Radiesse: Cost, Results and How It Builds Collagen

Radiesse is the brand name for an injectable implant made by Merz, approved by FDA through premarket approval (PMA P050052).

Its principal component is synthetic calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA): in the 1.5 mL syringe, particles of 25 to 45 microns suspended in a gel carrier of sterile water, glycerin and sodium carboxymethylcellulose, according to the product's instructions for use.

That places it outside the hyaluronic acid (HA) filler family: FDA groups calcium hydroxylapatite with hyaluronic acid and poly-L-lactic acid among the absorbable — temporary — filler materials, against one non-absorbable (permanent) material.

Merz markets Radiesse as doing two jobs at once: it says the product provides immediate volume correction and also stimulates the body's own collagen and elastin production over time.

That second claim is the basis for calling Radiesse a "biostimulator" — a word for fillers whose makers say they prompt new collagen rather than only fill space; the label itself describes Radiesse as an "injectable implant."

If you are comparing across the whole menu — every filler material and brand, and which areas hold product-specific approvals — our guide to dermal fillers covers the category.

A Radiesse syringe holds a sterile, semi-solid, cohesive implant: CaHA particles suspended in a gel carrier of sterile water for injection, glycerin and sodium carboxymethylcellulose, per the label.

Merz's stated mechanism has two parts: "immediate volume correction" from the product as placed, and stimulation of collagen and elastin production over time.

The composition comes from the label; the collagen-stimulation part of the story is the maker's own claim.

Two label properties are worth knowing before booking.

First, CaHA is radiopaque: the particles can be seen on X-rays and CT scans, so patients are told to tell their health care providers and radiologists that they have had Radiesse.

In the décolleté imaging sub-study, no diluted Radiesse was seen on mammograms or breast ultrasounds, per the maker's safety information.

Second, there is no dissolving option: hyaluronidase, the enzyme used to remove unwanted hyaluronic acid filler, breaks down hyaluronic acid only, and Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite.

Radiesse injections are FDA-approved for five uses, each added to the label separately.

• Moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds such as nasolabial folds (smile lines) — approved 2006-12-22.
• Restoring facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with HIV.
• Volume loss in the back of the hands — approved 2015-06-04.
• Moderate to severe loss of jawline contour — approved 2021-09-01 for Radiesse (+), the version with lidocaine, by deep (subdermal and/or supraperiosteal) injection in adults over 21.
• Décolleté (chest) wrinkles when diluted 1:2 with 0.9% sterile saline — approved 2026-03-31 for patients 22 and older.

The jawline approval makes Radiesse (+) one of the two US fillers with a jawline indication — the other is Juvéderm Volux XC (2022) — as of October 2026.

Merz's own term for the diluted preparation is "hyperdiluted Radiesse."

Its one approved technique is specific: Radiesse diluted 1:2 with saline, injected subdermally with a 22-gauge flexible cannula, for décolleté wrinkles; Merz describes hyperdilution as letting the product spread more thinly across larger areas to address fine lines and crepey chest texture.

In the pivotal study behind the approval (152 subjects), each treatment was one 1.5 mL syringe of Radiesse diluted with 3.0 mL saline, given on day 1, week 6 and week 12, with optional retreatment at week 36; 71.2% of treated subjects were responders at week 24 versus 6.3% of untreated controls, and 60.7% of treated subjects remained responders at 60 weeks.

The label sets hard limits around that use: more than 18 mL of diluted product (6 mL Radiesse plus 12 mL saline) cumulatively over a series of 4 injections has not been studied, diluted Radiesse must not be injected over or including breast tissue, and an indication-specific training program is required for all users treating the décolleté.

The practical takeaway for the consultation is that question: is the area I want one of the five approved uses, or would this be an off-label use of the product?

The number to pin down in any Radiesse quote is the syringe — how many, and of what size — because "one syringe of Radiesse" is not a fixed volume.

FDA supplement records show approved syringe sizes of 0.3 cc and 1.3 cc (2008), 0.8 cc (2009) and 3.0 cc (2011), while the current instructions for use describe a 1.5 mL syringe; which sizes are marketed today is not settled by our sources, so ask any clinic which syringe size its quote covers.

We found no manufacturer or ASPS source that publishes a per-syringe price for Radiesse (checked October 2026), so this page gives no national "typical price" — the number that matters is the per-syringe price at the clinics you contact.

For the full breakdown, see how much Radiesse costs.

The closest national reference is ASPS, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: its dermal-filler cost page lists an average cost of $901 for non-hyaluronic acid fillers — the category that holds Radiesse and Sculptra — alongside $715 for hyaluronic acid fillers and $743 for lip augmentation with filler.

