Does Radiesse settle down in cheekbones after a few weeks like Voluma?

Radiesse develops collagen and helps the skin improve volume and texture, but it will take a few weeks. Radiesse results last 12-15 months. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

The results of Radiesse and Voluma are very similar. Both products are gel like and both are  reasborbed over time. I find that Radiesse does give more initial sharp definition, but it also softens and blends after a few weeks similar to VOLUMA. I have also layered the two products before for stronger results. Keep in mind that they are both gels which are soft enough to be pushed through a small needle. Anyone who thinks they can tell the difference between Radiesse under the skin vs Voluma is probably exaggerating. Implants will maintain the sharpest definition. Hope this helps!Johnson C. Lee, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
IG: @drjohnsonlee

Good Afternoon and thank you for your question.  Radiesse® is an excellent option to consider for the areas you want to inject. The benefit of Radiesse® is that it is a calcium based filler which stimulates your own collagen however it is important to understand that it is non-reversible (versus hyaluronic acid  which can be dissolved with an enzyme). Initially it does provide a bit more swelling than Voluma® however once it settles within the 2 week time frame the results achieved are natural and beautiful.  An experienced injector would be able to evaluate you first and then determine what would be best for you. Best of luck to you!

Radiesse is much more effective when used in your concerned areas; it never changes as what you see is what you get; it also lasts longer. 

 Hi, I have performed many facial shaping procedures using dermal fillers, silastic facial implants (cheek, chin and or lip implants), liposuction and/or facelifts for over 30 years.  Following my beauty principles, men look chiseled and handsome with angularity in the cheeks, chin and mandibular angles.  Women look the most feminine, youthful and attractive with heart shaped faces.  Heart shaped faces have cheeks that are full and round in the front.  Cheek augmentation with a dermal filler or using cheek implants for a permanent enhancement will create full, round cheeks that will feminize the entire face. I prefer using Restylane Lyft for the cheeks and jaw line for women but on male patients who have had the procedure previously, will use Radiesse in the mandibular angle.  There seems to be some question whether Voluma can create facial abscesses, so I don't use Voluma.  Radiesse does tend to make the skin a bit pink for a day or so and is a bit more lumpy even after massaging the injected material and of course it can't be dissolved.  For that reason, you must be able to undergo the several days of recovery as mentioned above.  If you're having 3 -5 syringes of Volume to the cheeks dome periodically, you may want to see if you're a candidate for silastic cheek implant by consulting with an experienced Cheek Implant Surgeon.  Proper placement of the aesthetically correct size/shape/thickness of silastic cheek implant will not only achieve the most naturally beautiful cheek but will be far more cost effective over the years versus repeated dermal filler injection.  However, as you can imagine it takes a quantum level more experience and aesthetic judgement to properly select and place a cheek implant than it does to inject a temporary dermal filler, so be certain to find an experienced surgeon. And finally, a few words of caution regarding the use of fat to shape the face.  I have performed many facial shaping procedures using dermal fillers, facial implants (cheek, chin), liposuction and/or facelifts for over 30 years.  In my experience and despite its recent increase in popularity, fat transfer (fat injection) offers "far" less of a reliable and predictable volume for facial shaping than an off the shelf dermal filler or silastic facial implant.  For that reason, I do not use fat to shape the cheeks, chin, lips or jaw line.  Tissue physiology is quite simple.  Tissue requires a blood supply in and out as well as lymphatic connections to remain viable and alive.  Once fat is removed from the body all of these things have been disrupted.  Just because the removed fat is mixed with PRP or something else doesn't make the blood and lymphatics magically re-appear.  The fat at that point is not living tissue which means that it's prone to being dissolved by the body (most likely in an uneven and unpredictable manner).  Injecting fat back into the face does not create the required elements to make the fat living tissue once again.  So the argument that fat is alive and viable in the face once it's been removed and re-injected makes no sense to me as a physician and surgeon.
 The other issue that I have with fat transfer is the lack of precision.  Fat is thick by nature which means it's not the same consistency as an off the shelf dermal filler.  Fat injections use an increased volume injected in an attempt to compensate for the volume loss that "will" happen.  This means a lack of specific shape and volume that simply can not begin to compare with the specificity of using a silastic facial implant of a "known" shape and volume.  In that regard fat offers too much of an unknown to make it a reliable and predictable method for facial shaping.  There's a significant difference between a 3mm and 5mm thick cheek implant.  You can imagine the magnitude of difference there is between retaining 60% of 25cc's of fat versus 35%.  In my humble opinion, I just don’t see how fat could possibly be used to precisely shape facial features?
Hope this helps.