Sculptra – the treatment that activates your skin’s natural power to revitalize collagen production for a more youthful appearance. Sculptra is a unique A&C treatment due to its ability to stimulate collagen.
Sculptra, at Sempre Day & Medical Spa in Johns Creek, works with your body to stimulate collagen production lost to aging, rebuilding and reinforcing your skin’s structural foundation. Through a series of treatments, typically about three sessions over a few months, it restores the support and volume of youthful looking skin, providing results that can last up to two years.
Sculptra was first approved 1999 in Europe for filling small facial deficits and it is currently available in more than 40 countries globally.
Sculptra consist of Poly- L-Lactic Acid, which is a synthetic polymer that has been used in human body since 1960 and as medical suture material from 1970.
What happens during a Sculptra treatment?
Sculptra injections typically take less than an hour. Your provider will first discuss your goals, examine the area they’re going to treat, mark the injection locations, and prep the area with an antiseptic.
You may also receive topical anesthetic before the injections, and many providers mix the vials of Sculptra with a numbing agent, like lidocaine, to further help alleviate discomfort. Most people report very little pain.
After your injections, your doctor will massage the area to help distribute the Sculptra and prevent the formation of lumps or nodules under the skin. You’ll also need to massage the area on your own, five times a day for about a week after the procedure, to prevent any nodules from forming. Your injector will show you how.
Most patients are able to return to their normal activities immediately after their treatment. Injectors typically send patients home with a small ice pack, which you can apply to the injection site several times that first day to help reduce any discomfort or swelling.
You should be able to cover any bruising with makeup.
How soon will you see results?
You’ll begin to see results from boosted collagen production about three months after your initial series of treatments, with maximum facial rejuvenation four and six months after the first treatment session.
Is Sculptra permanent?
Sculptra filler is not permanent. Results have been shown to last two to three years, depending on your metabolism and where it’s placed.
Is Sculptra safe?
Sculptra is FDA approved and considered to be safe in the hands of an experienced injector.
However, it does some with potential risks and side effects, which your provider should discuss with you during your consultation.
- It’s not uncommon to have swelling, redness, and bruising at injection sites.
- Small knots under the skin can occur immediately following injection, usually as the result of swelling.
- Possible Sculptra side effects also include hypertrophic and keloid formation, in response to excessive collagen stimulation. For that reason, Sculptra is not recommended for people with a history of keloids and hypertrophic scarring.
- All dermal fillers carry some risk of vascular occlusion, which occurs when filler is accidentally injected into a blood vessel and blocks blood flow. While hyaluronic acid-based fillers can be immediately dissolved with hyaluronidase if this happens, the protocol is more complicated with Sculptra. Some providers inject this filler with a cannula (slightly bigger than a syringe needle) to reduce this risk.
- Sculptra nodules, small lumps known as granulomas, can develop several months post-injection. These granulomas can also cause skin discoloration. Evidence shows that they can arise a year after treatment, with some appearing as late as 60 months after an injection. They may be due to improper injection technique, like filler placed too shallowly, or not massaging the area to evenly distribute the filler post-injection.
Related: Doctors Weigh in on How to Avoid Lumps After Sculptra
While this dermal filler can be very safe in the right hands, if you have any doubts about your injector’s level of expertise with this particular product, we recommend finding a more experienced injector.
Sculptra Aesthetic vs. Juvéderm
Sculptra is a go-to filler for hollows in the face, particularly the cheeks and temples, but it’s not a good choice for filling in a sunken under-eye area or plumping lips. Those areas are better left to a hyaluronic acid–based filler, like Juvéderm.
Another big difference: Juvéderm delivers immediate volume to the treatment area, while the effects of Sculptra aren’t as quick: you’ll need to have a series of treatments for it to kick-start your body’s production of new collagen. However, as we’ve mentioned, its results last about twice as long as those of hyaluronic acid fillers.
Unlike Juvéderm, Sculptra cannot be dissolved if there’s a problem or you don’t like the result.
Sculptra Aesthetic vs. Botox
While Botox is also used to treat signs of facial aging, there’s a major difference between these two injectables: Sculptra is a dermal filler that adds facial volume and contour, whereas Botox is a neuromodulator that temporarily relaxes muscles by blocking the nerve signals that cause them to move. This limits the appearance of “dynamic wrinkles” (usually on the forehead and around the eyes) caused by facial movement.
Providers at Sempre Day & Medical Spa in Johns Creek, GA often use these two injectables in combination, to treat both volume loss and wrinkles.