Sculptra
Sculptra: At First Glance
Sculptra is an injectable solution that plumps and firms your skin. As it does, your skin has fewer wrinkles and looks younger overall.
How Sculptra Replaces Lost Volume
Naturally, as you age, your skin loses its volume due to less collagen and elastin production and a decrease in fat, among other factors. These contribute to making you look your age or closer to it, sometimes even older.
Sculptra is unlike Juvederm and other hyaluronic acid-based (HA) injections, as it doesn’t attract water to plump the skin like them. Instead, Sculptra provides a more gradual plumping effect by stimulating collagen regeneration through a biocompatible, yet synthetic, ingredient known as poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA).
If you choose Sculptra injections, you’ll receive an ingredient that’s had decades of use in the medical field. It triggers your body’s natural repair process, stimulating the body to produce more collagen – a protein that your body produces less of over time and is necessary for its firmness and bounce.
As your body produces more collagen, volume will gradually be restored, and you’ll see a younger-looking face in the mirror. Best of all: the results look highly natural because it’s a progressive increase.
Some of the more common areas where Dr. Gallo injects these are as follows:
- Nasolabial folds (smile lines between nose and lips)
- Marionette lines (lines around the mouth)
- Cheeks
- Temples
- Chin
- Jawline
Find out what
Dr. Gallo can do for you.
At Your Sculptra Consultation
Fortunately, most people qualify for Sculptra. However, Dr. Gallo will want to know your expectations to ensure you’re both on the same page regarding the results PLLA provides.
Dr. Gallo will also want to know your medical history to check for any autoimmune disorders or other issues that could interfere with your results. Part of clearing you for Sculptra will include asking if you’ve ever reacted to other PLLA-based, such as dissolvable stitches or biodegradable mesh.
This appointment is when Dr. Gallo will plot how much of the filler you’ll need and where by evaluating your skin and the tissue underneath through a visual exam and palpation.
What to Expect During/After a Sculptra Treatment
First and foremost, you’ll need to undergo a consultation to discuss your goals and health to ensure this is the most effective solution for you.
Fortunately, most people qualify healthwise, unless they’ve had a reaction to PLLA in the past or have certain autoimmune disorders.
Actually injecting a Sculptra filler is a quick process that takes about 20 minutes. You’ll need multiple visits, usually three to four, spaced out every few weeks.
Once done, you’re free to go home, work, the store, or anywhere. You have few restrictions after getting a collagen stimulator, besides avoiding sun exposure and strenuous physical activity for the first 24 to 48 hours and refraining from alcohol and makeup use for the initial 24.
Swelling, redness, or bruising around the injection site is possible and usually only lasts a few days.
The Results of Sculptra
You’ll notice improvements in your skin’s firmness, volume, and elasticity from Sculptra. Your skin’s texture will change, and it’ll restore fullness and smooth out wrinkles, too.
Sculptra injections require a bit of patience, though, because you won’t notice any effects at first. It takes time for the PLLA to stimulate collagen and the volumizing effect to happen, but you’ll usually see small improvements within a few weeks. In general, most patients won’t see results until three to six months.
The volume restoration and wrinkle reduction that happens can last two years or longer, but Dr. Gallo usually recommends a maintenance treatment yearly to maintain the results without any interruptions.
Sculptra or Hyaluronic Acid Injections: A Quick Comparison
Dr. Gallo offers both and doesn’t have a preference between the two. Hyaluronic acid injections are better suited for some patients, while a substance that stimulates collagen regeneration is superior for others. The choice is yours and depends on the desired results, when you expect to see them, and how long you want them to last because both are known for their safety.
Some key factors to consider include:
- Sculptra results aren’t noticeable right away
- HA injections provide effects in about one to two weeks
- Sculptra injections last two years or longer
- HA injections remain effective for six months to a year
- Sculptra isn’t suitable for lip enhancement
- HA injections offer better results as a lip filler
- Sculptra works by stimulating collagen
- HA injections primarily attract fluid to the area but can stimulate collagen production
- Sculptra is better for larger areas, like the cheeks and temples than HA injections
- HA injections are more versatile and can be used on cheeks, under-eye hollows, etc.
- The lymphatic system carries away the breakdown of the active ingredient in both
- Both are known to cause few side effects and require no downtime
Frequently Asked Questions About Sculptra
Understanding as much as possible about the Sculptra injections before the appointment can help you make the most of your consultation. So here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this dermal filler:
Most patients have noticeable results for up to two years, with some achieving even longer-lasting effects. Dr. Gallo can administer annual maintenance treatments so you may retain the results for as long as you desire.
There’s no definite answer to this. It all depends on your personal desires because Sculptra takes longer to work and acts differently in the body to achieve the effects. It, however, lasts longer than dermal fillers. Both are equally as safe for most patients.
Besides taking some time to work, it could cause minor side effects like bruising or swelling at the injection site, but this subsides quickly.
Typically, a vial of Sculptra costs $700, and Dr. Gallo will generally recommend starting with two.
If you’d like to look younger without surgery, Sculptra is definitely worth the money. You’ll look noticeably younger, and the results look natural.
The 5 5 5 rule after Sculptra is simple – you should massage the injection areas for five minutes, five times per day for the first five days to promote absorption, evenly disperse the PLLA, and break up any clumping.
Sculptra feels like any other injection, though it may cause a bit more discomfort because the needle extends further under the skin than most injections you’ve had previously. To ensure your comfort, Dr. Gallo will apply a numbing agent on the skin before administering Sculptra.
While you may see some results from one session of Sculptra, Dr. Gallo usually recommends three or four for the optimal outcome.
Sculptra provides a lifting effect, but it’s unlike the kind you experience with a facelift. This injectable treatment volumizes the skin by boosting collagen production. Your skin then looks fuller and somewhat lifted.
Your body will break down the PLLA over time. Then, the lymphatic system will whisk it away, and you’ll excrete all reminisce of the substance. Once the PLLA wears off, your face will return to its usual appearance, and you’ll have less volume, and the wrinkles will return. You could also receive “touch-ups” to extend the results.
Contact Gallo MD
in Midtown Miami
Address
115 NE 32nd Street, Suite
102-A, Miami, FL 33137
