Radiesse the Best Filler for Saving Money?

Each area of the face needs to be addressed individually, and different fillers work better for different areas of the face-- there is no one filler that should always be used in all areas of the face for all patients.  Therefore, I think it would be an error to advertise Radiesse as such.

There are many fillers on the market and each one has positives and negatives.  Radiesse works well to provide immediate results for adding volume to anywhere on the face except around the eyes and lips.  The advantages of Radiesse over other fillers are lasting 13months on average, part of it gets replaced with collagen as it wears off, and you get 30-50% more product than with competing fillers.  Dollar for dollar, it probably represents a better value.  The disadvantages are it cannot be placed in the lips or around the eyes. 

Cost effectiveness is a relative term.  It is important that Radiesse is the right filler for you based on location, type of skin, etc.  That being said, if Radiesse is used in patients with prominent smile lines, it is typically more cost effective than an HA filler.

A Radiesse syringe is 1.3 cc whereas Juvederm is 0.8 cc. Radiesse runs $850/syr and lasts around 1 yr whereas Juvederm runs $550/syr and lasts around 9 months. Radiesse is great for cheek volume and Nasolabial folds whereas Juvederm is great for frown lines, crows feet and lip augmentations. Both have their places for face rejuvenation and both are good products with no allergy testing needed. I do prefer to do the radiesse in usually 2 sessions a few days to a week apart to make sure there are no lumps and bumps and patients get full corrections. David Hansen,MD

I agree that Radiesse is the best off-the-shelf cheek filler for the money. The Radiesse syringe has more volume and gives longer lasting results than the other fillers when used in the cheek. A typical patient may require 1 to 2 syringes of Radiesse for a full treatment, but 3 to 4 syringes of any of the other products.
David Shafer, MD
Shafer Plastic Surgery
New York City