Sculptra

Sculptra was the first biostimulatory filler that Dr. Hudak used extensively and was her “go to” for more than 10 years. Then she switched to using primarily BellaFill and Radiesse due to their superior safety profiles and ease of treatment in the event of a nodular lump.

Sculptra’s active ingredient, poly-L-lactic acid, has been used as a suture material for generations! While results can look wonderful with it, it is more inflammatory to tissues than the others, is best placed in the face with a needle, and requires a series of 3 injection sessions over 4-6 months to reduce risks of nodules.

We love using Sculptra in “hyperdilute” form to increase collagen content in the skin prior to a skin-tightening procedure.

What Can Sculptra Treat?

It can treat the same areas as Radiesse or BellaFill, including facial volume loss and furrows, as well as increasing the overall collagen content in the skin where it is injected.

(See Radiesse and BellaFill pages on this site.)

How Long does Sculptra Last?

It typically lasts about 3-1/2 years. The peak of improvement is usually seen 8-12 months after beginning the series of 3 injection sessions (spaced 2-3 months apart).

How Does It Work?

Sculptra triggers synthesis of Collagen types 1 and 3, which are very important components of skin. Bone is a mineralized collagen matrix, 90% of which is Collagen type 1.

Benefits and Cautions of Sculptra and What to Expect During Sculptra Treatments

Benefits are very similar to those of Radiesse and BellaFill, so see those pages on this site. It is important to note that there is more pain and bruising with Sculptra than with the Radiesse and BellaFill, mostly because we usually use a needle instead of a cannula with Sculptra. Sculptra is reconstituted into a suspension and does not go into a solution,

making it trickier to inject with a cannula and more likely to cause nodules/lumps than Radiesse or BellaFill. To help offset its relatively high risk of lumps/nodules, it is recommended to inject the amount needed over the course of 4-6 months, in 3 sessions, each followed by rigorous, moderately firm, frequent massages. (See Aftercare, below.) To offset bruising potential with any filler (and especially with a needle-injected one!), we highly recommend strict adherence to avoiding the Foods and Supplements that act as natural blood thinners. The List of those Foods and Supplements is on this website, under the About tab on the Home page, in the Online Forms section.

It is also known from many medical studies to be far more inflammatory than BellaFill or Radiesse…so our patients with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (like thyroid conditions, lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) are more likely to have long-lasting swelling; sometimes as long as 2 years after injection.

Results & Aftercare

For each of the 3 sessions of injections, you will need to do moderately firm massages over the treated areas for 5 minutes at a time, at least 5 times each day, for the first 5 days after injection, including the day of the injection. Because the Sculptra clumps up far easier than the other biostimulatory fillers, you need to mechanically “mash” over the sites frequently the first 5 days, because everyday activities like talking and chewing food can encourage clumping of the Sculptra crystals…..something seldom seen with Radiesse or BellaFill since they are in gels where the active ingredient does not settle out. It is recommended to do the massages over something that has some “slip.” We will guide you through the process.

Cold packs can help, as well as ingestion of Arnica montana and near-infrared/red light therapy.

Why Choose Our Clinic for Sculptra Treatments?

For more than 10 years, (while waiting for ample safety data on BellaFill and better ways to prevent and treat the lumps of Radiesse), Sculptra was the “go to” Dr. Hudak used for facial revolumization. She was asked by its distributors over the years (Valeant, Médicis, Galderma) to instruct other physicians of the USA how to inject it, since she consistently produced excellent, natural-looking results with it, often using a lesser number of vials to achieve those ends. She learned a lot of the nuances and fine points of injecting it studying with the world’s most experienced Sculptra injector, Switzerland’s dermatologist Danny Vleggaar, MD.