Sculptra®
Sculptra® is an injectable treatment that activates your skin’s natural power to produce collagen, rendering it an ideal treatment for improving skin texture, facial volumization and facial contour. The physicians at Shine MD are experienced in using Sculptra as another approach to improving atrophic acne scars.
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Why Is Sculptra Such an Important Part of Our Practice at Shine MD?
Sculptra has been around since 2004 and now has a longstanding record to be both a safe and effective treatment for facial rejuvenation. Since it was founded, it has gained official FDA approval for improvement of facial volume, correction of nasolabial folds and cheek wrinkles. In practice, it proves to be a long lasting treatment that improves skin quality and provides a more youthful, rejuvenated appearance to the face.
At Shine MD, our facial rejuvenation and anti-aging protocols aim to provide an impactful, yet natural looking enhancement. Sculptra is an ideal part of any facial rejuvenation treatment plan as it truly changes the trajectory of volume loss and textural skin changes by helping to augment collagen production. Sculptra treatments can be staggered with your energy and laser based treatments to accelerate your facial rejuvenation journey while providing a gradual and natural looking result.
A recent study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology showed that Sculptra improved skin radiance, a tighter appearance and improved jawline contour. Patient satisfaction was high in the areas of skin radiance, sagging and firmness and led to natural looking results.
Sculptra has extensive safety evidence. The most common side effects include mild bruising, swelling and pain that are transient and self limiting.
Check out the video below to better understand how Sculptra works.
Sculptra and Acne Scars: Evidence Based Practice
The team at Shine MD takes pride in providing evidence based treatments that guide our practices in patient care. Sculptra has long been established as a safe treatment for facial rejuvenation. The physicians at Shine MD also recommend the use of Sculptra to augment acne scar treatment plans. Sculptra can be delivered over a series of treatment sessions and is often staggered with your laser treatments. It can be performed with subcision and platelet rich plasma. During this treatment, atrophic scars with significant tethering are lifted with a cannula and platelet rich plasma and Sculptra is injected into the areas. Areas such as temples, cheeks and jawline can be targeted with this approach.
A Canadian Study on the Use of the Sculptra for the Treatment of Hill and Valley Acne Scarring (Dermatologic Surgery, 2015, Dr. Sheetal Sapra) showed that many patients had significant improvement in their acne scarring after being treated with Sculptra.
Learn More About Sculptra®
Sculptra® works with your body to stimulate collagen production. The molecule Poly-L-Lactic Acid is mixed with water and injected strategically into areas of the face where it remains and then stimulates your natural collagen production pathways. A small amount of controlled inflammation actually tightens the skin, improving the laxity of the jawline and decreasing appearance of jowls.
Treatments are performed in a series spaced four to six weeks apart. Two vials are usually administered per session. The rule of thumb in terms of Sculptra dosing, is one vial per decade of life. For example, if you are sixty, you may need up to six vials of Sculptra® in order to reach your goals.
Downtime with Sculptra® is really quite minimal. You may have some bruising and tenderness in the areas of injection. Your face may feel slightly swollen for the hours or one day after the injection. This is mainly due to the volume of fluid injected and tends to absorb shortly after the treatment.
Sculptra® results are subtle and gradual, making it an ideal treatment for patients who are apprehensive about dermal fillers. Men, in particular, often prefer Sculptra as it gives them a natural appearing volumization while improving skin texture.
For atrophic acne scars, patients can expect a gradual and progressive improvement in the depth and extent of scarring. Sculptra for acne scarring is also a gradual process and best when used in conjunction with laser treatments and subcision.
If you want to achieve a natural looking improvement in volumization and skin texture, you are a good candidate for Sculptra®. This treatment is usually focused on areas such as temples, high cheeks and the jawline. You must be patient, however as this treatment series occurs over a series of two to three sessions and you must allow for time to allow the Sculptra® and collagen formation to take effect.