Sculptra is an injectable that stimulates the body's natural collagen to build volume and lift the face, softening wrinkles and creating a more youthful look. We love it for its long term benefits and natural look. We offer Sculptra in Seattle and Kirkland.
Sculptra (also called Sculptra aesthetic) is an injectable that is different from neurotoxins (like Botox and Dysport) and Dermal Fillers (like Juvederm and Restylane). Neurotoxins (toxin for short) are used to smooth out wrinkles by paralyzing specific muscles that cause them. Dermal fillers are made out of a natural substance, hyaluronic acid, and are used to fill hollows and lines of the face. Dermal fillers are temporary, because the body breaks them down over time.
Sculptra is very different from toxins and fillers, but it is often confused with them. Sculptra is made of Poly-L Lactic Acid or PLLA for short. PLLA is a substance that has been used in medicine and surgery for decades, and is known to be safe in the human body. Sculptra, when injected into areas of wrinkles and volume loss generates new collagen in those areas.
Sculptra stimulates the body to make more of its own natural collagen. Over time this decreases wrinkles and fills areas of hollowing, leading to a progressively more youthful appearance. This improvement is seen over a period of 1-2 years. This is in stark contrast to the effect of dermal fillers, which have a dramatic effect right away, but fade over time. In a year, there is no filler left. But with Sculptra, the effects are getting even better at a year. In many ways Sculptra works in the opposite way as fillers. They often complement each other in their use.
Sculptra is the ideal injectable for many areas of the face. Temples often become concave as we age. Sculptra is a very safe way to fill out the temples without the risks involved with filler in this very sensitive area. Sculptra can also be used to bring out the cheeks, lower face and jawline. The results from Sculptra are very long-lasting and natural looking.
We first place a topical anesthetic on the skin. Then the Sculptra is mixed with additional anesthetic before injection. There is very little discomfort with the procedure. You will feel numb for about 20 minutes due to the anesthetic. There is no pain when that wears off. Because Sculptra is diluted in water, your face will be swollen after the procedure. The water is absorbed by the body over about 2 days. The procedure takes less than an hour. We recommend self-facial-massage after the procedure.
The results of sculptra can start to be seen within 1-2 months, but the improvement continues over 6-24 months.
Because Sculptra builds up your body’s own natural collagen, results are very long lasting. Your body breaks down collagen at about 1-2% per year. Sculptra triggers collagen to build up for 1-2 years. After that, the results can last years. This doesn’t mean you won’t continue to age! Proper skin care maintenance is critical for any long-lasting results.
This very much depends on the person and what areas are being treated. Typically patients will receive 4-6 vials. We generally inject 2 vials each visit.
Sculptra has a very large range in cost per vial. We have seen it for $800 to $2000. At Glow Medispa, we charge $800 per vial.
The short answer is yes, Sculptra is safe for the buttocks. Many places are offering “Butt Lifts” using Sculptra. However, these treatments typically involve 20-40 vials of Sculptra per treatment and require multiple treatments. Yes – you can do the math, but that can mean $60K to $100K just for 2 treatments. Results are typically very minimal. Even in the best of hands, non-surgical butt lifts with Sculptra are underwhelming. We do not recommend this procedure. At Glow Medispa we have found that the only non-surgical butt lift that give satisfying results are with the Emsculpt Neo.
Sculptra was first FDA approved in the 1990’s and has been shown to be very safe. Because it is dissolved in water, it is unlikely to block a blood vessel and cause the kinds of complications that can occasionally be seen with dermal fillers. The main side effect we see is occasional bruising, which of course is temporary. We use the accuvein to minimize bruising. When Sculptra was first being used, there were often firm nodules that would form under the skin. These are extremely rare now because our protocols now use a much higher dilution.
We like using Sculptra because it gives very long-lasting natural effects and is very safe. This is why we have combined Sculptra into the GlowLift – our signature non-surgical facelift.
The best way to find our whether Sculptra might work well for you is to schedule a consultation. Contact us in West Seattle or Kirkland to find out more. You can also book directly online.
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