First Radiesse Experience! Laguna Niguel, CA

I've been wanting to try a filler ever since I started noticing my cheeks and nasolabial folds getting more hollow looking over the past few years. Now with my 40th birthday coming up I decided to finally try it. I was so nervous that something might go wrong, but that is part of why I chose to go with Dr. Klein - she's an expert and knowing this helped me feel more confident about it.

Dr. Klein explained what she would be doing and made me feel more comfortable right away. She used a cooling spray that numbs the skin, and this, and the lidocaine in the radiesse, actually made the injections pretty much painless. After she was done I saw the results right away, and my once hollow looking cheeks looked nice and healthy and fuller - nothing obvious, but much better. She gave me an ice pack to use on the ride home, and if things stay pretty much the same, I don't think I'll have much swelling or bruising. Any immediate swelling already seems to be subsiding. I took the medical grade arnica supplement she recommended before and after the procedure, so that is probably helping too. I will update in a week or so, but I'm very pleased so far. I also think I'm hooked - I love the improvement and will definitely want to keep this up!

It's been 1 week since getting 1 syringe of radiesse in my cheeks. I think it's safe to say any swelling or soreness has pretty much settled down. I didn't bruise at all, just had some pinkness around the injection sites for about 5 days, which didn't even look bad without makeup. This is amazing to me because I bruise easily, and Dr. Klein even told me that one injection area might bruise a little. I do think the arnica (Sinecch) helped a lot with that. I was prepared to take the day off work the following day, but didn't need to. The appearance of volume has decreased a little, as she said it would, because any swelling is gone and the gel surrounding the radiesse might be reabsorbing into my body. The overall effect is very subtle, and I think I could use a little more, but I still see a good amount of correction, so I'm happy with it.

My main issue was those dents that some people get across their cheeks as they get older. I don't have much fat on my body anyways, and my face was looking gaunt because of it. The secondary issue was nasolabial folds that I wanted a little filled in, but I didn't have enough filler in the one syringe to do both cheeks and NLF's. Still I think I look less gaunt and tired with just my cheeks done. Makeup looks nicer now, especially blush, because my cheeks are a litle more full rather than hollow. I think I'll go back in about 6 months and get a little more done to both cheeks and NLF's.