Saline Injection for Removing Radiesse?

Question

Under my left eye is a white visible strip of Radiesse that looks like spaghetti noodle that's about an inch long. I read a about injecting saline into the area, can anyone elaborate? How will it solve my problem?

Brian S. Glatt, MD, FACS · Answer

The good news is that although Radiese is a long lasting product, it is not permanent and it WILL eventually dissolve.   The bad news is that it seems the Radiesse is in a prominent area and this product can be quite obvious if not done perfectly in this anatomically sensitive area.
Although there is no accepted "antidote" for Radiesse, some do think that normal saline (salt water) solution may actually dissolve away Radiesse.  As a matter of fact, the company representatives themselves have presented this simple and safe treatment as a potential solution to dissolve away "unwanted" Radiesse.
I have tried this once myself for a patient who had a severe inflammatory reaction to Radiesse in the Marionette line area.  While the saline did not immediately dissolve the Radiesse, it did go down quite a bit after several treatments, each 2-3 weeks apart.  The good news is that saline injections are completely safe and you lose nothing by trying (other than the potential for soem bruising and swelling). 
So if you trust your doctor, you may want to give a small conservative injection of saline a try!  Good luck!

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

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

Jon M. Grazer, MD, MPH, FACS · Answer

Firm manual compression is the best way to remove Radiesse nodules. Lidocaine injection followed by VERY firm compression, like crunching a Cheerio, will resolve all but the worst nodules within three months.

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

You really have a difficult situation. You have had your Radiesse injected too superficially and it is very difficult to remove. Saline may be helpful and it will not hurt, so it is worth a try. Good luck.

Christopher L. Hess, MD · Answer

Usually this is a red line but white will do. See my link below for the previous answer but the long and short of it is that saline will not help. You'll have to wait until it is absorbed by the body with could take up to 18 months or perhaps more.

Kenneth R. Francis, MD, FACS · Answer

Abbey Dawn,
Saline will not dissolve Radiesse.  It may dilute out a concentrated collection of the material, such as occurs with a nodule of Radiesse, but will not be effective for a ribbon of material.  Your Radiesse has been injected too superficially and may never resorb or dissolve in that position.  You should return to your injector and request that the material be extracted.  This may be done through a small nick in the skin if the material is superficial enough.  Good luck!

Don Mehrabi, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.
Unfortunately, injecting saline should not help dissolve the radiesse or cause it to dissipate. Conceivably, one might think that injecting saline might dilute it or push it around so it's not as noticable, but I have not heard of this being common practice. That being said, the risk of anything bad happening with saline injection is near zero, so it may be worth a shot. The alternative, more common practice, is to make a slight nick in the skin and remove the radiesse.
In summary, while theoretically there is no basis to do the saline injection, the risk of doing it is near zero, so try it but don't get your hopes up too much.
Best of luck!

Kamran Khoobehi, MD · Answer

Radiesse is calicium product and does not desolve in saline. Injection of saline is an unproven technique.Ask your doctor about his experience . If you have white strip, then injection was superficial and you may need to have excision if not resolved with messageing the area

Eugene Mandrea, MD (retired) · Answer

I have treated a patient who had a lump of Radiesse.

	It took 4  injections  3 weeks apart (2 with Saline  and 2 with Sterile Water) and the lump was significantly reduced.

	I think it is definitely worth a try with Sterile Saline or Sterile Water.

	A gentle massage immediatelt following the injection may  also help .

Saline Injection for Removing Radiesse?

Answers (9)

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