Do you feel dissatisfied when you catch a glimpse of your reflection? Do you have thin lips? Do you have hollow, sagging cheeks? Do you wish there was a non-invasive way to rejuvenate the appearance of your face? If so, our experts at Allure Laser & Med Spa in Tinley Park, IL have just the solution for you. Today, we’re talking about how Radiesse can help you restore your appearance conveniently and comfortably.
Radiesse: The Key To Restoring Facial Collagen
What Is Radiesse?
Radiesse is an injectable dermal filler designed to smooth away wrinkles and recontour parts of the face by restoring collagen to the areas targeted for treatment. However, unlike most dermal fillers, it is not hyaluronic acid-based. Instead, it comprises CaHA, or calcium hydroxyapatite, gel microspheres.
While hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers require a 24- to 72-hour wait period before the results of treatment become apparent, you can see the results of this injectable dermal filler immediately. Volume is restored to the treated area as soon as the injections are administered. This filler is completely natural. Both calcium and phosphate ions are found in abundance naturally in the human body.
How Does Radiesse Treatment Work?
The gel microspheres in the injectable medication result in the initial volumization of the area targeted for treatment. However, this treatment is so effective and durable because it induces natural collagen production.
In other words, your skin is encouraged to produce its own firming, smoothing filler. The end result is an attractive, youthful appearance that lasts for one to two years. Additionally, the oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon molecules found in the injectable medication replaces lost elastin (essential connective tissue) very well.
How Long Does Radiesse Treatment Take?
This treatment can take up to a quarter of an hour depending on how many doses of this filler need to be administered. Additionally, if you want the treatment area to be numbed before your injections are administered, you should account for your treatment taking an extra 10 to 60 minutes.
This is because topical numbing creams take a while to numb the skin. If you need to finish your treatment on your lunch break, consider skipping the skin numbing. This filler includes lidocaine which will numb the treatment area within seconds of the first injection.
How To Prepare for Your Injection Session
It is essential to come in for an initial evaluation before you receive your injections. To prepare for your initial consultation, write down all of the supplements and drugs you are taking currently, including the dosages. Some supplements and drugs have blood-thinning properties, like NSAIDs, warfarin, and garlic supplements. You should stop taking any blood-thinning supplements or drugs for three days before and after your injection session.
We also need to know about a history of keloid scarring, problems you have with your hands, and current medical conditions, like high blood pressure or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, you should let us know about other anti-aging or cosmetic treatments, such as chemical peels, you have received in the past. All of this information will help us tailor the most effective course of treatments for your aesthetic vision.
What To Expect After Your Injection Session
As noted above, you should expect an immediate increase in the volumization of the treated area. After roughly seven days, you will be able to enjoy the final results of your treatment. Again, although this treatment provides temporary results, you should only need a maintenance session every year or two to maintain your desired aesthetic.
Notably, the results of this treatment will not disappear overnight after a year has passed. Rather, you will slowly begin to notice the formation of fine lines. When you come in for your follow-up appointment, you may only need a small dose. In other words, your follow-up sessions will not take as long as your initial treatment session.
What You Should Avoid After Your Injection Session
What’s great about this injectable dermal filler is you can resume most of your usual routine right away. That said, you should avoid vigorous exercise during the first 24 hours following your injection session. Intense exercise should be avoided during this time to ensure the injectable filler remains in the targeted area.
For the same reason, you should refrain from massaging the treated area during the first 24 hours post-injection and sleep on your back. Additionally, you should minimize your exposure to heat and sunlight during the first 36 hours after your injection session. Instead of taking a hot shower after your session, take a lukewarm bath. Don’t use a tanning bed or sunbathe and wear sunscreen when you go outside.
What This Treatment Is Used for
There are a number of applications of this injectable dermal filler. It is often used to restore a youthful appearance to the hands safely and effectively. However, it can also be used to reverse the signs of facial aging. Furthermore, it can be used to erase wrinkles on the chest. Some of the most common facial applications include recontouring the cheeks, augmenting the lips, enhancing the appearance of the jawline, and eliminating chin wrinkles.
Who Is a Good Candidate for This Filler?
The FDA has approved the use of this injectable dermal filler for most healthy adults. That said, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant, you should hold off on this non-invasive treatment until you are no longer breastfeeding. There have not yet been clinical trials studying the effects of this treatment in women who are with children or nursing.
