If One Area Around Mouth Has Too Much Radiesse, Can Some Be Removed?

Radiesse is a stimulatory filler that is an excellent option for patients who desire a longer-lasting filler alternative to hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. In our office, we use Radiesse to complement structural areas of the face and contour bony prominences. Our office also is a center of excellence for filler complication treatments and we see patients who have been treated by other doctors and have undesirable results from Radiesse or other long-lasting fillers. We have treatment options available for Radiesse filler nodules, granulomas, and soft tissue thickening. The first step would be to diagnose the nodularity and determine whether there is an option for surgical vs. non-surgical removal. Surgical excision is a possibility in some patients; whereas others with more diffuse fillers may benefit from intralesional therapy using scar modulators and enzymes and kenalog. Radiesse complications may be long-lasting and prompt action is key. Patients who have no access to an expert in the field should begin gentle massage of the areas of nodularity with Plato’s Scar Serum twice daily. RF and invasive lasers can actually do more damage by stimulating further collagen growth.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Hi A_rod.  Radiesse is difficult to remove once injected.  It can be expressed (squeezed out) shortly after injection (within a day or two) by creating a small pinole at the injection point.  It can also be massaged or surgically removed if weeks have passed since the time of injection.

In most cases, for patients we see that want the Radiesse out, we suggest to them to wait until it dissolves on its own.  

Radiesse must be injected by an experienced injector near the mouth as it is not easy to remove, and it can create lumps in the lips so it shouldn't be injected in the lips.

Excess Radiesse is a very difficult problem to correct.  Radiesse around the mouth is espcially likely to form a lump, often because of the way the muscles around the mouth can push the material before it is set.  Regardless of why the Radiesse is excessive, it can be removed early by expressing it out through a small incision, or actually cutting it away if it is very excessive or lumpy.  If the lump only formed after a few weeks, it might be from excess collagen formation around the Radiesse.  Injecting it with dilute triamcinolone may help to some degree in this case.  Good luck!