“Surgery required to remove granuloma”
Radiesse: NOT worth it
Pain: Severe
I'm glad other people on this site have had good experiences. I really wish I could be commenting the same. I developed a granuloma under my right eye after using Radiesse which now requires surgery. This isn't for cosmetic reasons (though it is very unappealing) it's medically required.
The granuloma (as identified by a Plastic Surgeon)is adding pressure to my orbital rim,pressing against my lower eyelid, and increasing in size not decreasing. Now, I need to undergo General Surgery, miss a week's worth of work, be black & blue and bruised, and have a scar on my face. Since the surgery involves working around bone, I understand it will be painful.
The surgeon tells me the scar should heal well and in about 2 months and not be as noticeable. My initial experience with Radiesse was not good either. I had swelling over 4 weeks, the product shifted and distorted my face,and created a shadow/red circle under my other eye. Multiple people told me I looked tired, sick, and sad.
The other discouraging part is I used a Radiesse 'premier physician'. I thought I had done my research by selecting a doctor they recommended. I found out later, from the Radiesse rep, that a premier physician rating is given to the doctors who buys the most product. When I had my follow up visits,with this premier physician, I commented about my 'bump' and disfigurement, I was told 'everything is going to be fine'. After my 3rd visit, I realized it wasn't 'going to be fine'. That's when I found my new doctor.
PLEASE be careful with this product and the physician that administers it!!!! If anyone else has had a similiar experience with a 'bump'(ie, granuloma) please email me.
May 10, 2008Comments and replies (11)
9 posts
12 May 2008
Ive had the same thing happen to me-but was told NOT to have surgery to remove
1 post
2 Oct 2008
I had radiesse 2 weeks ago tomorrow for the marionette lines at the ends of the mouth area. The left side bruised with swelling that has reduced; however, the right side looks swollen and I'm not sure what to do about it. Is the swelling normal? Did I irritate it..Does anyone have any advice. I'm getting really nervous
5 posts
25 Oct 2008
I had Radiesse (2 syringes) and .5 Restylane injected into my face area; nasolabial folds, eye area, laugh lines etc. I did experience huge swelling, lumps and bruising in the injected areas immediately. I was told this was normal. After about a week the bruising went down but the lumps were still there and were extremely uncomfortable. (I can see NO difference in the way I look), except that I look worse!!! The doctor says this is normal. I question her why it says that Radiesse is INSTANT RESULTS as I see none!!! She says again, "this is normal". Now almost 3 weeks later, not only do I NOT see ANY positive results, I look even worse then I did before, but now I wake up in the morning to a completely swolen face, and eyes and eyelids are almost completely closed and sagging. I call my GP "thinking" that I have had an allergic reaction to something, ie. food, face cream, or whatever. My GP tells me to take Benydril. I take an entire bottle of this in 3 days and the swelling has not gone down, or made any improvement whatsoever. I then go to another general practioner and he says "I have no idea why your face and eyes are ballooned up as it could be becuase of many things. I then told him about my Radiesse etc. He says that it is possible that I am having a reaction to this and to speak with the Cosmetic doctor but that he would prescribe me Prednozone to reduce the swelling. I then go and see the Cosmetic doctor and she says that my swelling cannot be due to the Radiesse or Restylane as I had it done a few weeks ago. I tell her that I am very scared as this is totally not normal for someone to experience swelling in the complete facial area like this. I told her that I went to 2 GP's and they are completely stumped in finding out what is wrong with me. She says that no one has EVER had side effects from this completely SAFE procedure and that I must have OTHER things going on. I told her that my lumps are getting bigger and swelling in other areas. I get the "this is normal" again!!! She did say that she would call the company and get back to me later that afternoon. I saw her on Tuesday at noon and we are now Saturday and I have heard NOTHING from her. I did go to the EMERGENCY at the hospital as I was having problems breathing and I was litterally panicked about my swelling and that I could hardly see anymore. The emergency doctor had facial e-rays done for sinuses etc., to see if there was something going on. All came back normal. I was still sure that I had a reaction to some food or something but the doctor said that with all the Benydrl that I took that it should have been gone by now. I told her about RADIESSE. She said "awwwww" well maybe we have your answer!!! Although she could not guarantee her diagnosis, she did say that she has heard of this happening to some people. She said that I should contact the cosmetic doctor. I told her I did and explained the complete story and she said that there is nothing she can really do for me expect give me anti inflammatories and for me to take 24 hour REACTINE to help reduce the swelling. It is now 3 days after my visit to the Hospital and also 3 days into my prescription and over the counter medicine and there is absoluteley NO CHANGE!!!!! I am literally FREAKING OUT HERE and I have NO idea what to do!!!!! I look like a Bulldog and I am in pain. This garbage was RUINED my life. I cannot work or even leave the house as I feel and look like crap. PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO!!!! If you have similar stories, please write me. Thanks for listening...