During your initial consultation, we will evaluate your health, lifestyle, and aesthetic goals to determine whether you are a good candidate for this anti-aging treatment. Let us know if you are allergic to lidocaine when you come in for your first appointment. We can accommodate your allergy by providing you with an injectable dermal filler without the injectable anesthetic. Additionally, you must be healthy enough to go four days without a blood-thinning medication to be considered a good candidate.
Complementary Treatments
It is rare for someone to have only one type of cosmetic concern. In most cases, two or three types of aesthetic treatments are required to achieve the ideal results. Fortunately, this CaHA-based dermal filler can be combined with other cosmetic services safely and effectively so you can look and feel your best. Among these are microneedling, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels.
Microdermabrasion
Among the most commonly performed cosmetic treatments performed around the globe is microdermabrasion. Microdermabrasion is a rejuvenating, non-invasive treatment designed to improve the tone and texture of your skin. Whether you are suffering from sun damage, age spots, melasma, acne scars, wrinkles or hyperpigmentation, you can enjoy significant benefits from a microdermabrasion session.
This treatment involves using an abrasive surface to gently remove the upper layers of your dermis. These layers comprise dead skin cells, leaving your skin looking dull and ruddy. After a microdermabrasion session, you can enjoy healthy, hydrated, refreshed-looking skin.
Chemical Peels
The average chemical peel takes between 30 and 90 minutes to administer. This aesthetic treatment is most commonly used to reverse scars, redness, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage, and melasma. If you opt for a light chemical peel, there will be no post-treatment care guidelines to adhere to and there won’t be any downtime following your treatment. If you opt for a medium or deep (phenol) chemical peel, you must protect your skin from the sun diligently for two to three weeks.
Superficial Peels
Light peels, also known as superficial peels, feature alpha-hydroxy acid, and other mild acids. Superficial chemical peels are appropriate for people with mild-to-moderate cosmetic concerns as the acid exfoliates the skin gently and only penetrates the top layer of the dermis. Medium chemical peels feature more potent acids, such as trichloroacetic or glycolic acids. The acids in medium peels penetrate the top and middle layers of the skin.
Phenol Peels
Similarly, phenol peels fully penetrate the middle layer of your skin. While often called a phenol peel, deep chemical peels can also feature other strong acids that aren’t quite as potent as phenol, like trichloroacetic acid. With a deep chemical peel, whether it is diluted with weaker acids or not, dead skin cells are removed completely. It is even powerful enough to treat certain medical conditions and erase several types of deep scars.
Microneedling
Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, is an excellent complement to Radiesse. This minimally invasive aesthetic treatment is safe for most healthy adults, regardless of skin type or tone. It restores and accentuates your natural beauty by inducing the production of collagen. Additionally, it makes other cosmetic treatments, like dermal fillers, more effective.
The production of extra collagen is induced by the “micro-injuries” caused when the fine-gauge needles penetrate your dermis. Collagen induction therapy may be used to tighten your skin while improving its tone and texture without requiring an invasive medical procedure. Furthermore, it may be used to erase burn and acne scars, make topical anti-acne medications more effective, and volumize the skin, filling in moderate wrinkles and fine lines.
How Many Microneedling Sessions Are Necessary
How many treatment sessions you will need depends on how healthy your skin currently is, the conditions you’re trying to reverse, the severity of your conditions, and your age. That said, most people can enjoy ideal results with just three to six convenient treatments spaced between two and six weeks apart.
Good Candidates for Microneedling
In most cases, men and women who are at least 18 years of age are considered good candidates for microneedling. Nevertheless, several factors affect whether this treatment is appropriate for you. To find out if this is the right cosmetic treatment for you, it is important that you come in for an initial consultation.
We can discuss your interest in collagen induction therapy during your initial Radiesse consultation. We will also discuss other cosmetic treatments if we feel there is a more effective way to achieve your cosmetic goals than a CaHA-based dermal filler. Notably, you should talk to your primary care physician before you receive this treatment if you are on medications that need to be stopped temporarily.
Achieve Your Aesthetic Vision Today
You don’t have to live with the inevitable signs of aging. That said, you don’t need to undergo several invasive procedures to look and feel your best. Radiesse can help you achieve your desired aesthetic quickly and painlessly. To find out if this treatment is right for you, contact us today at Allure Laser & Med Spa in Tinley Park, IL to schedule your initial consultation.
