Sculptra, a biostimulatory aesthetic injectable, has become a popular option for individuals looking to restore lost volume and smooth the skin. While it can provide long-lasting, subtle improvements, there are several considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether this treatment is right for you.
Let's take a deep look into Sculptra, but first, let's quickly take a look at the unique services of Jessicat's Medi Spa.
What We Do:
At Jessicat's Medi Spa our clients are able to minimise or negate the use of injectable therapies and painful surgical procedures due to Jessicat's unique treatment processes targeting the underlying issues that cause visual ageing head-on.
The body of a mature age woman can change shape over time due to thinning skin and the formation of unwanted fat and cellulite due to peri-menopause, menopause, the declining function of the metabolism and lymphatic systems, as well as depleting muscle mass.
Thinning skin and depleting muscle mass cause fine lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores, pigmentation issues and sagging skin.
It takes time for the body to change due to the natural aging process.
It makes sense then that repairing and rebuilding the damage takes time, commitment, and the correct treatment.
The treatments we provide work to target the Dermis specifically (which is responsible for creating a collagen, elastin, and blood vessel growth), working to repair and rebuild it through repeated controlled trauma, which results over time in the skin being repaired and rebuilt dramatically over time.
Jessicat combines her experience as a Pilates Instructor with the power of multiple medical-grade state-of-the-art aesthetic technologies to help our clients attain and maintain a more toned and youthful-looking body long term with treatments such as Fractional and Non-Fractional Radio Frequency (RF), Microneedling, Collagen Induction Fractional Microneedling (CIFMRF), Microcurrent treatments, HIFU, Plasma Fibroblast, LED Light therapy, and more.
The picture below is of one of our clients, Ann Youngs, who achieved a true non-surgical face lifting working with us, with NO INJECTABLES OR FILLERS needed.
You can check Ann Youngs Testimonial page.
Our clients don’t need fillers or injectables like Hyaluronic Acid, Sculptra, or Poly(methyl methacrylate), which only create the illusion of fresh, dewy skin. The only exception we allow? A little Botox if you're getting married, have a special event, or want to soften that stubborn 'number eleven' between your brows!
A deeper dive into Sculptra:
The Sculptra website says;
-Not just another filler. Sculptra is a biostimulatory aesthetic injectable that helps stimulate your natural collagen production.
-95% of patients† had improved skin glow 2 years after Sculptra treatment.
What is Sculptra?
At the core of Sculptra is Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA), a synthetic, biodegradable polymer that is injected into the skin. The treatment works by stimulating the body to produce more collagen, which helps restore volume and improve the texture of the skin. Unlike traditional hyaluronic acid-based fillers, which provide immediate results, Sculptra takes a more gradual approach, with results becoming visible over a few months as collagen production ramps up.
Exactly what is a Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) biostimulatory aesthetic injectable?
Biostimulator Injections activate the immune system to generate collagen.
Your immune system kicks into action and creates new collagen and elastin in response to the introduction of Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), which is a linear aliphatic polyester made from lactic acid monomers, ultimately made from lactose (or milk sugar) derived from renewable plant sources, such as starch and sugar (Silverajah et al., 2012).
Lactic acid itself is a naturally occurring compound in the body, especially produced during anaerobic respiration (when muscles generate energy without oxygen). While lactic acid is natural, PLLA is a synthetic polymer created by linking these lactic acid molecules together. This polymer is what gives Sculptra its ability to stimulate collagen production.
Polymers such as PLLA are degraded by simple hydrolysis of the ester bonds, which does not require the presence of enzymes and, in turn, prevents inflammatory reactions. The hydrolytic products from such degradation process are then transformed into non-toxic sub-products that are eliminated through normal cellular activity and urine (Lasprilla et al., 2012).
Each vial of Sculptra contains Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) 150mg, Sodium carboxymethycellulose (CMC) 90mg and mannitol 127mg.
What Jessicat finds interesting is that whilst Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) biostimulatory aesthetic injectables are said to prevent inflammatory reactions, inflammation is necessary in the process of the collagen creation triggered by Sculptra injectables, and there are cases of Late Onset Nodules occurring many years after the therapy had been provided.
This is the same complication that can occur with Hyaluronic Acid-based injectable fillers.
Jessicat doesn't find this surprising due to knowing that nothing that is injected into the skin is completely gone.
Leftover particles will remain, and these particles can be triggered into becoming Late Onset Nodules, which are cyst-like growths that need the help of steroids and possible surgical procedures to properly treat them.
Here is a link to an article about a 50-year-old woman suffering from Late Onset Nodules as a result of Sculptra therapy.
The picture shared is from one of our blogs, showing how Late-onset Nodules look.
-They are of a client who went travelling for 6 months and could not keep seeing us over this time.
-She had Hyluronic Acid-based Fillers to help her get through her holiday with a youthful appearance and then suffered Late Onset Nodles long after the effects of the filler had disappeared.
-She ended up having to have a surgical procedure to deal with the issue after extended periods of steroid use.
Why Is PLLA Called a Biostimulant?
