Radiesse® Vs Juvederm Voluma®, What’s the Difference?

Sunday, July 15th, 2018

Let’s face it: unless you’re a teenager trying to pass for 21, no matter how old you are, you want to look younger. Because aging gracefully is now more attainable than ever, there are a variety of surgical and non-invasive treatments that we offer patients here at the Center for Plastic Surgery. Whether you’re in your twenties or significantly older, fillers are one of the most popular noninvasive procedures that we use to help soften fine lines and wrinkles and add more volume to the face and lips.

Two similar injectables that we have offered here at our office to add volume to the cheeks, under-eye, pre-jowl, and nose are Radiesse and Juvederm Voluma. Although both of these injectables are fillers designed for the same problem, they are different. These differences have caused us to prefer one over the other. Let’s take a closer look.

Radiesse®

Radiesse has been used for cosmetic purposes since 2005 and was the first soft tissue filler that was heavy enough to elevate the deep tissue and help with volume loss under the eye, in the cheeks, and in the pre-jowl area. Made from calcium hydroxylapatite— a naturally occurring compound in the body used in cleft palate repair in children for many years— Radiesse works on two levels. When it is initially injected, it works to automatically add more volume to the area but it also works to encourage your body’s natural production of collagen— which helps make the results last longer than other fillers before it. The average longevity is 18 months. Its biggest drawback is its lack of reversibility.

Juvederm Voluma®

Here at our office, we offer a variety of  Juvederm fillers used for different purposes, but we are going to focus on Juvederm Voluma. Voluma hasn’t been around for as long as Radiesse but took off when it was released in 2014 because of its safety and longevity. Made from hyaluronic acid, also a naturally occurring substance but reversible, Voluma works the same as Radiesse by filling deep spaces to help add more volume. It, too, unlike any other filler other than Radiesse, is heavy enough to support the tissues. It lasts a minimum of 2 years and we have seen it last well beyond 3 years. Because the price per month of longevity is less than Radiesse and, because of its reversibility making it safer, it is now our preferred filler for volume replacement. We combine it with the other Juvederm products to give you the best results for whatever problem you have that fillers can correct.

If you want to learn more about fillers, schedule a consultation at our Highlands office today by calling us at (828) 526-3783.