Radiesse
Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite — a filler that adds volume immediately and also stimulates your own collagen, so it works in two ways at once. It lasts 12 to 18 months, is firmer than hyaluronic acid products, and is the standard choice for the back of the hands. Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers, it cannot be dissolved. Fillers are $750 to $990 per syringe at Naficy Rejuvenation Center in Bellevue, Washington.
This page covers Radiesse. To compare it against Juvéderm, Restylane, Sculptra and Bellafill, see the facial fillers overview.
What is Radiesse?
Radiesse is a gel containing microspheres of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) — a mineral compound found naturally in bone. The gel provides volume on the day it is injected. Over the following months the gel is absorbed, and the microspheres act as a scaffold that stimulates your body to produce new collagen around them.
So it sits between the two categories: an immediate filler and a collagen stimulator in one product. That dual action is its distinguishing feature.
How is Radiesse different from hyaluronic acid fillers?
| Radiesse | Juvéderm / Restylane | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Calcium hydroxylapatite | Hyaluronic acid |
| Immediate volume | Yes | Yes |
| Collagen stimulation | Yes | Minimal |
| Duration | 12–18 months | 6–24 months by product |
| Firmness | Firmer — better for structural support | Range from very soft to firm |
| Reversible | No — no dissolving agent exists | Yes, with hyaluronidase |
| Suitable for lips | No | Yes |
| Suitable for under-eye | No | Yes, with soft products |
| Hands | Yes — FDA-approved for this | Restylane Lyft is an option |
The irreversibility is the point to weigh. Radiesse cannot be dissolved if you dislike the result — it has to be waited out. That is a good reason to place it conservatively, and a good reason not to use it in the highest-risk or least forgiving areas.
Before and After treatment of facial volume loss using Radiesse. * Individual results may vary.
What does Radiesse treat?
- Nasolabial folds and deeper facial folds
- Marionette lines
- Cheeks and midface, where firm structural support is wanted
- Jawline definition and contour
- Chin projection
- Pre-jowl hollows
- Hands — restoring volume over the tendons and veins on the back of the hand
Radiesse is not used in the lips or under the eyes. It is too firm for the lips and carries nodule risk there, and the under-eye is too unforgiving for a product that cannot be reversed. Those areas need soft, reversible hyaluronic acid.
Radiesse for hands
Hands give age away more reliably than almost anything else, and they are commonly overlooked. As the fat pad over the back of the hand thins, tendons, veins and bones become prominent and the skin looks papery.
Radiesse is FDA-approved for hand augmentation, and it is one of the few products well suited to it. Injected into the plane above the tendons, it restores the cushion, softening the appearance of the underlying structures. Treatment takes minutes and results typically last a year or more.
Before and After treatment of facial volume loss using Radiesse. * Individual results may vary.
What is hyperdilute Radiesse?
Radiesse can be diluted with saline or lidocaine and spread across a broader area. Used this way it adds almost no volume — instead it acts purely as a collagen stimulator, improving skin thickness, firmness and texture.
This is used for crepey skin on the neck, décolletage, upper arms, and above the knees, and for overall skin quality rather than contour. It is a different treatment from standard Radiesse despite using the same product, and it typically requires a series rather than one session.
How much does Radiesse cost?
Radiesse at Naficy Rejuvenation Center is $750 per syringe. Hands typically take one syringe per hand. Facial treatment depends on the area and the degree of correction needed.
Non-surgical pricing · Current specials · Financing
How long does Radiesse last?
12 to 18 months for most patients. Because part of the effect comes from collagen your body produced, some benefit can persist after the product itself has been absorbed.
Does it hurt, and what is the recovery?
Radiesse is mixed with lidocaine and topical numbing is used. It is a firmer product, so injection can feel more pressured than hyaluronic acid filler.
Expect swelling and possible bruising for several days — hands tend to swell noticeably for a few days. Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours. Judge the settled result at two weeks.
Who is a good candidate for Radiesse?
- Deeper folds needing firm structural support
- Volume loss on the back of the hands
- A preference for a product that stimulates collagen as well as filling
- Someone comfortable with a product that cannot be reversed
Who is not a good candidate?
- You want lip filler. Radiesse is not used in the lips.
- You want under-eye treatment. Too firm, too unforgiving, not reversible.
- You want the option to dissolve it. Choose hyaluronic acid instead — a legitimate preference, particularly for a first treatment.
- Your problem is descent rather than volume. That needs a facelift.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding, or a history of severe allergy.
What are the risks?
Common and temporary: swelling, bruising, tenderness and firmness at the treated site.
Less common: nodules or lumps — more likely in mobile areas or where the product is placed too superficially, which is why it is kept out of the lips; asymmetry; visible or palpable product; and infection.