9 posts
26 Oct 2008
Nancy, I have had Radiesse (2 ml syringe) on each side of my face for cheek enhancement. Radiesse is extremely irritating and when I went out into the sun a few days after my injections, my cheeks got fire red and very swollen. My cheeks were burning. The top half of my face was swollen for a couple weeks. I think some people, like you, could have a strong reaction to Radiesse and it could cause swelling that could take weeks or months to go down. Don't panic! My swelling went down eventually. I am okay now. I think your swelling will go down as your body absorbs the Radiesse. (I'm a nurse and I base this on my professional opinion as well as my own experiences.)Take medications that will reduce inflammation and stay out of the sun. Keep us posted!
5 posts
29 Oct 2008
Thank you for writing Tawny. It is very much appreciated. I amon day 10 of this nightmare and have just finished my anti-inflammatory medicine. It did not work at all. In face, the problem has got worse. My face on the left side is so swollen that it really looks like I have been beaten up. I went out for the first time last evening with make-up on (trying to look my best) and EVERYONE asked me what was wrong with my face. I almost died as I had hoped that noone would notice. I left the place I wasat out of embarassement. I never thought that my friends would notice this from a far but they did. This is so awful. I have not been in the sun at all nor have I done anything out of the ordinary to justify this happening to me. The swelling has become worse then ever and it is flaring up in places where it was not before. It is so bad that I am barely able too see out of my left eye which is preventing me from driving. On the right the swelling has gone down in my of my face in the upper cheek area, buow I can pull on the skin as it is dead. I never had saggy skin in this area. It looks like a womans belly after the birth of a child. I have tried to contact the doctor twice now and no one is returing my calls. After all this money spent, would it not be the right thing to do to a least acknowledge me?? I am still at a loss here with what I should do and how I should handle this!!!! Nancy
9 posts
29 Oct 2008
You need to see a plastic surgeon immediately, like today. Choose one who uses Radiesse. I say this because I am concerned about the saggy skin you describe and the continued swelling. Forget the doctor who gave you the injections, you need to get another opinion as soon as possible. Be sure to take photos of yourself to document what is happening to you. Keep in mind that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself and even though you are swollen and have some other issues, you will heal up and return to normal eventually. Keep us posted! You are NOT alone. We are sharing your experience with you and are here to support you!
9 posts
29 Oct 2008
Nancy, I forgot to mention that when skin gets swollen and tight afterwards it does get a crinkly, old, saggy look to it and sometimes peels off layers, kind of like a sunburn. The skin will go back to its original elasticity when the swelling subsides. Let us know what the doctor says.
1 post
28 Feb 2009
I had one syringe of radiesse injected in the upper cheek areas 15 days ago. I now have a hard lump on each side of my nose. I went back to the derm. and she said I won't know the full outcome for 2 more weeks. Although not disfiguring, the lumps are annoying and I wonder if they will go away. So far I see no improvement from the filler. I had hoped to fill out the upper cheek area so my under eye area did not look so depressed. I was warned that it would take a month to see the full effect. If so, why do all the websites say that results are immediate? And, does anyone know if these lumps will resolve on their own?
9 posts
2 Mar 2009
Vicky, As I said earlier, I had 2 syringes and I think 1 ml per side is the minimum needed to get any results. My results were instant. It has been several months and I have had no problems and have natural looking cheekbones. Unlike other fillers, the Radiesse feels like bone. It is hard and smooth. I have no idea whether the lumps resolve or not. That is not an acceptable result to get lumps. Just a guess, but I think they could be the result of your injector not putting the material deep enough. My injector (an RN) does a lot of Radiesse. She has never had lumps occur in a patient but she is extremely skilled.
20 posts
5 Mar 2009
Vicky, I, too, just recently had Radiesse injections & have developed a lump on the left side of my nose. I had extreme swelling & bruising on my left side so am not sure if this is product that didn't make it into the right place. I have since found out that the docotr that did my injections has several complaints filed against her for less than satisfactory results in cosmetic augmentation. I am calling another doctor in town today to find out what I should do about the lump. But, when I signed all the paperwork before having Radiesse, there was a blip about nodules forming under the skin & they would eventually dissolve but who knows if that is true based on the integrity of my doctor. I hope it is. Is there a doctor on this site that can answer this just so we can get some sleep at night & not worry that we will be disfigured for a year?