Radiesse: Stories

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Radiesse Nightmare

  • Not Worth It
  • Cost: $700
  • CT

I am distraught with my cheek treatment. I have...

I am distraught with my cheek treatment. I have visible lumps under my left eye and both eyes look older and more tired. My previous pretty (but aging) face is a real mess. Also, my Dr. injected near the corners of my mouth and overfilled the right side. It looks like I have a cyst!

My Dr. wants to "go back in," saying I need more. Well, no way after her first disaster...I'm probably going to seek out a plastic surgeon to attempt to help me -- he'll likely have more experience w/injectables. Otherwise, I'll have to wait it out. This stinks! LaniBee

Great review?

My Doctor: name not provided

It tends to lump up and resists being "massaged into place" -- it just didn't work. Never again!

Comments (129)

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West Seegmiller 31 Mar 2012

UPDATE ON MY RADIESSE DISASTER

Hello again, I posted a while back about RADIESSE injections along my jaw that became a nightmarish red raw pustuled rash that expanded alon my entire face over a two year period. This time last year I can say I had given up all hope of this debilitating and disfiguring rash resolving itself, after consulting with numerous doctors, radically changing my diet and lifestyle, cutting out 100% non edible cosmetics, thousands of $$ of laser treatments, looking homeless and unemployable, and ultimately suffering a massive blow yo my ego an self esteem. Still, my rash caused by RADIESSE had only gotten a brighter hue of purple-red, still constant flaking/peeling/pustules making any contact with my face a burning stinging touch, the strange edema from the initial flare up along the deposits of product reoccurring years later and in different places of my face, and of course the constant cycle of dozens of whiteheads on the rash requiring careful extraction only to further damage my broken skin barrier and reappear the next day.. For years!!!

The good news is.. I've reached a full, permanent, and cosmetically passable remission, without surgery or drugs. I now have a normal face.. I can shave (something I thought I would never be able to again), I can sleep on a pillow wirout burning pain, the whiteheads have stopped erupting, even the discoloring resolved to resemble normal (if a bit frost bitten) skin. I am employable and no longer get treated like a drug addict by cops, shop keepers, mothers etc. My life was ruined until I successfully self diagnosed myself with something resembling dermatitis herpetiformis.. A skin allergy caused by wheat gluten commonly seen among celiacs. I was NOT gluten intolerant before the RADIESSE. The horrific immune response it caused seems to have set off a chain reaction of immune imbalance and lymphatic blockage. I found relieve through diligent adherence to a strictly gluten free diet, avoidance of iodine (found in table salt and naturally occurring in most sea salt), salicylic acid (in fruit peels, honey and aspirin). The salysilic acid/iodine act to retain gluten antibodies in the skin. I would suggest to ANYONE still suffering from this autoimmune condition caused by RADIESSE to carefully consider a drug called dapsone, in use for 50 years to treat DH, leprosy and many other inflammatory mystery skin disorders. I was on the verge of demandin my doctor prescribe it for me, despite potential complications resuming regular blood panels and an indefinite course of treatment.. That is how desperate I was to get my life back. Luckily the strict if not bizarre diet I followed for a year was complimented by a three month stint I did in Ojai, CA where I detoxed in natural sulfuric hot springs for hours every day and ate an essentially raw vegan diet. This intensive detoxification allowed the gluten antibodies to release from my tissues, or perhaps simply reset my immune system to disrupt the cyclical inflammatory response set off by the RADIESSE. All I know is the eruptions stopped after two
Months and six months later my skin has repaired to a passable state with state of the art homemade skin care from skin actives and other high tech DIY skincare companies. I thank the stars everyday for my new lease on life, to have my youth and beauty back, something I had given up on at 23, to be able to walk down the street without disturbed stares from strangers. I will never suffer from body dysmorphia again and allow the evil evil big pharma monster to convince me that I'm not good enough without their
Toxic products in my face. Please don't take no for an answer from doctors, I self diagnosed and even received a false negative on my diagnostics tests and yet my researh and treatment protocol worked after nothing else would, and I really mean nothing (I'm a very informed person with access to professionals and technology and have tried.. Well... Everything).

Don't give up, seek to resolve systemic immune and inflammation issued before expecting the RADIESSE to dissapeat, consider dapsone, go to a skin disorder specialist, and don't listen to anyone who says they just don't know or that's it's just acne etc..

