Benefits of Massaging Sculptra?

Will massaging areas treated with sculptra longer than the 5 days required have any affect on the appearance?

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by Bernie15 in Edmond, OK

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Sculptra

We often refer to the "rule of fives" when it comes to massaging after Sculptra treatment. This involves massaging the area five times a day, five minutes each time, for the next five days. There is certainly no harm in massaging for longer than this.

Sam Naficy, MD

80 reviews

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattleface.com

We recommend massaging "Five - Five - Five"

We have found the classic - Five minutes at a time, five times a day, for five days - works very well. The goal is to spread the product out as evenly as possible, and minimize the chance of temporary small lumps. Unlike a classic filler, where the goal is to deposit a certain volume at a certain spot; with sculptra it is more like painting on a canvas. There would certainly not be any harm in extra massaging, but I am not aware of any studies showing added benefit... more

Massage Sculptra longer if concerned about lumps

While most people will not need to massage longer than the typical 5 times a day for 5 days, if you have concern about lumps or bumps, continued massaging will not hurt your results. The goal of massage is ensure an even distribution of the material so you can "grow" your own natural collagen.

Massaging Sculptra

I am not aware of any scientific study that demonstrated that massaging after the first day was more helpful than just massaging Sculptra immediately after the injections. The most important theoretical concept to me is to lay down the Sculptra in a homogenous pattern so that it doesn't clump in one area. I wonder how much massaging after the first day truly helps disperse the granules around to make it more even.

Massage longer than five days only if you have any irregularities

Typically the average patient will massage only five days. You don't need to massage for longer than that unless there is a lump or irregular area.

Nathan Mayl, MD

7 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Plastic Surgeon

Massage prevents nodules

I recommend the standard : 5/5/5. That is, massage 5 times per day for 5 minutes each time for 5 days. I then just recommend light massage twice daily for a few seconds when washing or moisturizing.

Sculptra should be massaged

As a biostimulant, Sculptra is "planted" like seeds on the skin. As such, uniform distribution and dispersion are important to creat and bio-stimulate new collagen evenly acrros the skin landscape. Massage three to five times a day for up to five days is therefore important to achieve this uniform distribution. After the initial swelling comes down in five days, further massage probably will not have any additional distrubtion effect.