What is a non-surgical BBL? How Radiesse lifts and shapes the buttocks without surgery at MODE.

A non-surgical BBL at MODE in Scottsdale is Radiesse, a calcium hydroxylapatite biostimulator, placed in the buttocks as a 10 syringe series for lift, shape, and skin quality. It gives structural support on the day and builds collagen over 3 to 6 months. It is not surgery, and it is not the BBL laser.

In a short reel from June, Torey Varner, RN, our nurse injector and injector trainer, showed the treatment from the chair: gloved hands assessing the area, a syringe of Radiesse, and a checklist on screen that reads lift, shape, and volume with a tick beside each, and surgery with a cross. The questions that reel raised in our inbox are the ones below, answered from what the treatment actually is, with her words where they are hers.

What is a non-surgical BBL?

“A non-surgical BBL is designed to create shape, improve contour, and support collagen production for natural-looking results that enhance your curves.”

Torey Varner, RN, on Instagram, June 2026

The name borrows from the surgical Brazilian butt lift, but the two have little in common beyond the goal. A surgical BBL moves the patient’s own fat. A non-surgical BBL at MODE is a series of Radiesse injections placed in the buttocks. Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite, a biostimulator rather than a hyaluronic acid filler: it gives immediate structural support where it is placed, and over the months that follow it prompts your own skin to build new collagen and elastin. The result is lift, a smoother contour, and better skin quality. It is not a way to add a surgical amount of volume, and we say so at the consultation.

Play the reel from Instagram

How does Radiesse work in the buttocks?

Radiesse is made of calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres suspended in a gel carrier. The gel provides the volume you see on the day. As the carrier is absorbed, the microspheres stay behind as a scaffold, and the body builds new collagen and elastin around them. What you see in the first week is largely the product itself, with collagen building behind it over 3 to 6 months. In the published facial studies, calcium hydroxylapatite gives an initial volume correction followed by a longer term correction from that collagen response.

One honest caveat belongs here. Radiesse was approved by the FDA in 2006 for the correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. Its use in the buttocks is off label, as is most body use of injectable biostimulators. That is not unusual in aesthetics, but it does mean the decision to treat rests on the judgment of the nurse injector in front of you, not on a label, and it is one reason the consultation comes first.

How long does a non-surgical BBL last?

The longevity data for Radiesse come from facial studies, where the literature reports roughly 6 to 24 months depending on the area and the technique, with the collagen it stimulated lasting beyond the product itself. No clinical trial has measured calcium hydroxylapatite specifically in the buttocks, so any figure we give you for this treatment is extrapolated from that facial research rather than from buttock specific trials. On our Radiesse page we quote 12 to 18 months for the product in general, often longer in thicker skinned areas, and we would rather you plan around a range than a promise.

How much does a non-surgical BBL cost in Scottsdale?

At MODE the Radiesse Booty package is 10 syringes for $4,800. Standalone Radiesse is $850 per syringe, the same as our other dermal fillers, and multi syringe body work is priced as a package rather than by the syringe. The plan and the quote are in writing before anything is placed. The injectables consultation itself is complimentary, 45 to 60 minutes, and there is no pressure to treat the same day.

Who is a candidate, and who is not?

The right candidate wants lift, shape, and better skin quality in the buttocks, and understands that a biostimulator builds gradually. If what you want is a large change in size, that is a surgical conversation, and we will tell you so rather than sell you a series that cannot get there. Candidacy, the dilution of the product, the technique, and the needle or cannula used are all decided by your injector at the consultation, because they depend on your tissue and your goal rather than on a fixed protocol.

What happens at the appointment, and what is recovery like?

The treatment takes 30 to 60 minutes, with topical and local numbing as needed. Your injector massages the area in the room to distribute the product evenly and reviews any at home instructions with you before you leave. In the days before, skip alcohol for 24 hours, pause blood thinning supplements for 3 to 5 days if your physician approves, and do not schedule within two weeks of dental work, because bacterial seeding is a documented risk with biostimulator injections.

Afterward, mild swelling and tenderness at the injection sites for 1 to 3 days are normal, as is pinpoint redness or a faint bruise that fades over a few days. The first structural change usually shows at 4 to 6 weeks, and we see you for a three month review to assess the collagen response. Firm lumps or nodules that appear weeks later and do not settle are rare but documented with biostimulators, and they are treatable when caught early, so call us rather than wait. The full list is on our biostimulator pre and post care guide.

Is a non-surgical BBL the same as the BBL laser?

No, and the shared acronym causes real confusion. The BBL HEROic laser at MODE is Sciton broadband light, a treatment for pigment, redness, and sun damage on the face and body. The non-surgical BBL is an injectable biostimulator placed in the buttocks. They share three letters and nothing else, so if you search for one and land on the other, the consultation is where we sort out which you meant.

Who places Radiesse in the buttocks at MODE in North Scottsdale?

Radiesse at MODE, a medspa in North Scottsdale is placed by two people: Marisa Dulin, MSN, FNP-C, our co-owner and lead injector, and Torey Varner, RN, our nurse injector, who also trains other licensed professionals. The person who assesses you at the consultation is the person who injects and the person who reviews the result at three months.

Our office is at 7420 E Pinnacle Peak Rd, Suite 120, on the Pinnacle Peak corridor in North Scottsdale. We see patients for Radiesse from DC Ranch, Silverleaf, Whisper Rock, Grayhawk, Troon, and McDowell Mountain Ranch, from Paradise Valley, and from across Scottsdale.

Torey’s bio is here.

The clinical references behind this article, each claim cited to its source, are published as a companion authority reference.

Sources

• Emer J, Sundaram H. Aesthetic applications of calcium hydroxylapatite volumizing filler: an evidence-based review and discussion of current concepts (part 1 of 2). J Drugs Dermatol. 2013;12(12):1345-54.
• Objective evaluation of the longevity of a calcium hydroxylapatite-based filler (Radiesse). J Clin Cosmet Dermatol. 2021.

Originally shared by Torey Varner, RN on Instagram. Individual results vary; whether Radiesse is appropriate for the buttocks, and the plan, are decided at your consultation.