Sculptra in Tucson, AZ

Sessions

Usually 2 to 3, up to 4

Spacing

At least 3 to 4 weeks apart

Results

Build gradually over weeks

Results lasted

Up to 2 years in studies

What is Sculptra?

Sculptra® is an injectable implant made with microparticles of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), a biodegradable, synthetic material. Before treatment, it is mixed with sterile water to form a suspension, which is injected beneath the skin.

Galderma, the company behind Sculptra, calls it the first and original injectable collagen stimulator. The FDA reviews it as a dermal filler, but it works differently from the hyaluronic acid fillers many people know.

How does Sculptra work?

Collagen is a protein that helps maintain your skin’s shape and structure. Galderma explains that as the PLLA microparticles in Sculptra are absorbed, they help stimulate your own natural collagen production. Collagen then rebuilds gradually, helping restore skin structure and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and folds.

Research backs this up. In a small study, skin samples taken 3 and 6 months after PLLA injections showed increases in collagen.

Galderma describes Sculptra as targeting signs of aging due to collagen loss, gradually helping restore skin structure and volume. That makes it one of the treatments that may help with facial volume loss.

Why results build slowly

Right after a session, the area can look fully corrected. That fullness comes from swelling caused by the water used to prepare Sculptra and by the injections themselves, and it typically settles within several hours to a few days. The lines may then look much as they did before, and improvement builds gradually over several weeks as Sculptra takes effect.

This is where “less is more” really matters. The labeling calls for only a limited correction at the first session and warns against overfilling, because the treated area is expected to keep improving for several weeks. Your provider waits at least three to four weeks before deciding whether another session is needed.

What is Sculptra FDA approved for?

Sculptra’s current labeling lists these uses for people whose bodies can produce a normal immune response (the labeling’s term is “immune-competent”):

• Smile lines: shallow to deep nasolabial fold contour deficiencies, the folds between the nose and mouth
• Other facial wrinkles
• Cheek wrinkles: fine lines and wrinkles in the cheek region, a use the FDA added in April 2023

Galderma describes the treatment areas as cheek wrinkles, smile lines, marionette lines (the lines framing the mouth), and chin wrinkles.

Sculptra was first approved by the FDA in 2004, to restore facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with HIV. Its approval for smile lines and other facial wrinkles followed in 2009.

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What to expect

Galderma says that, on average, people have 2 to 3 sessions over a few months. The labeling allows up to four sessions in a single regimen, spaced at least three to four weeks apart, or at least four weeks apart for the cheek region. The amount of Sculptra and the number of sessions depend on your needs.

1. 1

   Your consultation

   Your provider reviews your complete medical history and your goals, then maps out a treatment plan for your face.

2. 2

   Your session

   After your makeup is removed and the skin is cleaned, Sculptra is placed in the deep layers of the skin or just beneath it, in a series of small injections. A topical or local numbing medicine or an ice pack may be used for comfort.

3. 3

   Right after

   Your provider massages the treated area to help Sculptra spread evenly, and an ice pack wrapped in cloth may be applied to ease swelling and bruising.

What to expect after Sculptra

After your visit

Redness, swelling, or bruising may appear when Sculptra is first injected, and typically resolves in hours to one week. A hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin) can take up to about two weeks to resolve.

The labeling recommends sharing these aftercare points with patients:

• In the first 24 hours, use an ice pack wrapped in cloth to reduce swelling and bruising. Avoid direct contact between the ice and your skin.
• Massage the treated area in a circular motion for 5 minutes, 5 times a day, for 5 days after each session, as your provider advises.
• Makeup may be applied a few hours after treatment if there are no complications.
• Avoid sun, UV lamps, and extreme temperatures until any initial swelling and redness has resolved, and use sunscreen as your provider advises.
• Let your provider know if symptoms get worse or last longer than expected, or if you notice lumps.

Your provider will assess whether you need another session after at least four weeks.

How does Sculptra compare with fillers and Botox?

• Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers fill the skin, so most produce immediate or close to immediate results.
• Sculptra works more slowly. In contrast to other wrinkle fillers, its improvement builds gradually over several weeks.
• Neuromodulators such as Botox and Dysport are injectable drugs that keep certain muscles from tightening, so wrinkles do not show as much.

Your provider can help you decide which option fits your goals at your consultation.

Am I a candidate for Sculptra?

Sculptra may be an option if smile lines, cheek wrinkles, or other facial wrinkles concern you and you like the idea of gradual change. At your consultation, your provider will take a complete medical history and confirm whether Sculptra is right for you, or whether another treatment is a better fit.

Who should not get Sculptra

According to its labeling, Sculptra should not be used by people who:

• are allergic to any of its ingredients
• have severe allergies with a history of anaphylaxis, or a history of multiple severe allergies
• have a history of, or tendency toward, keloids or raised, thickened (hypertrophic) scars
• are allergic to lidocaine or similar numbing medicines (amide-type local anesthetics), when lidocaine is mixed into Sculptra

Its safety has not been established during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for anyone under 18. Treatment should be postponed until any sores, cysts, pimples, rashes, hives, or infection in the area have healed.

Also tell your provider if you have a bleeding disorder or take medicines that affect clotting, which can increase bruising; if you have had herpes outbreaks such as cold sores, since injections may be linked to a new outbreak; or if you have a connective tissue disease or take medicine that suppresses your immune system, since Sculptra has not been studied in these groups.

Possible side effects

The most common side effects after a first treatment are swelling, tenderness, redness, pain, bruising, bleeding, itching, and lumps at the injection site.

Small lumps under the skin can form. They are usually not visible and may only be noticed when pressing on the area, but visible lumps, sometimes with redness or a change in skin color, have been reported. Lumps can appear days to months after treatment and may take a long time to go away. The labeling notes a higher risk with larger injection amounts and more severe wrinkles at the start, particularly when treating marionette lines.

Delayed inflammation at a filler treatment site has been reported after illnesses or infections, vaccinations, or dental procedures. It typically responded to treatment or resolved on its own.

The most serious risk is accidental injection into a blood vessel. It is rare, but it can cause vision problems including blindness, stroke, and damage to the skin and facial structures. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice changes in your vision, signs of a stroke, skin turning white, or unusual pain during or shortly after treatment.