AND A BIG PASSIONATE SLOBBERING ************* *********** to RADIESSE!!!!!!!!!

jean34 1 Apr 2012
I'm really happy to hear you're doing better. It sounds as though you've suffered tremendously. It's amazing the devastation experienced by so many. I hope mine ends within the next year. It's a living nightmare. I keep hoping I'll wake up and it will be over, but it never is.
jean34 31 Mar 2012
Can anyone who has had radiesse in a less mobile area (e.g. Cheeks or undereyes), please tell me when (if ever) they ever got better? I've been suffering after radiesse injections under my eyes for almost 19 months. I've seen virtually no improvement since month 3. Did it get better for any of you after 19 months? Is there any hope of improvement? My life has been completely destroyed by this. Most doctors say it lasts 12-18 months. That's certainly not been the case for me. Please help!
curiousreader 31 Mar 2012
Wait. Avoid drastic treatments including surgery. Wait. Wait. Wait some more. It will improve eventually. WAIT. Avoid steroid and surgery.
bsd48085 1 Apr 2012
Jean, Go to a plastic surgeon & get it removed. It may result in a small incision mark by your eye, the cheek perhaps they can enter from inside your mouth. You can either look like a leper for years & hope it goes away, but this is what I did & results were quick.
West Seegmiller 1 Apr 2012
I don't know if that's the best advice. It last for a WHILE and is disrupting the immune and lymphatic system. Steroids might help to cut the inflammation cycle short, but not as a long term solution. Iu jeed to find a treatment protocol..Waiting is the worst advice.
jean34 1 Apr 2012
How long am I supposed to wait? Another year? Two years? What's the longest this can stay around? No one seems to have a definitive answer. I need to know when to consider the deformity I've been suffering from for almost 19 months as permanent. If someone can give me an absolute maximum time frame, that would help. Does anyone know?
Cincinnati4386 1 Apr 2012
no one knows how long it will last...there are some reports that it never goes away completely. I am
at 15 months 40% better with lots of visible radiesses
still underneath the skin under my eyes...no one has
the answer you are looking for
Teabag 11 Apr 2012
I will have my problem for 3 years on May 8th. Really, really depressing problem. i can't believe that I still have this lump, sits on my face like a wet teabag. Radiesse will suck the life out of you!!!
Don't ever do it!!!!
jean34 11 Apr 2012
I am SO very sorry to hear that. I pray that it will resolve soon. This is a never-ending nightmare. Has yours improved any over the last 18 months or has it just stayed the same?
jean34 11 Apr 2012
And have you tried CO2 lasers? I've heard from others that they improved after laser use. I'm going to have deep fx done in a couple of weeks. My doctor doesn't think it will resolve the problem entirely, buthe thinks it will help. Another person said carboxytherapy worked for her and that it's barely noticeable now. I don't know much about that procedure, so I haven't tried that yet.
Teabag 11 Apr 2012
The teabag on my face has lessened in the size of it's puffinesss, but it is still there. A half teabag instead of a full one and especially in the morning, when I get up, it is filled with fluid. I have had microdermacrasions and facials, but its not what's on TOP of my skin, its what's UNDERNEATH the skin, that is the problem.
Teabag 3 May 2012
I am going to have my teabag lump under my right eye for 3 long years on May 8th, 2012.
I went to surgeons again last week, and they said they still can't take it out.
jean34 3 May 2012
Did they say there was still product there or is it mainly loose skin now?
jk 4 May 2012
He did not really say much about the product but rather how to tighen up the loose skin. He said he does this procedure a lot with cancer patients who have been exposed to chemo and experience increased fluid in the face.
jean34 4 May 2012
Hi JK: what procedure did they do and did it help? I'm at almost 20 months. I had deep fx 10 days ago, but so far it hasn't helped. I think I have lots of product left. But I also have swelling, so I'm interested in what you've done.
nikibeach 21 Apr 2013