Rare and serious: vascular occlusion, where filler enters or compresses a blood vessel. This risk carries additional weight with Radiesse because there is no dissolving agent — the emergency options available with hyaluronic acid do not apply. That is a direct argument for having it injected by someone who does a high volume of it.
Can men have Radiesse?
Yes, and its firmness suits male anatomy well. Men typically want jawline and chin definition rather than cheek fullness, and Radiesse provides the structural support that suits those goals.
What is combined with Radiesse?
With Botox: structure from Radiesse, movement from Botox.
With hyaluronic acid fillers: Radiesse for deep structure, a softer reversible product for lips and under-eye.
With laser resurfacing: volume and collagen beneath, surface treatment above.
Before & After Radiesse injection in male. * Individual results may vary.
Radiesse and future facial surgery
Radiesse is not a permanent filler — the calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres are absorbed over time. But in terms of how it behaves during a later facelift, it sits closer to the permanent products than to hyaluronic acid.
Radiesse can make a subsequent facelift dissection more difficult. The collagen response it stimulates, and the density of the material itself, mean the tissue planes are less distinct and separation is less clean than in a patient who has only had hyaluronic acid filler.
This is Dr. Naficy's own observation from performing deep plane facelifts. It is worth setting against the two ends of the range:
- Hyaluronic acid fillers — no effect on the dissection at all, and dissolvable in any case.
- Sculptra — no dissection difficulty encountered, including in patients treated elsewhere.
- Radiesse and permanent fillers — dissection is harder and takes longer.
What this does not mean. It does not make you inoperable, and it is not a reason to avoid Radiesse if it is the right product for what you want. Patients who have had it go on to have facelifts and get good results. The surgeon needs to know in advance, and the dissection takes more care.
What it does mean. If facial surgery is a realistic possibility for you in the next several years, that belongs in the conversation about which filler to use — particularly in the midface and jawline, where a facelift dissection actually travels. It is less of a consideration for hands, or for hyperdilute treatment of the neck and chest.
See the facelift page for how each category of filler affects surgery.
Who injects Radiesse here?
Five injectors, two of whom are national trainers for Allergan Aesthetics and Galderma. More than 10,000 filler treatments are performed here each year, within a surgical practice with a board-certified plastic surgeon on site.
Radiesse before and after photos
Before and after photographs of Radiesse treatment at Naficy Rejuvenation Center. Individual results vary.
Before & After Radiesse injection in the hands. * Individual results may vary.
Frequently asked questions about Radiesse
Will Radiesse affect a facelift later?
It can make the dissection harder and slower, behaving more like a permanent filler than like hyaluronic acid or Sculptra in this respect. It does not make surgery impossible, and patients who have had Radiesse have facelifts with good results — but the surgeon should know beforehand. If surgery is a realistic possibility in the next several years, it is worth discussing which filler to use, particularly in the midface and jawline.
How much does Radiesse cost in Seattle?
At our practice, Radiesse is $750 per syringe. Hands typically take one syringe per hand.
How long does Radiesse last?
12 to 18 months, with some benefit persisting from the collagen it stimulated.
Can Radiesse be dissolved?
No. There is no dissolving agent for calcium hydroxylapatite, unlike hyaluronic acid fillers. It must be waited out, which is why it is placed conservatively.
Is Radiesse better than Juvéderm or Restylane?
Different, not better. Radiesse is firmer and stimulates collagen but cannot be reversed and is unsuitable for lips or under-eye. Hyaluronic acid fillers are more versatile and reversible. The right choice depends on the area.
Can Radiesse be used in the lips?
No. It is too firm for the lips and carries a higher nodule risk there.
Can Radiesse be used under the eyes?
No. That area needs a soft, reversible hyaluronic acid product.
Is Radiesse good for hands?
Yes — it is FDA-approved for hand augmentation and is one of the better products for it. Results typically last a year or more.
What is hyperdilute Radiesse?
Radiesse diluted and spread across a wider area to act purely as a collagen stimulator rather than a volumiser, used for crepey skin on the neck, chest, arms and knees.
Does Radiesse stimulate collagen?
Yes. The calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres act as a scaffold for new collagen while the carrier gel is absorbed.
Can I have Radiesse while pregnant?
No.
Next steps
A consultation determines whether Radiesse is right for the area you want treated, or whether a reversible hyaluronic acid product or a collagen stimulator such as Sculptra would serve you better.
Naficy Rejuvenation Center is located in Bellevue, Washington, and serves patients from Seattle, the Eastside, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
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Medically reviewed by Sam Naficy, MD, FACS, board-certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
