By Doctor Claude Aharoni
In men, an aging face often looks harsh and bottom-heavy, with pronounced nasolabial folds and deep marionette lines that make the person look unhappy. Radiesse is a product that creates structure without adding volume, and is particularly recommended for correcting male faces.
Noticeable yet invisible results
The first appointment with a potential patient is often a challenge because, socially, men are still relatively new to the world of cosmetic medicine and they lack patience. Most of the time, it is their wife who brings them along and drives the meeting! Men do not want to suffer any side effects or undergo a series of treatments, and the results must be “noticeable yet invisible”! However, since a man’s face is heavier than a woman’s and their skin thicker, it marks less easily and the results are very natural-looking.
On the lower part of the face, the most frequently-requested treatments are on the jowls and marionette lines. These are the most difficult areas to treat using hyaluronic acid as this product creates volume and can weigh the face down. Next comes the chin and the reshaping of the jaw with clean, square lines. This is why I prefer to use Radiesse, injected superficially using a cannula. By placing the product using the nappage technique, a better lifting effect is achieved and, what is more, the collagen induction brought about by the calcium hydroxyapatite regenerates the skin and stimulates the synthesis of elastin fibres, a phenomenon which has been proven in histological studies. Once they have been injected with Radiesse, patients are loath to use anything else, meaning that this unique product boasts higher patient loyalty than other treatments.
A delicate procedure and a specific technique
After marking out the treatment area, I drag the skin into the position I want to achieve as a final result and inject using the retrotracing technique. The idea is to build support columns, which require a certain amount of product so that they stay in place, like a sub-cutaneous framework. And I can only perform this technique with Radiesse because it is a very powerful product but has no volumising effect, which enables me to achieve a highly accurate correction with perfect tissue integration. For the chin, instead of dragging the skin you can just stretch it forwards, which enables me to distinguish the chin from the jaw for an even more natural result, with nice, clean lines and precise volumes. The chin’s projection will automatically improve the neck, and men really like this bonus effect because, regardless of what they say, they scrutinise themselves and have a precise idea of the flaws they wish to correct.
The secret to success is to take your time and place the product superficially. In most cases, to treat jowls, indentations along the jawline and nasolabial folds, I use between 4 and 6cc, and the results are spectacular, even on a very aged face. It is a delicate procedure which requires an experienced hand and which takes time (between 1 and 2 hours from start to finish). The results last between 12 and 18 months, and as a bonus the skin quality is improved thanks to tissue induction.
Nowadays, we cannot expect a product to fill without causing tissue induction and so, for me, Radiesse is the Rolls Royce of all filler gels.
Doctor Claude Aharoni
Dr Claude Aharoni, former medical faculty registrar and head of research. Member of the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and of the European Board of Plastic Surgery. Member of the French College of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Member of the teaching staff for the inter-university diploma in Aesthetic Medicine.
