FDA approved filler for hands is restoring what time has taken away

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Susan Andresen scheduled an appointment at Modern Aesthetics in Northeast Fresno so she will not have to hide her hands, anymore. She got a treatment to restore what time has taken away.

"They'll look a little smoother, less wrinkled," said patient Andresen.

"Patients have been complaining over the years that they're hands are showing their age because we spend so much time working on our face and our neck," said Board-Certified Aesthetics Specialist Dr. Uma Rao.

Dr. Rao is keeping up with the new demand for a makeover for the hands without surgery or downtime.

Now with FDA approval, she can use a filler that she already has on hand.

Dr. Rao prepared Andresen's treatment using the well-known Radiesse in a formula that is specially made for the hands.

"It's a white color and it's what's called Calcium Hydroxy Appetite," said Dr. Rao.

Radiesse for the hands is re-constituted in the office with the topical anesthetic, lidocaine, to make it more comfortable when it is injected.

Dr. Rao took a few, before pictures.

"What she does have is pretty moderate wasting of the fat underneath the skin," said Dr. Rao.

Dr. Rao injected the formula into the back of Andresen's hand.

"I could feel the needle poke the skin but there was no pain at all, none," said Andresen.

"This is going into your tissues and actually stimulating collagen production so your own body is going to be re-forming the collagen," said Dr. Rao.

The animation provided by the maker of Radiesse, shows how the filler immediately provides volume and lift.

The particles act as a scaffold, stimulating the body's collagen production which extends the results of the treatment for a year to a year-and-a-half for most patients. Eventually, the body absorbs the filler.

At first, Dr. Rao treated one of Andresen's hands so she can see the difference.

You can hardly see any of her once-visible veins and the skin is smoother than her left hand on the lower part of the screen that has not yet been treated. Th left side is smoother and the knuckles are less prominent. The hand on the right side is not treated with visible creases and veins.

The before and after pictures from the maker show results in weeks and months after treatment.

Dr. Rao says she is seeing a wide range of reasons for getting Radiesse for the hands.

"We're seeing people who are very athletic or maybe genetically they've had thin skin and thin hands and we've seen people as young as in their 30's who are getting Radiesse in the hands. It's not for people over a certain age," said Dr. Rao.

From brides to bodybuilders and people in between the filler that takes only minutes to show results is one of the fastest growing cosmetic treatments hands down.