Sculptra®

Volumizers: Long-Term Soft Tissue Augmentation

Sculptra® is the first of a new category of products that replaces lost volume by stimulating new collagen production rather than by directly filling. Initially used to treat the sunken faces of people with chronic disease, Sculptra® was quickly adopted by cosmetic dermatologists. They realized that it is an almost ideal product for long-term soft tissue augmentation. Sculptra® works well in the temples, nasolabial creases, eyelids ("tear troughs"), scars, cheekbones, and the backs of the hands. It is a sugar based molecule that has been used for decades in the form of absorbable sutures. Sculptra® has been used in Europe for a few years when physicians there realized its potential for cosmetic usage. Sculptra® is profoundly different from other fillers. For instance, there is no way to predict how much filling will occur after an injection since each person produces a different amount of collagen in response to the same injection. In contrast with most injected materials, a Sculptra® treatment is planned as several injection sessions, each spaced about a month apart.

Fillers for Facial Rejuvenation

Another key difference is that a correction obtained with Sculptra® is durable and can last for years. Potentially, Sculptra® may restore volume to areas that have drifted south or sunken in. For instance, it lifts the cheeks upward when injected into the cheekbones. Sculptra®, like Botox®, is mixed by the physician using it, and it does not arrive ready to inject. This provides the physician using it with a variety of ways to mix it. It also means that patients must inquire about the concentration and amount they are receiving. As with Botox®, some physicians will be concerned with providing patients with optimal results while others will be concerned with maximizing profits. Thus it is imperative that you understand exactly what you are getting when you undergo treatment with Sculptra®. Very dilute Sculptra® (or worse, a product that is not Sculptra®) might save some money in the short run but will not give you the results you are looking for. It can lead to complications if the product is counterfeit. A Sculptra® session begins with a thorough skin cleansing using either alcohol or surgical scrub. Anesthetic injections are typically not required because anesthetic is added to the material during the reconstitution process. The patient is usually positioned in an upright, seated position as the material is injected into the deep dermis. Following the injection, there is minimal discomfort or bruising. One unique aspect of Sculptra® injections is the fact that immediately following the procedure, the treated area looks great. This is somewhat deceptive because as the water and lidocaine used to mix the material get absorbed, the areas begin to look as if nothing had been injected. After about the third week, the body begins to make collagen as wrinkles and creases begin to fade. With each additional treatment, the improvement becomes more noticeable.

Average Sculptra® treatments require three or four injections and last for several years.

When measured on a cost-per-month basis, Sculptra® may be more cost effective than treatments lasting a few months.