- Sculptra is a safe, synthetic, and biocompatible material
That is injected below the surface of the skin. It’s made up of microspheres (a spherical shell that is usually made of a biodegradable or resorbable plastic polymer, that has a very small diameter usually in the micrometer or nanometer range, and that is often filled with a substance, as a drug or antibody, for release as the shell, is degraded) of poly-L-lactic acid. Because poly-L-lactic acid is the main ingredient in Sculptra, patients don’t require allergy testing.
- Sculptra is FDA-approved
To treat lipoatrophy of HIV patients but it is safely and legally used “off-label” for cosmetic purposes.
- The results of Sculptra are not immediate.
At your first treatment visit, it may appear that Sculptra worked immediately because of swelling from the injections and the water used to dilute Sculptra. A few days following the treatment, when the swelling goes down and the water is absorbed by your body, you may look as you did before your treatment. Sculptra takes time to gradually correct the depression in your skin. Your doctor will decide the appropriate number of treatment sessions and the amount of Sculptra you will need at each session. Multiple sessions are often required and patients with severe facial fat loss may require 3 to 4 treatment sessions. Sculptra should improve the appearance of facial fat loss by increasing skin thickness in the treated area but will not correct the underlying cause. There are no promises or guarantees regarding the degree of improvement when using Sculptra or the duration of the results.
- Alternatives
Not all wrinkles will respond to Sculptra. Other alternatives are dermabrasion; chemical peeling; laser resurfacing; face-lifting, brow lifting, neck lifting, and other surgical resecting of the frown muscles of the brow; treatments with Retin-A or Renova or alpha hydroxy acids may also produce some benefits.
- Drugs, Pregnancy, and Allergies
You should not be pregnant, nursing an infant, or have a history of a bleeding disorder, abnormal scarring, or autoimmune disease. You should not be taking any of the following medications: immunosuppressants or blood thinners. Also, you MUST TELL YOUR PHYSICIAN IF YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF ORAL HERPES SIMPLEX (cold sores).
- Follow-Up Suggested
Please plan to follow up with your doctor 4-6 weeks following your treatment and at reasonable additional intervals to assess my status.