I saw a plastic surgeon. I'm not sure if he can help me-don't think anyone can.. I am getting IV immunoglobulin once a month. I keep doing vigorous massage under my eyes and around my nose. My skin feels very waxy- like someone rubbed a glue stick on it. It has been that way since last winter. I think the inside of my nose must be having the same problem. I am still seeing mold come out when I irrigate, but it's not as bad as it was. I think that the only cure for me is time and lots of prayer. I just feel that there must be someone else out there experiencing something similar. I know it's the product. My body just did not absorb this product as I was told would happen "naturally". I also had to start on blood pressure medication which sounds crazy, but I also think it's related. This has just wrecked havoc on my body. Just keep me in your prayers. I will keep updating in case some other person has my same experience. I want that person that I know is out there to know they are not alone.

Tulsagal~ Her name is Andrea Mitchell and she is with Emerge Medical Day Spa. I plan on seeing her in the next couple weeks or so. My schedule has been too hectic to make an appointment, so I can't attest to her work first-hand, but as I said before, she has a great reputation & we had a lengthy conversation over the phone recently about all the details of the procedure & I feel confident that she knows what she's doing.

Warison- any updates?

Megan, I don't know if I answered your question. I did see the plastic surgeon on the Friday. He did not have an answer for me, but since I got the IV immunoglobulin on thursday, the day before this appointment, I have started getting some golden waxy pellets out with irrigation from my nose. I know that this is dermal filler. I read of some cases where it migrated into sinuses and blocked the lymphatic drainage, and I feel certain after this whole nightmare that this waxy substance is dermal filler. The nodule on each side of my nose went down, but I have been massaging my nose and under my eyes vigorously and still applying warm salt compresses to my face. I am forcing air into my sinuses, and it's like they are stuck together up inside. I don't know if I have a fistula or not now. I am still trying to figure out where the mold is coming from.

Warison~ Thank you for contacting me & giving me that information - I wish you the very best! Please continue to keep us posted!

Thanks Britt44. I will email you. The physician who placed my filler is NOT a plastic surgeon. I just want to clarify that, but I felt that she was qualified because she owns a cosmetic center.

I just also feel that the manufacturer is really responsible for not giving the practitioners explicit warnings on product label for injecting the product into areas where studies were not conducted. You tell me over the phone it is contraindicated. Why is this information not on the FDA fact sheet? Another example of getting rich at other people's expense.

Britt44, I would love to send you her name in a private email. To avoid this person, simply insist on a plastic surgeon who is using Radiesse responsibly. No off label use is acceptable. Also, here is an update on my condition: I have seen at least 7 doctors who told me that there is no way that Radiesse is still in my body. I had the injections 4 years ago in my tear troughs. I have been forcing air up into my sinuses (something I could easily do before the injections) and getting some hard waxy golden matter out when I irrigate my sinuses. This is not the first time I've seen this stuff. I have been using Epsom Salt warm compresses around my eyes and nose. About 3 days ago. I started getting a lump on each side of my nose-clearly visible under the skin. I credit this to vigorous massage and forcing the air-something was blocked. There is now no doubt that it is Radiesse. I will have to have some sort of surgery to remove the lumps. They are very noticeable. My take on all of this is that the product migrated into my sinuses and possibly obstructed the flow of lymphatics around my eyes and nose also. I recieved IV immunoglobulin therapy a week ago and got aseptic meningitis. This product has totally ruined my life! It has been a financial nightmare. You are very smart to turn this product down in tear troughs. It was not studied or approved for this area and contraindicated according to the manufacturer for tear troughs. I don't ever want another person to suffer as I have over the last 4 years. Run- if your doctor wants to inject this product under your eyes. Your doctor has NOT done their homework. Don't make money at other people's expense. Be responsible and stand behind your product.

