Radiesse®

The dual action

Radiesse® is calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) from Merz: microspheres of the same mineral found in bone, suspended in an aqueous gel. On injection two things happen on different clocks:

• The gel gives volume from the first moment. You leave with a visible result.
• The gel resorbs over weeks and the microspheres remain, holding the volume and stimulating collagen production around them. That is why the result does not deflate when the gel goes.

Usual duration: 12 to 18 months. And a separate application worth knowing: hyperdiluted — mixed with more saline than usual — it stops being a volumiser and becomes a treatment for skin quality and firmness on the neck, décolleté and back of the hands. A different indication and a different price.

Where it belongs, and where it never goes

Where it works best: chin and jaw angle, where firm projection over bone is needed; deep cheek in loss of support; the back of the hands, one of its classic indications; and neck and décolleté in its hyperdiluted form.

Where it never goes:

• Lips. Radiesse is not used in lips. The nodule risk in an area of constant movement and thin skin does not pay off, and there would be no way to dissolve it.
• Tear trough. Very thin skin and high vascular risk: fluid hyaluronic acid is used there precisely because it is reversible.
• The superficial plane anywhere. It is a deep-plane product.

And the warning that has to be said out loud: hyaluronidase does not dissolve it. If you dislike the result, you wait for it to resorb.

Radiesse or Sculptra: which of the two

Practical summary: if you need structure at a specific point and you want it now, Radiesse. If what you lost is general volume and you can wait, Sculptra. They compete less than they appear to.

What it costs

Filler is not quoted by «area» but by product and volume, and for a reason worth understanding before you compare: two people with the same complaint can need 1 ml and 4 ml. A closed per-area price that does not say how many millilitres it includes cannot be compared with anything — the same problem as botox units.

How it works here:

• The consultation is free and is not charged in advance. You are assessed, told which product, how much volume and the total, and you decide then.
• The quote is given in writing with the brand, the batch number and the millilitres before anything is applied. That document is what makes comparison possible.
• You pay for what is applied. If your case needs less volume than expected, you pay less.

Payment: cash, debit card and credit card, with the option to split into instalments at the terminal under your own bank plan.

Frequently asked questions