Sculptra™
The deflation and descent seen in normal aging
The evolution of the wrinkle filler has led to an amazingly effective product called Sculptra. But Sculptra is not a wrinkle filler, it's a volumizer. It replaces the natural volume (fat) loss that occurs as we age - the volume loss that is responsible for the appearance of age.
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This is a very important concept and one that explains why a facelift may be the wrong thing to do or only part of what to do if you want to look younger!
A young face has fullness and roundness in the cheeks, under the eyes, in the lips and around the mouth. This fullness causes light to reflect with very little shadow. The human eye is drawn to reflected light.
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An older face has lost the fullness of the cheeks, the lips and around the mouth and fat loss under the eyes creates a hollow effect. Where there used to be light, now there are shadows. By replacing the volume loss, you reverse the creation of shadow and restore the reflection of light and the appearance of youth.
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| Courtesy of Lisa Donofrio, MD | |
| Loss of primary arcs in the aging face | Primary arcs in the young face |
This volume replacement fills the skin so that it is lifted; not surgically with scalpel and sutures, but lifted by the formation of your body's own collagen - collagen that was created in surrounding the microscopic particles that make up Sculptra.
"And volume is what makes you look young. So that's why the introduction of a volumizer such as Sculptra is such an exciting event!"
A facelift will remove excess skin, and to some degree this will lessen the shadow effect, but a facelift will not restore volume. And volume is what makes you look young. So that's why the introduction of a volumizer such as Sculptra is such an exciting event!
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| Before | After |
What's Sculptra made of?
Sculptra
is made up of poly L lactic acid (PLLA), a synthetic biodegradable polymer that is both resorbable and bio compatible. PLLA has been widely used for many years in dissolvable sutures so it's compatibility with the body is proven.
How does Sculptra™ work?
Sculptra is not a wrinkle filler, but a bio activator or "volumizer". It works by stimulating the body to produce new collagen at the sites of injection, thereby replacing lost volume and contours to restore a fuller, more youthful appearance.
Important Pre Treatment Instructions
Dr. Fitzgerald marking injection locations on a patient during filming of Training Video
Sculptra does not give results immediately. There is a time factor involved since the true volume effect is created by your own collagen, not the product itself. This collagen replenishment takes place over a period of several months. Patients usually receive more than one injection session to accomplish optimum re-volumization.
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Where can Sculptra™ be used?
Our faces don't so much 'fall' with time. They actually lose volume and deflate. This deflation and volume loss leaves us looking less 3-dimensional than we did when we were younger. Volume restoration brings back the dimensional qualities, improves symmetry and can 'pick up' sagging skin.
Sculptra™ can be used to restore volume to hollow areas of the temples, cheeks, chin and under the eyes, as well as to define the jaw line. It is not recommended for use in and around the lips. Lips and wrinkles are best treated with other products such as Restylane, Juvederm or Cosmoplast.
How is Sculptra™ administered?
Each treatment consists of a few injections to the areas to be volumized i.e; temple/cheeks/chin/jaw line. The product is administered with local anesthesia and the discomfort is minimal.
What are the side effects of Sculptra™
As with all other injections there can be temporary swelling and bruising. Otherwise, there is no 'downtime'. Other risks include the transient appearance of palpable, but usually not visible, papules under the skin which resolve spontaneously over a period of weeks to months.
How long does Sculptra™ last?
The lasting effects of Sculptra™ vary from patient to patient, however studies have shown that some Sculptra™ patients have seen results last up to or greater than two years from the first treatment. Periodic touch up treatments will maintain the desired effects.
Sculptra Patient at 40 months
Photo Courtesy E. Bauer, MD
Injection Experience from Sculptra's International Training Physician
Dr. Fitzgerald, as an International Training Physician for Dermik Laboratories, the makers of Sculptra, has extensive experience in injection technique. She has successfully treated hundreds of patients in the Los Angeles area.
Dr. Fitzgerald assisted in the launch of Sculptra in the UK, in April of 2009 has completed a US training tour and is a key speaker at the 2009 Skin Disease Education Foundation conference and the 2010 International Master Course in Aging Skin held in Paris
Her medical articles and findings on Sculptra have been published in major medical journals and are used as adjunctive teaching tools for other physicians throughout the world. Dr. Fitzgerald frequently travels across the country and around the globe as a requested Advanced Senior Level Training Physician for doctors who are bringing Sculptra to their practice.
Call our conveniently located Larchmont Avenue office in Los Angeles to book your complimentary comprehensive evaluation with Dr. Fitzgerald. (323) 464-8046
Patient Comment - "I make the trip from Colorado because this is the doctor I trust completely. I love the changes in how I look. I still look like me, only better!"
Cheryl Micheli, Lewisville, Colorado
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