The sculptra
What is Sculptra ?
Sculptra is an injectable product based on poly-L-lactic acid. Poly-L-lactic acid does not occur naturally in the body, but it has been used in medicine for over ten years as one of the components of sutures and other medical devices.
It was introduced to the market to meet the demand for facial rejuvenation, in particular for the attenuation of wrinkles and the natural restoration of volume.
Sculptra in video
How does Sculptra work ?
Unlike hyaluronic acid, a gel with immediate results, Sculptra is a powder that stimulates collagen synthesis.
The result is not immediate, but visible after about three months. In fact, three to six months are needed for neocollagenesis.
Collagen is an insoluble protein that makes up the skin and tendons. Its production decreases over time. From the age of 18, we lose around 1% of collagen per year.
The reduction in the quantity of collagen is one of the causes of ageing of the body and face. Collagen-based creams and food supplements are not enough, and are often ineffective, to counteract this loss. That’s why Sculptra is so useful.
This product is often combined with other aesthetic medicine techniques to treat the other components of ageing.
Indications for Sculptra
Initially used in medicine to treat lipoatrophy (fat loss) due to HIV or congenital malformations, Sculptra is now considered to be the most discreet technique for achieving a fresher, younger appearance.
Its advantage is the progressive result and the restoration of curves without added volume.
This treatment can be offered from the age of twenty, which is when collagen production begins to decline. In this case, a bottle every two years is recommended to boost the synthesis of skin constituents.
Beyond the age of thirty, Sculptra is part of a treatment protocol that incorporates other aesthetic medicine techniques to treat all the components of ageing.
On the face, Sculptra produces a light tightening effect by redensifying the tissues. The skin is brighter and more toned, and fine lines are reduced.
On the body, Sculptra is indicated for minor slackening, the treatment of cellulite and buttock augmentation. For these indications, a large number of vials are used and three to four sessions are required.
The results last for two years.
Sculptra procedure
During the initial consultation, the doctor analyses the degree of skin slackening and fat loss.
Sculptra is a powder to be reconstituted with an anaesthetic and water for injection suitable for this type of injection.
The injection is preceded by pencil marking and rigorous disinfection.
The injection is carried out using a cannula, a kind of long, round-tipped needle. The use of a cannula is preferable as it reduces the number of haematomas and injections required (four to six for a full face) and makes the treatment safer.
The injection itself takes around five minutes for an experienced practitioner, and it takes around ten minutes to reconstitute a bottle of Sculptra.
At the end of the session, the patient receives a booklet with the product’s traceability labels and can resume his or her activities.
We recommend that they avoid exposure to intense heat for a week and massage the area following the rule of five: massage five times a day, for five minutes, for five days.
Treatment protocol
One bottle is enough to treat the entire face.
The number of sessions to be carried out varies and is established during the consultation. As a general rule, before the age of thirty, a single session is sufficient. After the age of forty, one bottle is recommended for each decade of life. A fifty-year-old woman, for example, will need five vials. In practice, we carry out fewer sessions because patients have often already had other techniques (laser, hylauronic acid, etc.) and Sculptra is part of a combined treatment protocol.
For the body, three to four sessions are carried out. A large number of vials are used.
For the treatment of cellulite on the buttocks, for example, three to four vials are needed per session.
Side effects
The session is virtually painless and the after-effects are straightforward, with no need to avoid social contact.Haematomas are possible, as with any injection, but are not serious.
The treated area remains slightly swollen and pink for a few hours.
Contraindications
Before any medical procedure, the doctor will check that there are no conditions preventing the procedure from being carried out.
The contraindications are:
♦ The presence of an infection or inflammation in the area to be treated.
♦ The presence of a non-absorbable product or prosthesis on the area to be treated.
♦ Autoimmune diseases.
♦ A history of hypertrophic or keloid scarring.
Prices
Type of consultation
Prices
Sculptra
800 CHF per bottle