How long will the Radiesse™ last? Most patients treated with Radiesse™ should look for a correction which last around two years although some patient's treatment will last three years or longer. What areas of the face are normally treated with Radiesse™? Typical Radiesse™ treatments include: smoothing and contouring smile lines or nasolabial folds, wrinkles at the corner of the mouth, vertical lip lines, acne scars, facial defects or recessions, frown lines, restoring volume in and around the cheeks, providing lip definition and modest enhancement or correcting asymmetrical features. Will the Radiesse™ become hard, calcified or noticeable to touch? To the contrary…Radiesse™ will remain soft and take on the characteristics of the surrounding tissue. New soft tissue will gradually replace the Radiesse™ over time with most replacement occurring within three months. Patients report Radiance remaining soft and passing the "kiss test". Does the treatment hurt? A mild localized anesthetic is normally used to minimize or usually eliminate the pain associated with this type of treatment. The numbing effects will wear off in 15 minutes to as long as a couple of hours depending on the anesthetic used by your physician. There is no pain reported afterwards. Are there any lingering effects of the treatment and when can I return to my normal activities? There is minor inflammation or swelling from the treatment as a result of the expansion of facial tissue. This is normally resolved well within 24 hours but has been reported to last as long as 48 hours for some patients. Most patients resume normal activities only a few hours after receiving treatment. Application of ice intermittently for a short period after the treatment will help reduce any swelling. Is there any activity restriction after I receive the treatment? You should avoid activities that will strain your facial features for 48 hours following treatment as much as possible. For example, avoid activities such as strenuous laughing, using a straw, singing, shouting, cheering, chewing gum, eating beef jerky, etc. Otherwise normal activities are fine. What is Radiesse™ made of? Radiesse™ consists of tiny microspheres of a synthetic material called calcium hydroxylapatite (30%) that is combined with a common hydrogel (70%) used in a vast array of products. The result is a white, creamy like substance. While calcium hydroxylapatite has similar chemical and structural characteristics as bone and teeth and therefore is naturally compatible with the body, the Radiesse™ material is synthetic and man-made similar to a calcium phosphate. Will I need a skin test to determine if I will have a reaction to the Radiesse™? No. Due to the safe and compatible materials used in Radiesse™ no pre-testing of any kind is required. There have been no reported reactions from use of the Radiesse™ product. How safe is Radiesse™ and are there any complications to the treatment? Radiesse™ has been safely injected in over 30,000+ patients worldwide without a report of reaction to the product. There have been minor complications reported by some patients receiving large volume lip augmentation where some lumpiness or small nodules have occurred within several days of treatment. Complications of this nature have been normally resolved clinically within 30-60 days with patients reporting satisfaction. Smaller volume lip augmentation is recommended.