I Know It Won't Last Forever..but How Long Does It REALLY Last? - Scottsdale, AZ

Yes, on Thursday! Thanks, I never noticed my chin being uneven when I was heavier but you lose weight in your face too bc I noticed that and my bulky jaw muscles (fixed with botox) after I shed the lbs. I was going to do a little squirt in my cheekbones, perhaps a little lift in that area could slightly help my nasolabial lines. Kind of nervous bc the reviews seem mixed but I'm sure it will be fine. I wonder what ingredient makes you bruise more in Radiesse..? I'm still researching it and can always move my appt back if I'm unsure.

I have a very small amount of asymmetry on jaw too, but a person would have to basically be examining my face to notice it. If they're looking that hard, well they need to find better pastimes. ;) 

As for the bruising with Radiesse, I don't know either. I wonder if it could have to do with a difference in the viscosity of the material itself??

You know I'll be dying to hear how it goes if you decide to do it!!

Thank you for removing that post. I love this site for information and support we have. If people feel that way they need to stay off the site!

ugh, so I chickened out again (sorry!) plus I didn't have time after my botox touch ups and lip filler touch ups.  It is still something I plan on doing but last time it wasn't good timing.  i want to make sure I can have 2 or 3 days off in case I have an adverse reaction.

The tear trough area can be tricky with fillers because the skin is so darn thin. I was using Juvederm there and although it helped, it still did not resolve my bags and the amount I was having to spend to maintain was adding up so I figured it would be cheaper in the long run to do surgery and not have to go every few months to fill it.

Surgery is scary but it makes a world of difference if you make sure you have a supportive and experienced doctor to guide you through it and always be there for you through your ups and downs, it is so worth it. I was able to lean on my doctor for emotional support through the healing and it helped immensely. I had never experienced such anxiety and was even depressed in the beginning but it is common to go on the emotional roller coaster after facial surgery, after all it is a major change. It was a great enhancement though, I wish I would've done it sooner!

There are horror stories but there are for everything, you know? You just have to try to do everything possible to prevent that starting w choosing a dr that you are really confident in. Don't let the bad stories keep you from doing something that you want to do and could possibly change your life. Read all the good stories too! It is crazy that in the long run, filler maintenance is so much compared to paying for surgery and doing it in one shot! I chickened out today and cancelled (ended up having a sched conflict too so that helped). I may go to my facial plastic surgeon bc I do trust him and know he has a skilled hand. I had a lot of 2nd thoughts today and it's always good to go with your gut!

Yea, last time I saw my injector they were confusing me with someone else which I thought was odd bc I have been treated there for a few years. And since it is a semi permanant filler, it is a little more concerning that it is done precisely. I am scheduled to have my facial plastic surgeon do it next week and he explained it to me a little more indepth so I am more comfortable and confident gettting it :)

Sarah, it's unfortunate that life throws tragic events at unsuspecting ppl just living their lives but these things are out of our control, we can't ever foresee every tragedy but we can as you advise, appreciate the simple gifts that life gives us and try to live life to the fullest.  There is a great book by Lauren Manning called Unmeasured strength and there is a quote in there I love that says, "what will you choose to do, with the time God has given you? Every day you have a choice. Make it count."  I think that is on track with the point you are trying to make. That being said, maybe the anger you have(and rightfully so I am sure)is being misdirected slightly, Giving advice is good but you can't put women getting cosmetic enhancements  out of vanity in the category of women that don't appreciate their faces and what life has given them just bc they didn't have something bad happen to them first.  These enhancement procedures are for ppl from all different situations, not only for reconstruction purposes.  It sounds like you have been through some horrific events but also a long complicated and challenging journey of healing that I am sure has made you an incredibly stronger woman.  You are right, you never know one day when everything you thought you knew can be ripped away from you...maybe some ppl would be sorry that they didn't do what they wanted to do to feel their best when they had it the opportunity,...life is full of coulda woulda shouldas, it's the trying to keep looking forward and moving forward in the future no matter what life throws at us that is the part that seems important to me....

 

I cannot say I can really know what it is like to go through your trauma, I do believe I got a glimpse of your emotional torments though after having my eye surgery, My eyes looked pretty scary afterwards, almost swollen shut, red colored tears and discharge (you can see on my review) and even when that part got better, it took months to look natural as I waited for them to settle.  I had no idea it would take so long and I had a hard time looking ppl in the eyes for a while due to my insecurities.  I would torture myself even more by constantly looking in the mirror while I isolated myself in my bdrm for months from the world whenever I could.  I am so sorry that you have had to go through the things that have been so painful for you emotionally and physically, but I am happy for you that your road to healing is being well travelled.  It sounds like these cosmetic enhancers are at least giving you some more options to improve your own personal situation which is great, wouldn't you want the same for any woman wanting to feel her best?  All these things of course are "proceed with caution" as you pointed out but there is always risk with any medical stuff, none of it is ever guaranteed.  An important part of one's decisions is always being as educated as possible so you are prepared and know about all the possible outcomes-the good, the bad and the ugly.  That is what this site is for, sharing it all....raw, no candy coating it!

