Have you ever looked at a social media photo and thought “I wish my hands looked smoother…”

I’m seeing a lot about a new technique to give hands a softer look, so I asked Medical Contributor Dr. Rod Rohrich to tell us more about using the filler Radiesse for more youthful looking hands.

What exactly is the procedure for plumping hands with Radiesse?

Jane, you can use this longer lasting filler to make the veins less apparent and give the top of your hands a fuller and more youthful look with less veins showing.

Are other fillers as effective?

Yes, in fact a patients’ own  fat is excellent but that is an operation done in the OR (fillers only require an office visit). Other fillers like Voluma work well here but Radiesse has specific FDA approval for the hand – it works well.

There are a lot of veins in the hands, are there any dangers in this procedure?

Yes, it must be done by a board certified Plastic Surgeon or Dematologist with expertise in the use of this specific filler or you can get problems like skin loss or uneven result or even lumpiness if the Radiesse is not diluted properly.

What kind of results can you expect and how long do the results last?

Superb results that can last over a year.

And, what is the cost?

About 1250 to 1500 dollars per hand.

Thanks Dr. Rohrich for the information.

Rod J. Rohrich, MD, Distinguished Teaching Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, is an internationally known surgeon and innovative leader/educator in plastic surgery. His interests span the entire spectrum of plastic surgery, from craniomaxillofacial surgery to aesthetic surgery, and have resulted in over 700 peer reviewed scientific articles. He served as President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest society of board certified plastic surgeons in the world. Dr. Rohrich has been a Visiting Professor to over 150 organizations/societies and chaired over 100 plastic surgery educational symposia worldwide. Dr. Rohrich received his medical degree from Baylor University College of Medicine; completed a plastic surgery residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center, and did further specialty training in pediatric plastic surgery at the Radcliffe Infirmary/Oxford University and hand/microvascular surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rohrich has received the top prestigious national research, teaching and distinguished service awards from plastic surgery professional societies. He is Editor-in-Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the most prestigious peer reviewed medical journal in the world for plastic surgeons.