Those are ASPS member-surgeon averages — not med spa prices, and not a quote for any clinic.

What moves the price: ASPS says dermal filler cost varies with the injector's expertise and qualifications, the type of procedure, the time and effort required and the geographic location of the office, and that health insurance does not cover dermal fillers.

Course structure matters too: the studied décolleté regimen was a series of sessions — one diluted syringe at each of three visits — so a chest quote should state the per-session price and how many sessions are planned.

Merz says Radiesse results "have been shown to last up to 2 years," citing a 2010 study (Bass et al., Aesthetic Surgery Journal).

That wording is the maker's: an "up to" maximum from its own FAQ, not a label duration and not a promise for any person, area or treatment.

FDA's figure sits at the material level: it estimates calcium hydroxylapatite effects last approximately 18 months — an estimate for the material, not for Radiesse specifically or for anyone's result.

The label adds its own unknowns: Merz's important safety information says it is not known whether Radiesse is safe or effective beyond 3 years in the face, 1 year in the hand and 84 weeks in the décolleté.

Duration is therefore a per-area question: the studied windows differ by treatment site, and a figure quoted for one area does not transfer to another.

For what results look like, see Radiesse before and after.

The common side effects Merz lists for Radiesse are local: bruising, redness, swelling, pain and itching.

Face studies of Radiesse (+) — the lidocaine version — also reported difficulty chewing.

Hand treatments carry their own reported effects: nodules or bumps/lumps that can last up to 1 year, difficulty performing activities and loss of sensation.

The label also marks where the evidence stops: safety and effectiveness in the lips have not been established, with published reports of nodules after Radiesse injected into the lips; safety and effectiveness in the periorbital (eye) area have not been established; and safety beyond 3 years in the face and 84 weeks in the décolleté has not been investigated in clinical trials.

These lists are what the maker and FDA publish — they are the record to read before booking, and they are not a prediction of any individual's experience.

Radiesse and Sculptra are the two non-hyaluronic-acid materials FDA counts among the absorbable (temporary) fillers, and both makers say their product stimulates new collagen — they differ in material, approvals and timing.

The approved-use lists overlap only partly: both cover HIV-related facial fat loss and the smile-line region, while Radiesse's label adds the hands, the jawline (Radiesse (+)) and the diluted décolleté use, and Sculptra's adds fine lines and wrinkles in the cheek region.

Neither is approved for cheek volume or the under-eyes: Sculptra's label names no indication for cheek volume, temples, jawline, chin, under-eyes, lips or the body, and Radiesse's approvals likewise do not include cheek augmentation, the neck, arms, thighs or buttocks.

Timing is the sharpest contrast: Merz describes Radiesse as providing immediate volume correction, while Sculptra is given as a series — in its trials, up to four sessions at 3- or 4-week intervals — with the early fullness being swelling that resolves and correction that builds gradually over weeks.

On duration, both makers quote the same ceiling: Merz says Radiesse results have been shown to last up to 2 years, and Galderma says Sculptra results last up to 2 years, with results visible as early as 1 month — two manufacturer claims, not evidence that one outlasts the other.

Neither material is permanent — FDA counts CaHA and PLLA among the absorbable, temporary fillers — and neither can be undone with hyaluronidase, which breaks down hyaluronic acid only.

Which product fits a given face, area and budget is a question for a licensed provider; our Sculptra guide covers that product's approvals, vials and timeline in depth.

FDA's advice for fillers applies to Radiesse: choose a licensed health care provider with dermatology or plastic-surgery experience who is trained in filler injection, and treat the appointment as a medical procedure, not a cosmetic treatment.

Who may hold the syringe is decided state by state.

AmSpa, the American Med Spa Association, describes a common delegation model: nurse practitioners injecting with documented training under a collaborative agreement or full practice authority, and registered nurses — and in some states LPNs/LVNs or medical assistants — injecting only with documented training, after a patient exam and treatment order from a physician (or a delegated PA/NP), with the physician on site or promptly reachable.

That is a trade association's general description, not each state's law, and it does not hold everywhere — the specifics live in your state's medical and nursing board rules, which our guide to med spa laws explains.

A Radiesse treatment plan also raises product-specific questions worth asking outright.

Two of those questions trace straight to the paperwork: the label requires indication-specific training for anyone treating the décolleté, and the vessel question exists because FDA calls intravascular injection the most concerning filler risk.

Prices vary clinic by clinic — ASPS lists the injector's expertise and qualifications and the office's geographic location among what drives filler cost — so the useful comparison work is local: shortlist clinics, ask the questions above and compare totals including any touch-up.

Searching "Radiesse near me" will surface the options; our guides to choosing a med spa and injector credentials cover the vetting in depth.