Warison~Good luck with your upcoming appointment. Please be sure & keep us posted as to your progress. It's good to read that the meds your taking seem to be helping somewhat, but it's awful reading how this has affected you so much emotionally, but very easy to understand. I, too, have never heard of going in through the mouth to do the tear trough area. When I had mine done last year, he injected deeply & directly into the orbital bone areas, right under the eye, which I have read is the correct way to do it. It seems to be that your problem may lie in a few areas: 1) the "Injector" & what seems to be her lack of experience, (& bedside manner!) 2) your medical history you decribed and 3) the product itself. It sounds like a you had a horrible allergic reaction to the filler. I had an appointment scheduled for the tear trough area last week, but had to cancel due to a last minute scheduling conflict. I spoke with a licensed PA at Emerge Medical Day Spa in Tulsa. We spoke at great lengths about her injecting experience, etc. I must say that I felt very comfortable with the thought of her performing the injections after we spoke. The big concern I have is that she uses Radiesse in the tear trough area and as I've said before, from my research on this site & many others, I too feel very strongly that this particular filler is contraindicated for under the eyes. I think I will use her to have the work done, though. I'm sure she would use Juvederm or another filler of my choice when I speak to her about it, but the fact that she uses Radiesse under the eyes concerns me, even though she swore she has had great results with it. I would recommend you speak to a cosmetic surgeon I've been researching, Dr. Cuzalina with Tulsa Surgical Arts. Many friends have recommended him, he had great online reviews and won "Best of the Best" (in Oklahoma magazine last year for his work. He may be able to answer some much-needed questions you have or refer you to someone who can.I plan on using him in the future when (& if!) I decide to have more invasive, surgical procedures done. As I mentioned in my last post, can you tell us who performed your procedure in the 1st place? I think it would be helpful to many women out there in the Oklahoma area & they can "steer clear" of her. Even if her work isn't the main source of the problems you're experiencing, she doesn't seem very caring & helpful. If you feel more comfortable using her name in a private email, I'd be happy to give you my address. I hope you find some permanent relief soon!

I see a plastic surgeon on Fri.. I am taking Bactrim antibiotics now. and applying warm salt water soaks to my eyes several times a day. I think I have a fistula under my eyes connecting with my sinuses due to the tear trough injections of Radiesse 4 years ago. I think an infection set up after the injection, and I feel that it has never been resolved. I have told about 6 doctors that I feel that the infection is in my face and not my sinuses. I am hoping to get some help this week from the plastic surgeon.

I went to see the Dr. who originally injected this, and she said "What do you want me to do?". "If other doctors can't figure this out, neither can I". I told her that the product was contraindicated in tear troughs ,and she told me that it was the physician's discression on where to place it. She is not a plastic surgeon. That was my first mistake. The only good thing about the visit is she didn't charge me. Two years now, I have had black fungus in my sinuses that comes out with sinus irrigation. I have severe pressure in my ethmoid sinuses and around my eyes, and I have taken the drug VFend way too long for no avail and extremely high cost but I feel awesome when I take it. I did find out that I have selective IGG subclass one disorder, and I have immunity issues that are genetic. I started taking Keflex and the severe pain around my eyes is much better. My COBRA insurance runs out in Sept., so I need a cure before then! My ENT is stumped by all of this. My last CT scan showed frontal and maxillary involvement, but he is totally stumped with my symptoms. I told him that I think that my eyes play into the sinus issues, and I really feel that the injections started all of the problems. Thanks so much for asking!

Thanks for your candid review, warison. I see it's been a couple months since your last post and I was just wondering how everything was going. I live in the Tulsa/Broken Arrow area and am considering having fillers redone for the tear troughs and also marionette lines/jowls area. From my research, it's pretty clear that Radiesse should never be used for the lips or under eye area - it's more of a "building block" filler and much more dense than say, Juvederm, Restylane, etc. It sounds to me that the filler itself may not be the issue, but rather the way it was injected? My choice will be Radiesse for the jowls and Juvederm for the tear trough area. Can you please share what Dr. did this to you? He doesn't sound very experienced. The sad truth is, regardless of the research we do to find an experienced, Board Certified surgeon, it doesn't guarantee a perfect outcome. We are all taking a huge risk whenever we let anyone inject things into our body or cut on us. I hope you are continuing to heal.

I also spoke to the company making Radiesse, and I was told that it is contraindicated for the tear troughs. I started Prednisone last week, and alot of black drainage came out of my sinus cavity with saline irrigation. I really think a fistula has been developing over my last 4 miserbale years of existance. I am so thankful for this website because I have exhausted every effort of finding an answer to what is wrong with me before I saw this website- even though I have seen multiple Dr.'s with multiple specialites and disciplines that ruled out fillers as having anything to do with my problem.

Thanks for updating up on what your ENT said. I really hope they find a solution for what you are dealing with.

The Dr. injected right above my lip and gum lines up into my tear troughs.

I hadn't heard of the injections being delivered through the mouth before. Did they go between the teeth & the lip, or through the soft palate (back of the mouth, near the throat)?