What would you recommend to correct Radiesse injections to the cheek area?

Question

I am a 36 yrs old and have had botox and a little bit of restalyne under eye troughs for the past ten years.  Four months ago I went to a new doctor for touch ups.  I pointed out shadows under eyes after restalyne injections by another doc. She fixed it perfectly i just assumed she used a hyaluronic acid filler.  I went back about a month ago for botox touch ups and told her if I had shadows under eyes to just touch it up and a dab of filler in upper lip.  The appointment went terribly wrong.  She took it upon her self to fill in my cheeks.  She had me lay down and I couldn't tell where she was injecting because of the depth of injections. The needle hit my bottom lip and I stated "no, not my bottom lip".  Well, that was the least of my worries.  I had no clue she was using radiesse.  I didn't want it in my cheeks.  My cheeks are uneven and I now have a nasal labial fold on one side. I also have dark rings under my eyes and they are raised and lumpy.  Material looks like it is bulging under the skin.  I have read all the material and understand radiesse has 30% gel carrier that is made up of hyaluronic acid. She has suggested using hylaronidase.  I have also read a few doctors use kenalog, and lastly saline filtration.  I have also heard that saline filtration can help after kenalog and vitrase treatments to flush out and stop it from csusing increased facial wasting.  I am awear that all of these treatments have repercussions, but would greatly appreciate any advice.

Mary P. Lupo, MD · Answer

Using hyaluronidase has been reported, but is not terribly effective. When I see patients incorrectly injected with Radiesse, I try to infiltrate the area with saline and use the needle to "break apart" some of the filler and I massage quite a bit. I would NOT recommend Steroid injections as they can cause surrounding atrophy and actually make the irregularity worse. Steroids are reserved for when it is granuloma formation, not incorrectly placed filler. On that note: make sure you always see a BOARD CERTIFIED dermatologist or plastic surgeon who DOES A LOT OF THESE PROCEDUURES (some derms are just medical and some plastic surgeon just cut). Injecting a patient who is reclining is just wrong technique. Good news is, it will eventually get better.

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Like you stated Radiesse has only a small amount of gel carrier in it. The rest of it is a calcium product which is similar to what's in bone. There is nothing that can take this part out but time. Saline and kenalog and all of that can help, but I really try to let people know how minimally they help. Sometimes in the long run, doing all of this can make it worse. Can you post pictures so we can see if there might be other, better options? Sometimes when people come to me with filler problems from fillers that aren't dissolvable like Radiesse and Sculptra, we can work with other things to help. Like adding softer HA fillers around the hard ridges. Or even sometimes Venus Freeze has helped resculpt areas for people while we are waiting for those fillers to go away. There are some temporary fixes that may be a better solution than trying to go the way of getting the Radiesse out. "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and 
cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person 
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."

What would you recommend to correct Radiesse injections to the cheek area?

Answers (2)

More Radiesse Questions

What would you recommend to correct Radiesse injections to the cheek area?

Answers (2)

More Radiesse Questions

Can massaging the face two weeks after a Radiesse injection cause bad swelling?

Is Radiesse good for non surgical nose job?

3.5 months after radiesse in tear troughs, will these lumps ever go away? (photo)