The FDA Just Approved a New Treatment for Décolleté Wrinkles. Here's What That Means for Your Neck and Chest

On April 8, 2026, the FDA approved RADIESSE® for treating wrinkles across the décolleté — the stretch of skin between the collarbones and the top of the chest. It's the product's fourth approved use, and Merz Aesthetics is calling it the first regenerative biostimulator cleared in the U.S. for both face and body. If you've ever noticed that your neck and chest seem to give away more years than your face does, you're not imagining it. This approval is a good excuse to talk about why that happens, and what your actual options are for addressing it.

What Got Approved, Exactly

RADIESSE isn't a traditional filler in the way most people picture one. It's classified as a biostimulator: an injectable gel carrying microscopic calcium hydroxylapatite particles. The gel itself is gradually absorbed by the body, but the particles trigger your own skin to produce new collagen in the treated area over time. The new décolleté indication means providers can now use RADIESSE specifically for the vertical lines, crepey texture, and loss of tightness that show up across the upper chest, in patients 22 and older. It's an addition to RADIESSE's existing approved uses for the face and hands, not a brand-new product.

Why the Décolleté Ages Differently Than Your Face

The skin across your chest is thinner than facial skin, has fewer oil glands, and gets a fraction of the sun protection most people remember for their face — plenty of people apply SPF up to the jawline and stop there. Add in decades of sun exposure on an area that's rarely covered, the same sleep position creasing the same skin night after night, and naturally slower collagen turnover with age, and it's easy to see why the chest can end up looking years older than the face above it.

What the Trial Data Showed

In the clinical data supporting this approval, RADIESSE performed well by several measures:

• Over 80% of patients reported satisfaction with skin tightness after treatment

• 90% of treating providers observed a visible improvement by the 4-month mark

• 83% of patients said they'd be likely to repeat the treatment after one year

• Results were reported to last up to two years in some patients

An Injectable Biostimulator Isn't Your Only Option

RADIESSE works from underneath the skin, adding structure and triggering new collagen from below. That's a genuinely different mechanism than resurfacing, which works from the surface down — removing damaged outer layers of skin so smoother, more evenly toned skin can take their place, while prompting the body's own repair response in the process. Neither approach is universally "better"; they solve different problems. A biostimulator like RADIESSE is built for volume loss and deep, static wrinkles. Resurfacing is built for sun damage, uneven pigmentation, rough texture, and fine surface lines — concerns that adding volume underneath the skin won't fully correct, because they live in the skin's surface layer, not beneath it. Many people dealing with décolleté aging actually have some of both going on, which is exactly why an in-person assessment matters more than picking a treatment by name.

Common Questions

Does Cor.e Laser Studio offer RADIESSE or other injectable biostimulators? No. Cor.e Laser Studio offers only CO2 laser resurfacing and IPL — we don't perform injectable treatments of any kind. This post is meant to explain a development in the broader aesthetics field, not to suggest we provide this specific service.

Can CO2 laser treat the décolleté too? Yes, in a different way. CO2 laser resurfacing on the chest and neck addresses sun damage, uneven tone, and rough texture rather than adding volume — it's a good fit for skin that looks discolored or textured rather than deflated.

How do I know if I need volume restoration or resurfacing? As a general rule, deep static wrinkles and lost volume point toward injectables, while sun damage, roughness, and uneven pigmentation point toward resurfacing. Since many people have a mix of both, a skin assessment is more reliable than guessing from a treatment name alone.

Is chest skin treated differently than facial skin during laser resurfacing? Yes — décolleté skin has fewer oil glands and can respond and heal somewhat differently than facial skin, so a provider needs to assess your specific skin type and sun-exposure history before recommending a treatment plan.

If what bothers you about your neck and chest is sun damage, uneven tone, or rough texture rather than lost volume, that's exactly what CO2 laser resurfacing and IPL are designed to treat. Cor.e Laser Studio offers a free consultation to assess your skin and talk through whether resurfacing makes sense for you — reach out at 719-350-4466 or book online anytime.