The hallmark of youthful skin is a beautiful, radiant complexion. Unfortunately, many of the early signs of aging mean that your youthful glow is usually the first thing to go. Hope is not yet lost – there is a way to regain your radiant skin and turn back the clock. At Murphy Plastic Surgery in Englewood, CO, we offer dermal fillers such as Radiesse, a unique filler returning youthful glow to women everywhere.

What Is Radiesse?

Radiesse filler is a dermal filler with a unique formula that produces natural-looking and long-lasting results. Dermal fillers are often used to correct moderate-to-severe skin concerns, such as skin laxity, fine lines, and wrinkles. This cosmetic treatment is similar to other dermal fillers in the sense that it restores lost volume to the skin, but this treatment is different from others in one very important way – it helps the body build collagen.

Does Radiesse Build Collagen?

This filler works a bit differently from others. Most dermal fillers are injected into the skin with solutions that temporarily fill lost volume and tighten the skin, producing a younger appearance. But most dermal fillers fade within months and need replacement injections to continue producing the desired results.

Radiesse collagen treatment actually helps your body produce collagen naturally. The solution in the injection, calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres, stimulates the production of collagen already in your body, helping your body build its own natural filler. After a time, the calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres are absorbed into the body and collagen continues to build in the dermal layers of the skin for as long as two years.

Benefits of Radiesse

This dermal filler has plenty of appealing benefits for patients who are considering the treatment. As an anti-aging treatment, this filler can produce natural-looking results that address many of the main age-related skin concerns. This treatment is particularly beneficial for treating expression lines around the mouth, eyes, and forehead, as well as filling hollows in the cheeks and beneath the eyes. Other benefits include:

Minimally Invasive

Dermal fillers are a class of cosmetic treatments that are minimally invasive. That means that they use thin needles to inject solutions beneath the skin, meaning the treatment is as gentle as possible. Most patients only require a few injections into targeted locations to create desired results. This is a simple outpatient treatment that is done in our office and has very little downtime.

Unique Formula

The calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres in this treatment are not found in other dermal fillers, which means that this formula is unique. There are very few cosmetic treatments that work from the inside out to help the body take advantage of its own natural regenerative abilities. This treatment gives your skin the tools it needs to reverse the most obvious signs of aging with a natural solution that will be reabsorbed seamlessly into the body.

Long-Lasting Results

This treatment is beneficial in another impressive way – the results from this treatment last a very long time. After one treatment, you will immediately notice more youthful skin, which will continue to improve in appearance over the next few months while the injection feeds your skin the compounds it needs to build collagen. But even after the calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres are absorbed, collagen production continues to show improved skin appearance for as long as 2 years.

What to Expect Before Treatment

Some patients are not sure what they can expect from cosmetic treatments. For both new and old patients, it can be comforting to know what will happen when you come into the office for treatment. No matter what kind of dermal filler you plan to use, there are a couple of things you can expect before your treatment, such as:

Consultation

Your initial consultation is the first important step you will take to begin treatments. At this first appointment, we will examine the condition of your skin, paying particular attention to skin texture and any skin concerns you bring to our attention. We will discuss your aesthetic goals: even goals that cannot be addressed by dermal fillers.

We will gather general medical information about you, such as your health history, considering current health issues, and any medications or supplements you are currently taking. We may also take photographs of your skin for your medical file, which will be used to create a treatment plan and track your progress from your treatment. This information will help us craft a personalized treatment plan customized to your exact needs.

Pre-Treatment Guidelines

Most dermal fillers come with the same basic guidelines that need to be followed before treatment. These guidelines are meant to minimize side-effects from treatment and ensure that you respond well to the treatment. Some pre-treatment guidelines you may have to follow include:

• Stopping the use of certain medications 3 to 7 days before treatment
• Stopping the use of certain supplements 3 to 7 days before treatment
• Avoiding the use of certain products, such as retinol, 3 days before treatment
• Avoiding alcohol or tobacco 3 days before treatment
• Avoiding certain foods 3 days before treatment

Depending on your health and your treatment plan, we may give you additional instructions to follow before your treatment appointment. If you require certain medications, we may need to collaborate with your regular doctor to create a better treatment plan for you.