 

So, thank you for sharing your unique story as we all learn from each experience that we have been lucky enough to come by and it is a good reminder to "appreciate what you have" as you said. I wish you the very best in your reconstruction and healing of your face and your heart.

 

 

 

WOW! Your message was very up lifting and inspirational thanks for sharing your thoughts and you are right about what plastic surgery should be used for providing people that really need it! I'm one of many women living in southern California caught up in trying to look perfect and to hold back time, instead of just being grateful for my good health and what I look like naturally with no serious injuries or deformities on my face. I feel guilty for being so vain and I also feel like a 2 faced person because I do agree with your thoughts but I'm doing the exact opposite of how I really feel on this subject. Plastic surgery was invented for people that really need it and not for vanity reasons. I think this is the reason why so many people are experiencing horrific results! If its not a major problem we should just learn to embrace our minor inperfections and not try to fix what was not broken to begin with because if you do it will be broken so to speak! Thanks again for putting things in perspective for me, your thoughts are respected greatly!!!!!!!!

Of course, it is my pleasure.  When ppl find out I had a bleph at age 30 some may raise their eyebrows but they don't know how I looked before...it wasn't purely our of vanity-one of my eyelids would lay on top of my lash line!  I had so much excess skin and fat, in a few years I am sure it would have started to affect my vision and it would have been much worse as far as how it looked.  Even if it is for vanity (like my breast augmentation), it still doesn't make it "wrong", ya know?  It's your body and your prerogative to do what makes you feel your best!

Why is there people always like you so damn sensitive that takes things out of context and can't see or understand what Sarah6986 was trying to convey to the public! It was a very helpful & considerate gesture! She was not judging or condeming anyone but was applauding and complimenting everyone. Try to read things more clearly and comprehend before you start judging the person your pointing your finger at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think all fillers have the risk of lumps especially in the undereye area due to the thin skin there, I have been told that Radiesse is best when it is injected in an area near bone (example :cheekbones, chin) bc of the kind of filler it is.  It seems to me that I hear juvederm and restylane being used in that area a little more commonly than Radiesse.  Although Juve has the smooth consistency, many experience a blue-ish hue as an after result.  Do you have the option of getting fat transfer there?  That may be a good option to look into.

Oh ladies thank you. I am going for my consultation today with a highly rated doctor. I will let you know what the doctor says, I am also having him evaluate my scars. I have acne like scarring on my right cheek due to a glass injury and a scar from the surgery by my right eyebrow. The scars are not very deep, but there are a few indented areas.Some people with acne scars look much worse, but I never had acne so I want my normal skin back. I had 3 consults for the scars already. I feel like a partial expert. One doctor told me that my skin is too young for laser resurfacing and of course warned me about the massive recovery time. One technician in NYC told me about the Smoothbeam laser and said that it wouldn't make much of a difference and that I should save my money. My reconstructive surgeon told me that he could cut out the cheek scars and replace them with smaller little scars.I was considering Laser Genesis with the Cutera laser and I still have that in mind. I will see what the doctor says today. Also I just spoke to my surgeon on the phone and he told me that the injections would probally not really help me since I do have Entopthaloms 7mm from trauma which basically means that my eye socket got huge on the right side and that they did not compensate for that enough when they rebuilt my orbital. Which I did read happens quite frequently. I am counting my blessings that I have my vision, but am very hesistant to go back and do another surgery to alter this. Insurance would cover it because 7mm is considered a deformity, but I work in Cosmetics so I can not retrn to work looking like a monster and only get 2 weeks of PTO a year.

Yes, please let us know how it goes. I pray that you get the answers you need and a peace about what to do. I would be interested to see what the surgeon can do for scars too. I had a cyst removed above my eyebrow, by a plastic surgeon, and it left a hole in my face...not huge, but it's very visible. I can't image going through what you have been through and I admire your strength.