The term "biostimulant" is used to describe substances that stimulate biological activity in the body. While PLLA is a synthetic polymer, it is still referred to as a biostimulant because of its ability to activate the body’s immune response, specifically triggering fibroblasts (collagen-producing cells) to produce more collagen and elastin. Essentially, PLLA doesn’t directly fill wrinkles or add volume, but it encourages the skin to regenerate and improve its structure naturally.
If Sculptra Is Derived From Natural Sources, Why Is It Called A Polymer?
PLLA (Poly-L-Lactic Acid) is called a polymer because of its chemical structure. In simple terms, a polymer is a large molecule made up of repeating smaller units called monomers.
In the case of PLLA, the monomer is lactic acid, and when many lactic acid molecules are chemically linked together, they form a long chain-like structure, which is a polymer.
This long-chain structure gives PLLA its unique properties, such as being able to stimulate collagen production when injected into the skin and slowly breaking down over time. So, even though PLLA is derived from natural sources like corn or glucose, it’s considered a polymer because of this synthetic process that links lactic acid molecules together to form a larger, more complex structure.
How Does It Work?
Once injected, the tiny PLLA particles are spread throughout the deeper layers of the skin (the dermis). The body recognises these PLLA particles as foreign, which prompts a mild, controlled inflammatory response.
As part of this response, fibroblasts (the cells responsible for producing collagen) are activated, leading to the gradual production of new collagen fibres around the PLLA particles. Over time, the PLLA is broken down naturally by the body, but the collagen it has stimulated remains, providing long-term volume, firmness, and smoothness to the skin.
Collagen and PLLA Particles:
It is important to note that although the PLLA particles used in Sculptra gradually degrade over time, they do not completely disappear. The body breaks down PLLA through hydrolysis, a natural process, but some remnants of the particles remain in the skin. These particles can potentially trigger a delayed inflammatory response, leading to complications like late-onset nodules.
This is one of the reasons why some professionals caution against the use of Sculptra in certain cases.
Fat Transfer VS Sculptra Injectables:
Jessicat believes a woman's facial features should be more defined and sculpted as she matures due to losing the puppy fat of youth as she matures over time.
To deal with the loss of fat on the face, usually becoming most evident after 50-55 years of age we should overdo the skin thickening and muscle repairing and rebuilding work we do on the face, neck and chest.
When we are younger and want a toned and sculpted body, we do not just think of quick-fix liposuction surgery. We employ the use of diet and exercise.
As we age and lose fat from the face, we should first work to dramatically repair and rebuild the skin AND the muscles beneath, and only after doing this properly for 3 years should we consider employing the use of treatments like a full-faced-fat transfer.
It takes many years for the skin to thin and the muscles beneath to deplete in size and strength, so it makes sense that it takes time to repair and rebuild the damage caused by the natural aging process properly.
At first glance, considering one vial of Sculptra is $849 and a full-face fat transfer is $7000 (a highly discounted price from a local plastic surgeon Jessicat trust), Sculptra does appear to be a cheaper option.
The trouble is that these two therapies do not do the same thing.
Think of your skin as the material on a couch. Sculptra works only to improve the material on the part of a couch.
The entire face is not treated when having Sculptra treatments, which is why people who rely on Sculptra therapy to thicken their skin would also opt for supplementary injectables like Botox and possibly other kinds of Filler.
The problem with these injectables or fillers such as Hyaluronic Acid is that the skin is being filled up with hyaluronic acid and other chemical components (no injectable Filler is made up only of hyaluronic acid) and NOT replenished with new collagen, elastin, and blood vessel growth. Muscle mass depletion is also not being addressed, so these problems continue to worsen behind the scenes.
Think of a brick wall.
The mortar used to hold the wall together needs to be strong. A typical mortar mixture consists of 1 part cementitious material 2 1/4 - 3 1/2 parts sand by volume. Water is also an integral ingredient that is added to the mortar mixture until it attains the right consistency for use.
While water is an integral part of the mixture of mortar, if the mixture has too much water or is mainly water, then it will lack the integrity and strength to not only build the wall but also enable the wall to stand the test of time.
Whilst continuously using Fillers may make the skin look thicker and firmer, more and more will be needed in more and more areas due to the natural ageing process. It is important to remember that whilst hyaluronic acid-based Dermal Fillers work to make the skin look better, they do nothing to make it better and correct the underlying problem of thinning skin.
Money-wise, yes, a full-face fat transfer is more expensive, but it also results in a consistent transfer of stem cells from the fat into the skin.
So you get the extra volume in the facial features due to replacing lost fat that depletes within the facial structure with age, AND you enjoy increased collagen and elastin production due to the ongoing delivery of stem cells from the fat into the skin.
Some complications can occur when having a full-faced fat transfer; however, employing someone skilled and qualified decreases risks substantially.
There are risks associated with Sculptra that are mentioned below in detail.
Jessicat personally saw one of our clients have a full-faced fat transfer with the doctor she trusts.
She is very happy with the results and the procedure because she is already having thick, firm and properly functioning skin due to being a long-term client of our services.
