Advantages of Sculptra over Fat Injection?

In my opinion Sculptra is a great product for certain situations. It doesn't require surgery to harvest fat. However it is expensive, can cause granuloma formation, and is unpredictable in my opinion of how much delayed collagen formation you would expect to see. Fat also has some problems with more swelling and bruising after the procedure, variable resorption rate, and the possibility of lumpiness. In my hands at least, I prefer fat augmentation over Sculptra, as I feel I have more... more

Sculptra has advantages of convenience and non-surgical aspects. It is pre-packaged and on the shelf. The disadvantages are the cost, time to achieve correction (multiple stages), temporary results, potential granuloma formation.

I do a lot of both. Let me dispel the notion that fat grafts are unpredictable. When done in a certain way, following techniques well described by Sidney Coleman, fat grafts are predictable. I love Sculptra, but like Dr. Moelleken states, it is less than ideal in the eyes, lips, superficial areas. Sculptra is quick and lasts a long time (2-5 years). There is no recovery or down time. But it is not permanent. It can be done in the examining room and I mix it with a local anesthetic to... more

Sculptra is best at filling deep defects in the face, such as those caused by AIDS facial hollowing. It is terrible, in my opinion, for the eye area, lips and any superficial area. We have had to operate on many patients who have formed Sculptra granulomas, permanent lumps in the face, hands, etc. Fat injection has its own set of problems, with uneven take, lumpiness, visibility of grafts, etc. In our practice we prefer LiveFill (TM) grafts, which are nontraumatized fat-fascial grafts. ... more

Sculptra is an easier treatment option but is does have the risk of granulomas which are hard bumps under the skin composed of sculptra material and a foreign body reaction. Sculptra is composed of material that stimulates the immune system and therefore it can lead to reactions. Fat is a minor surgery, and can be unpredictable. The unpredictable part is how long and how much of the fat will last. So, if you have sensitive skin and alot of allergies, I would veer away from Sculptra and... more