The doctor reccomended Laser Genesis...a series of 6 treatments..and there is no down time. However, the Dr. was very aloof and quite overpriced..Triple NYC prices. The Dr. even told me that no treatment completely removes the scars For Laser Genesis you need a series of treatments depending on how deep the scars are. A center in NYC offers Genesis at a third of the price. The NYC center also informed me that you may need only 3 or 4 treatments and that a similar client had also had the same type of scarring as I do and that she did very well. Today's Dr In Motclair also sugessted that I remove some of the skin in my left eyelid to match the right eyelid.the reconstructed one. I too had thought of that. Besides my scars I like the right side of my face better. The reconstructive surgeon made me look better on one side. Ha! BUT the Dr. today gave me a surgery proposal of 4 grand to remove a tiny bit of skin off of my normal eye. In Feb. I went to an eye specialist and surgeon that came very highly regarded to me. He has 6 officies and is also a Professor. My reconstructive surgeon sent me to him. He offered me a rate of 1500 to fix the mis-matching of my eyes and remove a little of the eye lid. We really have to be so careful and go to a few consultations. There are a few Doctors out there that will capitalize on our insecurities and vulnerabilites. If I went with the Dr of today he would happily accept my payment of 13 grand and I would be a dummy. It is really so funny. I went to yet another top plastic surgeon in Paramus and he offered me a series of peels that would be about 750 each. I would need 3 and the down time would be a week after each peel. he was so nice and wonderful that he actually was sort of discouraging me from doing it. I was hesitant from the down time and he was hardly noticing the acne like scars. In fact, this Dr. Also did eyelid surgery and he told me that I would need a specailist for it since I had what they thought was Ptsois...the eye lid issue. The Dr. could hardly see the difference. I said Ptsois..what is that? He explained that to me. I said I better right it down. He said no here I will right it down for you. That was so nice. So the answers are that I have Entopthaloms of trauma, but it makes my eye look better and gives me more of an eyelid..so I will probally get Blepharoplasty on my Left upper lid only and a series of Laser genesis treatments in NYC which is also good for pore size and anti-aging.

Sarah, You are right about there will always be ppl that will see your money first before they see you as a person seeking their care and assistance.  But on the other end, there are doctors that pour their hearts into their work as well.  I'm sure NYC prices are much higher than most, If you ever want to consider flying out to Scottsdale, my dr is a facial reconstruction specialist, has worked on accident patients, cancer patients etc. who is just that, extremely caring and talented and always wants what is best for you.  If your interested, you can call and schedule a Skype video consult, you can mention I referred you if you want.  That is a great and smart idea to make sure you get multiple recommendations from drs especially since your situation is so uniquely challenging and complicated.  When are you looking to have surgery/treatments? Do you have to make your decisions soon?  Keep us posted on your healing advancements..

Only a year?  Thought it was up to 2.  Seems like all of these fillers are advertised so much longer than reality. 

Yes, my doctor said it lasts about a year. Apparently it can cause your skin to create its own collagen too. My cheeks still seem a tad fuller than they used to be...although it could be from the 7-10lbs I've gained that I can't seem to lose!! LOL!!

year is still good compared to Juve and Perlane but read up to 2 years.  Btw, after I lost 20 lbs, my face looked much different, u really do lose a lot of fat in your face too, in my cheeks, and noticed in the hollows of my eyes, thats when I knew I wanted to look into blephs.  I finally got a resched appt that coincides w my work schedule so will be getting it on Tues!

ok, so the procrastinator in me has been waiting to do it bc I am unsure about having  this kind of filler that can harden bc of the calcium-whatever that it is made of.  I have an appt in 2 wks and will either do it or just stick with my "go-to filler" (Perlane) ...

Hi! So you recommend Radiesse? Have you seen all the bad reviews here? I've seen a lot of bad reviews here and Dont know if I should try it. Its scary to me . And Radiesse really goes after a year? I've heard it doesnt dissolve . How does it go away then? A person here said that Its been 1.5 years and se still has side efectos --swollen face and bruises. Maybe they administered wrongly?

Hi is Perlane like Restylane? And do they have the same results as Radiesse? Im a little scared to use Radiesse.

I want it for my cheekbones and chin. I want more chin. Since Im a guy.:)

Perlane is the same company as Restylane, Perlane is better for deeper lines, it has thicker particles (has more hyaluronic acid).  Radiesse is made of calcium-based microspheres and stimulates your own collagen to grow.  Supposedly it lasts about a year or more so it is more like a semi permanent filler.  I have heard it is best injected by bone (so not good for lips!).  If you dont like a filler that is a hyaluronic, you can get injections to reverse it but not so w the Radiesse.  If you are new to fillers, usually Juvederm or Restylane would be a good  beginner filler.  The Juve is very smooth and gives me less results as it settles after a few wks. I too want to do it in my chin to balance out some asymmetry.  That would be a good area to do it.  

No but I would be worried how they feel (hard?)/  Try looking into fat transfer, I had it in my undereyes and love it. and how big is the incision for those gotex? bc I know when you get a filled implant like silicone breast implants put in, the incision must accommodate that size and is a bigger scar.

Gortex implant? That must be New right. I've only heard of silicone and EPYFE implants (which are silicone but covered with something).

Unfortunately not yet. My doctor that I went to is unavailable and so I have to find a doctor that I trust like him. I hope to find one soon..I am overdue for a few of my maintenance routines:(

No.. my dermatologist recommended I use perlane. .