Most doctors agree that injectable fillers may be the best option for patients with well-defined wrinkles, deep creases, hollows of the temple or soft tissue volume loss of cheeks. 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. Dr. Caglia is one of the largest consumers of Sculptra and one of the most experienced physician in facial contouring with Sculptra or Sculptra Aesthetic dermal filler sometimes described as the Liquid Facelift. He performs Sculptra™ treatments for patients from the Dallas and DFW areas including the surrounding cities of Plano, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Southlake, Rockwall, Fort Worth, Midcities, Addision, Grapevine and White Rock, Texas so patients can have filler material that is longer lasting, not made from animals, and does not require a skin test. For those patients with HIV associated lipoatrophy a patient access program is available to aid in your treatment plans. Please call our office for details and qualification of this program at 972-690-7070.
What is Sculptra/Sculptra Aesthetic?
Sculptra or Sculptra Aesthetic is an injectable stimulating filler that is intended for the restoration and correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy). Facial lipoatrophy is the loss of fat beneath the skin which can result in sunken cheeks, temples, indentations and sunken areas under eyes. This can be caused by weight loss, genetics, aging or HIV associated lipoatrophy from certain medications taken. 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 more than 20 years as a component of sutures and is used in dissolvable sutures, soft tissue implants, and as a vehicle for several sustained release injectable medications.
Sculptra makes the skin appear smoother and firmer, and fuller enabling it to resemble its previous elasticity and normal appearance. Sculptra provides a gradual and significant increase in the skin thickness adding volume to facial tissue and restoring shape in areas of the face with fat loss. Sculptra used with other therapies such as Botox and CO2 laser skin resurfacing with SmartXide DOT are other procedures that can enhance Sculptra treatments giving you the ultimate naturally youthful appearance without surgery.
More than 150,000 patients in over 30 countries worldwide have been treated with Sculptra, under the trade name NEW-FILL, for a variety of facial volume and contour deficiencies. It was approved in Europe in 1999 to increase the volume of depressed areas, particularly for the correction of skin depression, including skin creases, wrinkles, folds, scars and under eye folds (tear trough depression). In 2004 the product was approved in the U.S. for large-volume corrections of the signs of lipoatrophy.
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 and restore a more normal and youthful appearance of your face.
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 and improved self esteem. Decreases in the anxiety and depression often associated with lipoatrophy were also reported. Increases in skin thickness lasted up to 2 years. Touch up treatments may be needed at 14-18 months.
What are the treatments like?
Treatments with Sculptra take 30-60 minutes and are performed in your doctor's office. A local anesthetic cream of Lidocaine is applied to the treatment area. In addition the anesthetic (Lidocaine) is mixed in the Sculptra providing additional anesthesia to make your procedure more comfortable. Then, using a small needle, Sculptra is placed beneath the surface of the skin, in the area of your soft tissue loss or areas of needed correction.
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 cosmetic 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. In patients with severe lipoatrophy caused by disease or medications usually requires 3-6 treatment sessions.
How soon will I see results?
The results from Sculptra are not immediate, however, after injection your face will be full and appear improved. After 5-7 days the water in the product is resorbed by the body leaving behind the powdery Sculptra product. This is what begins the process of stimulating fibroblasts to make new collagen. Sculptra provides a gradual increase in soft tissue and skin thickness with long lasting effects. 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 in about 14-18 months.
What results can be expected?
Excellent and predicatable 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 as well as the cheeks. Sculptra Cosmetic 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 aging hands and under certain types of scars. Placement of Sculptra is very technique dependent and should be done by a physician with experience in facial contouring with this type of dermal filler. This will avoid the pitfalls of visible bumps that may occur in inexperienced hands.
What is recovery like?
After Dr. Caglia performs Sculptra treatments, patients are up and about immediately. 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 5-7 days as the water is absorbed by your body. You could also experience some discomfort, tenderness, or bruising at the injection site. This too will disappear within a few days to a couple weeks. Rarely, small bumps may form in the treated area. Local massage to the area usually can treat these should they occur or can be injected with steroids.
We recommend to each patient to massage with lotion such as Lubiderm 5 times a day for 5 minutes for 5 days. (5-5-5 Rule) This minimizes the remote chances of any irregular bumps. These are generally seen when done by a non-physician or someone inexperienced in this type of dermal filler substance when this product is injected too closely to the surface of the skin.
Find out if you could benefit from Laser Skin Resurfacing. Schedule your consultation with our office today at 972-690-7070.
[Page Last Edited on August 22, 2011]
