Percentage of Patients That Had No Radiesse Side Effects?

Question

Most Doctor's websites state that there are no or minimum side effects with Radiesse, and that the treated person can return to normal activities after leaving the Doctors office. Yet, I read about all these side effects here and swelling for longer times. How many of your patients treated with Radiesse don't have any side effects? Is it more common to walk away and no one noticed you had treatment or more common to have brusing and swelling for a few days?

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

Radiesse is placed more deeply than Restylane or Juvederm ultra. Some of the areas then, may bruise with a greater chance in those patients undergoing deeper more "blind" injections than the superficial fillers. I find more inflammation after Radiesse than the hyaluronic acid fillers and some slight swelling and redness may be seen for a few days, but most people can wear makeup within an hour of injections and be presentable.

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

Most injectables have minimal side effects when used in the right patients.  The most common issues, which are still rare, are swelling and bruising.  Every patient is different and every injector is different, so there is no way to predict how you will respond.  However, I would say to expect some swelling and possible bruising for a few days.  If it does not happy then you will be happy.  If it does happen, at least you will be expecting it.  If you have never had fillers before then I would suggest using Juvederm Ultra instead since it can be "melted" with Vitrase if you do not like how it looks.

	 

	Good Luck.

Emily Altman, MD · Answer

It is common to have some swelling and bruising after just about any temporary filler injection.  I usually tell my patients that the swelling will be there for the next 2-3 days after the procedure.  Not every patient gets these expected side effects.  Only about 5% do according to one of the studies but there is no way to predict who will.

	Bruising can be minimized by stopping any non-prescription medication or herbal supplement that thins the blood for 10 days before the procedure. Such medications include aspirin, NSAIDS - pain relievers like naproxen, ibuprofen, etc, vitamin E, fish oil, gingko biloba, ginseng and some others.

	If your doctor prescribed a blood thinner, you should not stop it unless directed to do so by both your dermatologist and your primary care physician/cardiologist.  Stopping a prescribed filler can be dangerous.

	Controlling the bruising during the procedure involves putting pressure on a punctured vessel for 5-10 minutes.

	Swelling, there is nothing to do about.  Some people have more swelling than others.  Icing the area after the procedure helps but does not guarantee absence of swelling altogether.

	In general, I would not recommend any filler procedure for at least two weeks before an important event.  Any bruising or swelling will be gone by then.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

The stories on this site showing side effects from Radiesse are quite frankly not related to the product but to the person injecting. If not properly placed in a deep plane or too much is placed in a single area, you can have some issues. But, with an experienced injector, you will be able to resume normal activity the following day. I tell my filler patients to avoid exercise for the first day to minimize bruising. Using the blunt cannula technique, bruising is almost nil. You can expect slight firmness in the area injected for about 3 days, but usually this is not noticeable. Do not have Radiesse injected too close to the eye, and I wouldn't do it in the nose.

Mark B. Constantian, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

With newer injection techniques and deeper placement of the product, most patients leave the office and go about their daily lives.  Minor swelling lasts a day; bruising is uncommon.

	Filler injections are very technician-dependent.  Find an experienced plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, or dermatologist.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

I have used Radiesse on many patients for Cheek, Chin and Jaw augmentation since it became available in the US and IMHO, Radiesse does have some...mild but noticeable swelling, lumpiness and redness after its injection. I have had patients that went back to work the next day but I think Perlane is much better for those looking for no downtime. We tell all of our fillr patients, Perlane if you want to go out tonight and Radiesse if your have several days.

Jeffrey C. Poole, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Radiesse is extremely well tolerated with minimal risk of side effects, but some can occur. Most patients can resume normal activity immediately after the procedure, though I advise against vigorous exercise for a 2 days.  Some swelling is common, generally quite mild, and does not limit activity.  Bruising may also occur, but this is in a small minority of the patients I treat.  If you are planning on attending an important social function, I would advise against any injectable for a week before hand unless you were fulling comfortable with this small, but real risk of bruising or prolonged swelling (rare).

	Most important is to have your injection done by an experienced physician.  All of the most common fillers (Radiesse, Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra etc) are very safe and side-effects are generally mild and uncommon--- if injected properly.  Make sure you consult with a Board Certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon to obtain the best, safest results for you.

Mitchell Schwartz, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Most adverse side effects can be prevented with good technique and experience. Injecting slowly and steadily into the correct tissue plane, minimizing the number of skin punctures, avoiding excessive volume correction and avoiding placing the needle into obvious blood vessels will reduce the risk of complications. Firm pressure at the first sign of bleeding at the injection site can be helpful to prevent bruising. I caution all of my patients that swelling and bruising are an expected consequence of all Radiesse injections. Fortunately the swelling and bruising will usually last for only a few days, and is the worst only on the day of the injection. It is not likely to walk away and not have anyone notice you had treatment unless it was a very small area that was injected.

Percentage of Patients That Had No Radiesse Side Effects?

Answers (8)

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