Question:
Can you explain what Sculptra is, what it’s used to treat, and how long the results last?
Answer:
Sculptra unlike all of the other injectable fillers used for the face is not a soft tissue filler. I typically refer to Sculptra as a volumizer that works in a similar way to fat transfer. As we age going from the 30s-40s we start to deflate and lose volume in certain areas of the face, most particularly the upper cheeks, the cheek hollowing area around the eyes and often around the mouth and perioral area. When Sculptra is injected it is injected with a dilute saline solution. The composition of Sculptra is essentially an FDA-approved form of very finely ground up suture material in a powder consistency. What this actually does in the body is it creates a controlled inflammatory response so that the Sculptra itself is actually gone after several weeks and it develops re-volumizing by causing the body to lie down and produce its own collagen. We sometimes refer to this as collagen replacement therapy. Based on this, the results from Sculptra are typically not seen for two-three months and continues to develop over many months. According to the FDA label, Sculptra lasts at least two years based on the clinical studies. However, in our experience the results are much more lasting than that and we have seen patients with three-year results. It is possible that it will last longer than that but the data is not in at this point.