Use of Radiesse in combination with restylane for facial augmentation

Objectives: To report the long-term results of 72 consecutive patients treated with Radiesse (BioForm Inc, Franksville, Wis) and 29 patients treated with Radiesse and Restylane (Q-Medical, Uppsala, Sweden) and to share recommendations based on our experience. Methods: Atotal of 72 patients were treated with Radiesse between October 2003 and December 2004. Of these patients, 29 also received Restylane for facial augmentation. Forty-six Radiesse-treated and 15 Radiesse and Restylane treated patients completed questionnaires detailing their experience with the procedure, postoperative sequelae, overall satisfaction, and satisfaction at each site treated. Results: On a 10-point scale, the overall satisfaction with Radiesse averaged 7.6, and 30 patients (65%) would recommend this procedure to others. Of the 72 patients, 2 (3%) reported persistent nodules, and both required removal of a small amount of the material. The overall satisfaction with the Radiesse and Restylane-combined treatment averaged 8.1, and 12 patients (79%) would recommend this procedure to others. No patients reported persistent nodules. Conclusions: The use of Radiesse and Restylane in combination is an excellent option for facial enhancement. With long-term experience, complications in the lip area with Radiesse treatment are now avoided with the use of Restylane. In contrast to patients treated with Radiesse alone, the combination treatment group in this study tended to have greater immediate and overall satisfaction scores and was more likely to recommend the combination procedure to others.