There are many factors that can cause skin to appear less youthful. The natural aging process can cause lines and wrinkles. Sun exposure, smoking, and stress can also have an effect on the appearance of your skin. If you have noticed that the skin in your face has lost some of its volume, is starting to sag, or is developing more deep lines and wrinkles, you may be looking for minimally invasive solutions that will help restore some of your skin’s firmness and elasticity. Sculptra is one of the non-surgical options that we offer at AM Facial Plastics for our patients who want a subtle lift without the downtime.
What Is Sculptra?
Sculptra is one of the many injectables that we offer in our clinic. This injectable is a dermal filler that can provide both short-term and long-term rejuvenating effects in your facial skin. It is used to help restore volume to the face and over time can also help stimulate collagen production in aging skin. The result is skin that still looks completely natural while also appearing more youthful and refreshed.
What Makes Sculptra Different From Other Injectables?
While hyaluronic acid fillers and neuromodulators can be the right solution in many situations, these injectables are only designed to fill in or relax wrinkles rather than stimulate the body’s natural healing processes. Sculptra is different because it can help your body to make brand-new collagen.
Sculptra is made from poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA. This is a biocompatible substance that is derived from natural sources such as corn or sugar beets and then injected into the skin in the areas that you wish to treat. Once injected, the body breaks it down into harmless water and carbon dioxide.
How Does Sculptra Work?
Your skin has a support structure that includes a layer of fat and a layer of collagen fibers that hold up the outer layer of the skin and keep the surface smooth. Because collagen production decreases every year after you become an adult, this support structure can grow weaker leading to wrinkles and a loss of elasticity. Sculptra works to help restore this support structure.
Sculptra contains a mixture of sterile water and microparticles of PLLA. Once injected, the water in the solution will produce a filling effect that can smooth out wrinkles temporarily until the water is absorbed. The absorption of this water usually occurs within two days of the injection. Meanwhile, your body will detect the presence of the PLLA particles and respond by sending fibroblasts to the area. These fibroblasts begin to produce more collagen and help to restore some of the structure that is lost during the aging process.
Where Can Sculptra Be Used?
Sculptra is FDA-approved for use in the nasolabial folds, the lines around the mouth, the temples, the jawline, the cheeks, and under the eyes. This treatment can be used both on and off label to improve fine lines and wrinkles in many different areas, but it is not intended for use in the periorbital area or in the red area of the lip. Talk to your doctor to find out if Sculptra can be effective for your specific concerns.
What Are the Benefits of Sculptra Injections?
- Offers subtle and natural-looking results
- Is a hypo-allergenic solution
- Is non-invasive and no downtime
- Can restore facial volume and reduce fine lines and wrinkles
- Works with your skin to stimulate collagen production
Before, During, and After Your Sculptra Treatment
As with any other injectable, you will want to avoid alcohol, blood thinners, and certain other medications before your treatment. This is to help reduce any bruising or swelling that can occur as a result of the injections. Also, stay away from harsh cleansers or other skin care products to avoid skin irritation.
Because Sculptra filler treatments use a very fine needle, the treatments are not painful or uncomfortable for most people. You can request topical anesthetics to help minimize the pinch that you will feel with each injection. Our PLLA solution also has local anesthetics to help increase patient comfort during the treatment. The treatment can be shorter or longer depending on how many areas are being treated. However, the process is typically completed within one hour.
Recovery from treatments is fast and minimal downtime is required. You can expect mild and temporary redness and swelling that will disappear within a few days. These effects shouldn’t prevent you from getting back to your routine.
We recommend planning to schedule more than one session. Two or three appointments are usually needed for the full effects of the treatment to be seen. We can always adjust the number of treatment sessions if you achieve your desired results early. Once your series of sessions is complete, you can enjoy the effects for up to two years.
Can Sculptra Be Combined With Other Injectables?
Sculptra filler can be combined with other injectables and aesthetic treatments. Many of our patients also use hyaluronic fillers and neuromodulators combined with Sculptra as a non-invasive facelift with both temporary and long-term effects. During your consultation with us, we can discuss which treatments may be right for you and whether you should consider combining treatments.
Sculptra Injections in Los Angeles, CA
If you are looking for information about whether Sculptra can help to restore volume to your face and improve collagen production in your skin, you can reach out to us. At AM Facial Plastics, we specialize in customized treatment plans that help our patients look and feel great. We look forward to hearing from you. Set up a consultation today by calling us or booking an appointment online.