Sculptra advanced face rejuvenation

Sculptra is a specific product. It is not exactly a filler like hyaluronic acid products (Restylane, Juvederm, Teosyal etc). Sculptra is a “volumizer” and a global skin treatment. But it works extremely well as a cheek filler . a temple filler or a chin filler.

Sculptra chemical name is Poly-L-Lactic acid (PLLA). Sculptra® is a Sanofi Aventis product.

Sculptra works by stimulating the collagen production by your own skin. The result is more volume, better skin quality and firmness. It will not give an instant result like a filler because a biological process have to take place. Sculptra actually stimulates the normal healing process of the dermis and triggers a collagen production that will last 12 to 15 months.

The PLLA is eventually metabolized to Lactic acid. This lactic acid is metabolized in carbon dioxide or incorporated into glucose (sugar). Sculptra is a bio degradable product.

Sculptra has been used in Europe since 1999 and  has obtained the FDA approval for the United Sates in 2009.                                                                                                                                 The results look very natural because your skin will have built up its own collagen. It is not an implant, it is your skin. It is your own deep facial tissue. Below before and after pictures demonstrate what you can achieve with it.

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The under eyes hollowness has been corrected, the cheekbones are higher and the nasolabial fold has improved. Note that this nasolabial fold has not been injected. It has improved because a good support has been restored. The same improvement is seen in the chin area and the temples area. The skin texture quality improvement is very clear. It is not possible to achieve this kind of result with just a filler.

The great advantage of this treatment is that you will have a very gradual improvement over the weeks and months. Nobody will notice  you had a cosmetic procedure. This gradual effect allow to adjust Sculptra injections at every session so there is no over correction .

Sculptra is a fantastic tool to address deep fat tissue loss. It is a perfect complement for botox which addresses facial muscles loss of plasticity. Fillers can also be part of the treatment strategy .They are used as the final touch for the mouth area, lips or  superficial wrinkles.

Sculptra has another unique advantage as it can help with bone resorption. Facial bone resorption is a normal aging process. It means less support for facial tissues. The face drops. Litterally. There is not a lot we can do today to address the bone resorption. Stem cells ? hopefully yes in a very next future but at the time of writing (December 2015) this is not all very well understood and safely masterized. However  Dr Danny Vleggaar and al have demonstrated a correction of bone resorption by using Sculptra in this 2008 article . No other cosmetic treatment can do that.

Dr Vidal started to use it in 2005 and trained with Sculptra guru Dr Danny Vleggaar. He has masterized this product throughout several hundreds of successful results, including the one pictured above.

More information about Sculptra on www.sculptra.co.uk .

How a Sculptra treatment is performed ?

It is a non surgical procedure. Sculptra is injected with a needle like botox or fillers. As Sculptra is highly diluted with water it is actually very fluid and easy to inject. Dr Vidal uses a numbing cream for an increased patient comfort and no bruising. Like botox it is really a “lunchtime procedure”.

From his clinical experience he does an initial course of three treatments. One vial is injected every six weeks. These three sessions are required in order to trigger a good collagen production. After a minimum period of six to eight months it is possible to maintain the results with just a single additional session every 10 or 12 months.

Book your Sculptra consultation with Dr Vidal

What are the contraindications of Sculptra ?

• Sculptra should not be used if you are allergic to any ingredient of the product
• If you have a medical history of hypertrophic or cheloid scaring
• If you have an active skin infection or inflammation.

If you have a collagen disease or an auto immune disease please inform your Doctor. He will assess your suitability for this treatment.

What are the possible side effects of Sculptra ?

Possible side effects are site discomfort, redness, bruising, bleeding, itching, and swelling. Other side effects may include small lumps under the skin. These lumps are typically palpable, asymptomatic and non visible.  In a key clinical study the numbers of small and larger lumps were low (around 9%). They resolve without any treatment.

Sculptra is an excellent treatment for the rejuvenation of the facial deep volumes but when you need to rejuvenate superficial areas such as the neck or superficial peri-oral areas then you may consider a new filler: Profhilo.                                                                                                  Profhilo works on the same concept of collagen and elastin stimulation but it doesn’t give volume. This allows the rejuvenation of superficial areas.

Sculptra costs : £450/session (1 vial)