What to Expect During Treatment

Your actual treatment session is usually when most patients express the most curiosity about their treatment. We believe in compassionate care at our office, so we will be glad to explain every step we take during your treatment so you are fully involved in the process. Here are a few steps you can expect:

Step One: Cleanse

The first step is to cleanse your skin. It is important to remove any excess dirt, oil, and make-up before the treatment begins so that we can have the cleanest skin possible for the injections. We will use a gentle cleanser and maybe an alcohol-based wipe on the treatment areas.

Step Two: Numb

Before your injections, we will apply a topical anesthetic to your skin at the targeted treatment sites. The topical anesthetic is to ensure your comfort for the duration of the treatment, as we sometimes have to inject the filler into skin that is rich with nerves and sensitive to sensation, such as the skin on the forehead.

It is important to tell us if you think you need more anesthetic before we begin, so please tell us if you can still feel a sensation.

Step Three: Injection

After your skin is numb to sensation, we will begin the injections. Most patients require only a few injections into their skin, which will be determined by your specific treatment plan. The injection portion of the treatment usually takes between 15 to 30 minutes depending on how much work needs to be completed. Overall, most injection treatments can be completed in less than an hour

What to Expect After Treatment

After your injection, your treatment is complete and you are free to return to most of your daily activities. There is not much downtime associated with this treatment, although there are a few instructions we will ask you to follow.

Post-Treatment Guidelines

You will be given post-treatment guidelines to ensure that your treatment is as effective as possible. It is important to follow these guidelines to make your recovery time quicker. Here are a few Radiesse post-treatment guidelines you may be asked to follow:

• Avoiding the use of certain medications or supplements for 1 to 3 days after treatment
• Avoiding certain foods or products for 1 to 3 days after treatment
• Avoiding makeup for 24 hours after treatment
• Avoiding excess sweating or heat
• Avoiding direct sun exposure
• Avoiding touching or squeezing skin for 1 to 3 days after treatment
• Advice to sleep elevated

We may give you additional directions to follow after your Radiesse treatment, such as instructions on skin care or advice on when you can resume strenuous activity.

Recovery

Most patients are fully recovered from this treatment after 2 weeks and can resume all normal daily activities, including exercise. During your recovery time, you may experience some redness, swelling, or slight bruising at the injection sites. These side effects are expected, temporary, and usually fade within 1 to 2 weeks following treatment.

Part of your recovery may include a follow-up appointment at our office to determine how well you are responding to the treatment. We will determine your progress at the follow-up appointment and decide if you need additional injections. Most patients only require one treatment session.

Results

Many patients report noticing an immediate improvement to their appearance within the same day of their treatment. Results are usually most apparent between 3 to 8 weeks after treatment, when the production of collagen beneath your skin surface begins to respond more quickly to the calcium hydroxylapatite microsphere solution. Results last from 12 to 24 months, depending on the severity of your skin condition and how well you respond to treatment.

Can I Combine This Treatment?

It is very common to combine this Radiesse treatment with other cosmetic treatments. Depending on your exact aesthetic goals and the condition of your skin, we will explore all of your treatment options, including combination treatments. This treatment can be safely combined with several others.

Dermal Fillers

It is not unusual to combine this treatment with another dermal filler, such as Restylane. When you combine two dermal fillers with different solutions, you are often able to achieve faster and more desirable results, since many of these solutions work best when they work together. We can discuss multiple dermal filler treatments at your consultation appointment.

Dermal Surface Treatments

It is also possible to combine this treatment with methods that address issues on the skin surface, such as uneven skin tone, dark spots, sun damage, acne scarring, and skin dryness. If you are interested in combining a dermal filler with another type of treatment, such as a chemical peel or laser treatment, we will need to create a timeline in your treatment plan to address all of your skin concerns safely.

Candidates

Ideal candidates for this treatment include any person who is not satisfied with their overall appearance and wants to recapture a more youthful visage. You may be an ideal candidate if you have moderate-to-severe skin concerns like:

• Skin laxity in cheeks or jowls
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Expression lines, such as those around the mouth and eyes
• Hollows beneath the cheeks and beneath the eyes

Look Radiant With Radiesse!

Aging doesn’t have to mean losing the radiant skin of your youth. It’s high time to take back your youthful glow and start feeling beautiful again! If you think that Radiesse might be the right treatment for you, contact Murphy Plastic Surgery at our offices in Englewood, CO and the greater Denver area to schedule your initial consultation. We are eager to help you take the first steps of your aesthetic journey!