get a sonic care toothbruth. hold the back of the toothbrush up, against the area that has radiesse in it. it will slowly break up the area, allowing the body to absorb the radiesse. I know because I've had radiesse in the sides of my face (nasolabial lines) for 5 years. I was overfilled & only the top 1" part dissolved. the rest (going down to almost my jawline has remained - about 50-60% since. I started using my sonicare toothbrush because I no one had any answers (including all the doctors on here). they're no help. no one wants to surgically remove the radiesse, as it'll probably cause more problems. any filler (unless permanent) will always dissolve faster in more mobile areas of the face. less mobile areas take longer & under the eyes is very none-mobile. I've been doing the sonicare toothbrush remedy for about 3 weeks now & can start to see a difference. I was only doing it 2x a week. but now that I'm seening improvement, I've moved it up to every day. (I just do while watching tv & have a small mirror to make sure I'm holding it right on top of the area). I hope that helps! I can truly empathize with you. I personally think radiesse should be banned, as there's no way to remove it & it mimics bone more than fat tissue. good luck!
Miami5020 21 Apr 2013
Hi nikibeach, are you saying the sonic will help break down the bone like material.
nikibeach 21 Apr 2013
I can't tell you the science behind any of this. I'm only sharing my personal experience. and that is, when I apply the back of my sonicare toothbrush up against the area that I"ve had radiesse (for 5 years) - in the sides of my nasolabial lines - it's starting to reduce the radiesse.
Miami5020 22 Apr 2013
Thanks for sharing that information I will try it.
Teabag 22 Nov 2011
Good Luck. This product is NOT recommended for the under-eye area and anyone who injects it there should be sued for using the product incorrectly. This product is considered a "Medical Implant" not a liquid filler. It has the consistency of ground bone and will last a lot longer under the skin where its injected. It does not dissipate quickly. So, if it looks bad now, it will look bad for quite some time. I had a big puffy teabag under my right eye, where it was injected, for over two years and now the skin is all baggy where it has been stretched out. I can see the difference clearly because I stopped my Dr after she started injecting under my eye and said she put in 3/4 of one syringe. I did not come in for that area, I came in for the folds by my mouth, and she took it upon herself to "improve my under eye area". Thank God, I stopped her before she injected any more under the right eye or to do any product under my left eye. Oh my God, I am SO MAD that this happened and it IS NOT RIGHT that Doctors are STILL INJECTING UNDER THE EYE AREA. For Christ Sake!! STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Emmilou 21 Nov 2011
Dear MissB....sounds like an allergic reaction, but you won't know what things are truly like until you finish with the "roids. I had a terrible reaction, but no rash with it...swelling and lumps and discoloration that lasted...almost forever. Good luck.
missburela 20 Nov 2011
I just got restylane injections under my eyes and laugh lines on Wednesday November 16th. My eyes swolled up big time and have a nasty ichy rash. I look horrible. I went into ER this morning and they gave me steriods for the next 5 days. I took my first dose of Prednisone this morning and the swelling has gone down a litle, but what happens when im off steriods? is this a allergic reaction? Please if someone can tell me when this rash will go away. I wish i did more home work before doing this for the first time. i just want to go back to my old self = (
curiousreader 2 Mar 2012
Well I am getting to this very late. A rash with dermal fillers is not normal, it is not generally seen in an allergy. A rash sounds either like a herpetic/herpes/shingles episode or a pending or active necrosis. Both of these require urgent care. Treatment for each one is entirely different. I am sure you are resolved Miss Burela. Anyone who has this type of problem should go back to the practice where you were treated. It is imperative if they do not know how to handle this that you see someone who does.
Teabag 14 Sep 2011
Sorry to say, massaging it does no good, just irritates the area. Radiesse is considered a MEDICAL IMPLANT. Something most people don't know until they have a problem and look it up. The Doctors don't make that clear. You think it's just a liquid injectable, but its not. Its been 2 years and 6 months and I STILL have a bag under my eye where the skin was stretched out. I did get my money back, but I lost almost three years of my face with a lump on it for Family Pictures, Vacation Pictures, High School Reunion Pictures, it effects your life in ways you can't imagine. No plastic Surgery is possible because the product has intertwined with your own tissue, and taking the product out takes away your healthy tissue so you will end up with a dented area. I went to 5 Plastic Surgeons who said I just have to wait for the product to dissapate on its own. This product is NOT RECOMMENDED for under the orbital area by the manufacturer, Bioform. The Doctors SHOULD NOT be getting away with injecting in this area. Its wrong. Go get your money back at least. Good Luck.

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