The problem with this situation is that the client could have avoided having a Full Faced Fat transfer if she had layered Microcurrent Muscle work into her treatment regime.
This would have filled up the missing space that was remaining due to fat loss on the face due to the natural aging process and pulled up the muscles of the lower face that have resulted in her having very slight jowls.
Jessicat still sees these slight jowls even after the full-faced fat transfer due to the muscles of the lower face still sagging slightly and the underlying structure beneath the skin still not gaining the strength, fullness and lift it needs to correct the underlying issue that is causing the subtle jowls.
Now that she has had a quick-fix full-faced fat transfer though, Jessicat fears, it will be hard to get her to layer the Microcurrent muscle work into her treatment regime; it's just the way it goes sometimes.
Sculptra is a skin-only treatment.
We are also working to improve the condition of the bones, muscles and skin of the face, neck and chest areas.
As we age, a process called retrusion causes some bones within the face to expand and others to break down or disintegrate slowly as we mature, depleting the volume of the facial features.
Using clinic-grade Red and Infrared LED Light therapy works to combat this, particularly when coupled with a healthy and correct amount of sun exposure to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
Microcurrent Muscle and HIFU Muscle therapy work to build up lost volume within the muscles of your face and neck to create a solid scaffolding for your thickening skin to sit upon, and Fractional and Non Fractional Radio Frequency and Ultrasound therapies and HIFU Skin therapies are used within your facial treatments to create thicker and firmer skin.
We also include Plaxel+ True Plasma Fibroblast treatments in some treatment sessions to give your skin a nice big boost due to marketing the deeper layers of the skin to trigger new collagen and elastin creation.
As great as Sculptra is, it can not create the same bulk of collagen that our treatments do due to Jessicat including multiple technologies that all come at the problem of thinning skin in a slightly different way.
Potential Risks and Downsides:
While Sculptra can provide impressive results, there are several risks and cons to be aware of.
Side Effects: As with any injectable treatment, there are potential side effects. Common side effects include redness, swelling, bruising, and tenderness at the injection sites. Some individuals may also experience granulomas (small lumps) or nodules, particularly if the product is injected incorrectly or if the body reacts poorly to the PLLA particles.
Late Onset Nodules: One of the more concerning issues associated with Sculptra is the development of late-onset nodules. These cyst-like growths can appear months or even years after the treatment. They often require medical intervention, including the use of steroids or even surgical removal, to properly treat. This risk is one of the main reasons patients should consider all aspects of the treatment before proceeding.
Delayed Results: Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers that provide instant results, Sculptra requires multiple treatment sessions, spaced weeks apart, and the final effects can take several months to become visible. This delay might not be suitable for clients looking for quick results.
Possible Infection Risk: As with any injectable treatment, there is a slight risk of infection at the injection sites. However, this is rare if the procedure is done correctly by a trained professional.
Not Ideal for Fine Lines: Sculptra is designed for restoring lost volume, particularly in deeper areas of the face. It is not as effective for treating fine lines or superficial wrinkles, which means patients with these concerns may need to explore other treatments.
Foreign Substance in the Body: Sculptra is a synthetic, foreign substance injected into the body. While it is broken down over time, it is still not a natural component of the body. This could lead to complications if the body doesn't accept the Sculptra.
Multiple Sessions Required: Most patients need between 2-4 sessions to achieve their desired results, each spaced 4-6 weeks apart. This can make the treatment process more time-consuming and expensive compared to other treatment options.
Cost: Sculptra can be more expensive than traditional fillers due to the multiple sessions required. Additionally, since results are not immediate, patients might feel that they are paying for a longer process with delayed outcomes.
While Sculptra can be a great treatment option for some, it is not without risks.
The potential risks for delayed results, multiple sessions, side effects, and late-onset nodules should be carefully considered before committing to this treatment.
It’s essential to weigh the pros and cons before deciding. Consider your skin goals, budget, and timeline before committing.
Ultimately, it's important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for skin rejuvenation, and what works best for one person may not be ideal for another.
Always consult with a trusted professional to make the best decision for your skin.
Quick-fix procedures are dangerous not only due to possible physical side effects but also their effect on our minds.
We live in a world that prizes quick fixes to complicated issues that have taken many years to develop. While Sculptra is one of the best injectables I have learned about, it is still a quick-fix and limited treatment for skin rejuvenation.
Whilst Jessicat found the pictures on the Sculptra website impressive, she finds herself thinking of the pictures on our website and once again thinking there is no need for Sculptra if someone has committed to our service.
She believes our service completely negates the need for Sculptra and is so very pleased to be connected to a plastic surgeon I trust in Perth who can provide our clients with a full-faced fat Transfer.
We have put a man on the moon; of course, we can do better than using toxic creams and quick-fix injectable therapies that work only to hide the signs of aging and do nothing to address the underlying issues that cause our appearance to change as we mature, and can actually make these issues worse.
Injectable therapies have their place, but this place should be to finish off a look, and not to create it!!
The sources of the info we have provided above are as follows:
We hope you find the info shared interesting and that it enables you to find the right treatments and devices to help you gain and maintain a timeless and youthful look. Jessicat & AJ
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