Sculptra

For a fuller, more youthful appearance

Most doctors agree that injectable fillers may be the best option for patients with well-defined wrinkles, creases or soft tissue loss. Unfortunately, previous injectable fillers either required a skin test because they were made from animal proteins, or they didn’t last very long and required constant treatments to maintain their effect. We now have a synthetic filler material that lasts a long time, is not made from animals, and does not require a skin test.

Sculptra™

Sculptra is an injectable product that is intended to restore and correct the signs of facial fat loss. Sculptra is not made from human or animal sources and does not require a skin test. Sculptra is composed of poly-L-lactic acid, a synthetic product. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is biocompatible (does not harm the body) and biodegradable (able to be broken down by the body). PLLA has been widely used for many years in dissolvable stitches, soft tissue implants, and other types of implants.

Sculptra is effective when used to fill wrinkles and furrows. It makes the skin appear smoother and firmer, enabling it to resemble its previous elasticity. Sculptra provides an increase in the skin thickness of the areas where volume (fat) has been lost, helping to restore fullness to the face for a more natural appearance.

Will Sculptra stop the cause of my soft tissue loss?

Sculptra will not stop the cause of your soft tissue loss. But, Sculptra will improve your appearance by increasing the thickness of your skin and surrounding soft tissue in the treated areas.

What are the benefits of Sculptra?

Sculptra has been clinically proven to be long lasting and well-tolerated. Patients treated in these same clinical studies reported an improvement in quality of life. Decreases in the anxiety and depression often associated with lipoatrophy were also reported. Increases in skin thickness lasted up to 2 years.

What are the treatments like?

Treatments with Sculptra take 15-30 minutes and are performed in your doctor’s office. A local anesthetic cream or injection may be applied to the treatment area. Then, using a small needle, Sculptra is placed beneath the surface of the skin, in the area of your soft tissue loss.

How many treatments will I need?

During your consultation, the doctor will examine your areas of soft tissue deficiency and decide the appropriate number of treatment sessions and estimate the amount of Sculptra you will require at each session. Most patients require 1-3 treatment sessions every 2-4 weeks. Some patients may also do best with a combination of Sculptra and another filling substance. Severe soft tissue loss usually requires three to six treatment sessions.

How soon will I see results?

The results from Sculptra are not immediate. Sculptra provides a gradual increase in soft tissue and skin thickness. However, the effects of Sculptra are long-lasting. Your doctor may want to see you again in a few weeks to decide if additional injections are needed. Touch-up treatments may be needed to maintain the desired effects.

What results can be expected?

Excellent results can be achieved with Sculptra when treating all parts of the face including the forehead, around the eyes and lips, between the mouth and nose, and the cheeks. Sculptra can add volume to the cheeks, to folds around the chin, and to rings around the eyes. It is equally effective on the neck and lower neckline. It can also be used to treat the hands, knees and ankles as well as certain types of scars.

What is recovery like?

Patients are up and around immediately after receiving their treatments with Sculptra. At first, there will be some swelling caused by the injections and the extra water used to dilute the Sculptra. This will go away in a day or two as the water is absorbed by your body. You could also experience some discomfort, tenderness, bleeding or bruising at the injection site. This too will disappear within a few days to a couple weeks. Occasionally, small bumps may form in the treated area. Local massage to the area usually can treat these should they occur.

This information is intended to supplement, not replace, a consultation with a board certified physician. To find out if you could be a candidate for one of these procedures or to learn more information about these procedures, we invite you to contact one of our doctors for a private consultation.

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