Sculptra Injections are Long Lasting, but not Permanent

Sculptra aesthetic is a novel type of non-surgical facial rejuvenation injectable product that is unlike the facial fillers that have been available before.  Sculptra is a stimulatory agent that gradual makes your body lay in new collagen to give the desired effect.  Sculptra is made of poly-L-lactic acid, which is a material that has been used for years in absorbable sutures and screws.  It is mixed with water and injected under the skin.  The initial swelling goes down over a few days when your body resorbs the water.  Then you look very similar to before you came in, i.e. not corrected.  It then takes months for your body to react to the particles.  The inflammatory cells are stimulated to lay in new collagen to help breakdown the particles.  A typical Sculptra treatment is done in a series of 3-4 treatments spaced at least 1 month apart.  The collagen continues to build up over the ensuing 6 months.  The FDA trials showed that the Sculptra Aesthetic lasted in the nasolabial folds through 25 months in 80% of the participants.  In my clinical practice, I have seen it last between 2 - 4 years.  Usually, patients need a touch up of a single treatment or two rather than a whole new series of treatments to regain what they have lost after already having had a Sculptra treatment.