24 Hours Post-Injection: Swollen and Bruised As Heck - New York, NY
I had 7 CCs of radiesse injected into my upper...
I had 7 CCs of radiesse injected into my upper cheeks, nose and temple area yesterday to fill out my face, which has been getting noticeably thinner over the years. So far all I can say is that my face is incredibly swollen, sensitive and bruised. It looks like I got in a boxing ring and lost badly. Concerned, I went back to the doctor today but he assured me everything was perfectly normal and that he was very conservative with the injections. I trust that he is correct. He said the swelling would be even worse tomorrow (which is a bit of a nightmare as I have to return to work tomorrow since I took yesterday and today off). I had been assured the bruising and swelling would be minimal. I look like the guy from Mask.
Looking at my face and realizing that Radiesse is only good for a year makes me wonder how other people can do this year after year (not to mention the cost. I went to a top plastic surgeon who charges top dollar). I will try to post the recovery progress on here.
I'm now one week post-procedure. The swelling has...
Jury still out in terms of final verdict. Will post again when the swelling has all subsided. All I can say at this point is that it sure had better last longer that 2 months...
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So it's now been exactly two weeks since my...
Positive:
I'm amazed at how many compliments I've received the past few days about how good I look. That's really been an ego booster.
My face looks so much fuller and not so narrow and drawn out. The difference is pretty remarkable yet also totally subtle. I was at a wedding over the weekend and normally I am used to hearing over and over, "You look thin, have you lost weight?" from anyone who hasn't seen me in a couple months. (I have heard the same refrain for years and years, despite being the exact same weight for the past 20 years).
Negatives:
The swelling is finally all gone and the bruising is faded but the bruises turned my cheeks a deep yellow, like someone had taken a yellow highlighter all over my skin. It has been incredibly noticeable (fortunately the Dermalab cover up did wonders on that front but without it I would have looked like I was dying of jaundice or something). Today is the first day I don't need any cover up even though some of the yellow is still there.
So that means at least 10 days where I had to get very creative explaining why I was swollen and bruised.
My body seems to have reabsorded the Radiesse in one of the temple areas much more than the other. My nose looks somewhat bulbous to me (Radiess injections above both nostrils). My nose is fuller and not so sharp and narrow, which is a definite improvement but for the first 10 days it looked very red and puffy, a bit like an alcoholic's nose.
Overall, I'd say my looks are definitely improved and my face subtly but very pleasantly fuller. I feel much more confident too, I must say. But given the intense bruising and prolonged recovery, the expense (see comments....), and the fact this may last much less than a year, I'm not sure it is worth doing it again. My doctor did say that he wanted to try Radiesse once so I could see the possibilities and then after a year suggested fat transfers as a more permanent solution. Again, the cost was very high but this was because I chose one of the top plastic surgeons in Manhattan.
Comments/suggestions welcome.
Replies (8)
My Radiesse treatment has lasted around 18 months. I tried Restylane twice before using Radiesse and it lasted about 12 months. I used 2 ccs each time for a cost of $1100 - 1200 each time. I going to a new doctor because this guy while good did not even give me a topical anesthetic which I will be getting this time. My procedure next week(1/15/13) will be for 3 ccs total for a cost of 1200. I would never have a general A.... for this procedure.
I had radiesse a year and a half ago and I bruised. The bruising lasted 2 weeks. I had it again last week and I did not have any bruising at all. A different dr did it this time and did bleed this time on one side and they asked me if I was taking aspirin and I am not but they said I was bleeding a lot. I did not get bruising though which I am surprised at since I was bleeding. Anyway, nothing was different in the way they injected me this time or a yr and a half ago so I do not know why I bruised last time and not this time. I love the results. I had injections under my cheek bones and under the sides of my mouth. I was swollen under my mouth more on one side the next day. I said to myself, I hope this goes down or will not leave the house. I kept pressing on it , trying to move it. Anyway, in 2 days swelling was gone and I am so smooth around my cheeks. I do not look sunken in. I will get this every 10 months. $800 per syringe. I had one syringe. I am worth $800 a yr
Replies (14)
Wow, that is interesting to hear. I've always heard that Radiesse lasts longer than Restylane. I guess that just shows how each person's body reacts a bit differently to the products.
It is a bummer that the price hasn't dropped. You are right about it not being able to be reversed, which is probably why a lot of doctors recommend starting out with the hylaronic acid fillers first, since those can be reversed then consider something like Radiesse if the person likes the fillers. As for many postings about Radiesse only lasting 6 months, I can't say I have recalled that as being a complaint I have read about much. Since I'm the community manager I read every review that comes in for Radiesse, and usually things like that stick out to me. It'll be interesting since you mentioned it now, if I will start to notice it in the reviews.
My goodness, I'm so sorry to hear how much bruising and swelling you are experiencing. I'm not sure how many reviews you have read through, but you will notice that it seems everyone is a little different with the amount they experience, but it is usually pretty minimal. Did you happen to be taking any medications or supplements that might have led to more bruising, such as aspirin?
I noticed you have $6000 down for the price. That is a lot. Do you mind me asking how many syringes you received for that price?
If you are getting super bruised up and paying a ton, you might be better off to research other offices to go to(?).
Did you like that general anesthesia was used? I would be curious if this was at your specific request or if you were having another procedure done simultaneously that required general anesthesia, as I haven't heard of it being used before for injectables.
Even if we take the money out of the equation, just the health risks possible with general don't seem worth it for injectables in my personal opinion. Obviously the doctor had his/her reasons, so I understand I'm probably missing something they considered. I am so curious what that could be though.