57 year old Fran Ciulla decided to fight Father Time and gravity without getting plastic surgery. “The lines were really deep, my lips were shrinking,” says Fran.

Looking for a quick rejuvenating fix, while staying far away from the operating room, Fran chose a Radiesse treatment.

“Radiesse is a product, injectable product and its composition… very small microspheres of calcium hydroxide that are put into a water gel suspension,” explains facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Thomas Romo of Lenox Hill Hospital.

Whether it’s fixing a bump or dent in the nose, redefining a slack jawline, banishing wrinkles and crow’s feet, Radiesse seems to be doing the trick with no knife, sutures or downtime. It’s also proving to last longer than other fillers.

“One of the problems with the aging face is the loss of fat and muscle which supports the skin and causes wrinkles and folds. Radiesse is used where ever there is a need for a filler,” says Dr. Romo.

When injected into soft tissue, Radiesse remains soft and pliable, taking on the characteristics of the surrounding tissue. The microspheres which have shown to be biocompatible, allow the patient’s own tissue to gradually grow in and around the particles. Radiesse will not migrate or calcify and it actually promotes the patient’s own new collagen formation.

“Radiesse is not permanent filler, it is long-term filler and it is an individual process, and it is broken down by the body’s system over time and I think the bell curve on that is a year to eighteen months and for some individuals it lasts longer,” says Dr. Romo.

The procedure takes around 10 to 15 minutes and usually one treatment is all that’s needed. Fran was thrilled with her results and is now getting another treatment with hopes to refine her jaw-line and chin.



“I think it makes me look at least 10 years younger,” says Fran.

In addition to being a cosmetic therapy, Radiesse has also been effective in improving voice quality in patients whose vocal folds are paralyzed due to disease or weakened with age. A treatment can cost anywhere from $800 - $1,000.00.

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