Does Sculptra Need to Be Diluted Before It is Injected into my Face?

Sculptra (injectable poly-L lactic acid, made by Dermik) comes to the doctor in little bottles with a freeze-dried, powdery substance inside the bottle. In order to inject it into your face, sterile water has to be added to the vial to reconstitute it, returning it to a liquid state from a solid (i.e. powder). The amount of sterile water that is added varies slightly, depending on the preference of the injector, but is usually 3 to 5 mL (based on the manufacturer's guidelines). Some may... more

Sculptra is increasingly popular for its use as Liquid FaceLift ever since its cosmetic indication approved by the FDA. It has taken few years of trials and few errors for advanced physician injectors and Sanofi-Aventis to standardize dilution of Sculptra where nodularities can be minimized. 6cc of sterile water is typically reconstituted 48-72 hours prior to injection followed by 2cc of 1% lidocaine with or without epinephrine, depending on the preference of your board-certified... more

Sculptra is a material that comes as a dry powder. It is mixed with lidocaine and normal saline to "dilute" it. Otherwise it would be in solid form and we wouldnt be able to inject it. If it is diluted in a concentrated form, as you can image the sculptra would be concentrated and create more lumps and bumps. In a dilute form this risk is minimized. 

Sculptra is an excellent treament for skin rejuvenation, restoring lost collagen in a gradual and natural way, in experienced hands. It is also a potent volumizing agent for correcting facial hollows and sunken cheeks. The dilution may vary from 7:1 to 9:1 in most cases. Meticulous injection technique at the proper level and frequent post injection massage help to ensure even dissipation of product and uniform results without nodule or papule formation in my experience. It is NOT to be used... more

Sculptra is delivered to the physician's office in a vial. The vial contains Sculptra in powder form, with no liquid. The physician must add sterile water or saline to the vial so the material is in injectable form. It is not diluted but reconstituted. Ask more questions to find out why she was not happy. Right now it does not make sense but for some reason she was not satisfied.

I THINK you misunderstood the comment. Because Sculptra (poly-L lactic acid - Dermik ) comes as a sterile powder, it physically CANNOT be placed in you WITHOUT first being mixed with a liquid vehicle (sterile water). Although the amount of water being introduced into the vial has changed slightly, it still does not change the physical fact that we cannot inject a powder but must first turn it into an injectable liquid. Peter A Aldea, MD

The opinions on how much sterile water should be added to Sculptra to "reconstitute" it have changed, since its introduction as a "collagen stimulator" to address the problem of lipoatrophy, approximately 4 years ago. Like Botox, which comes from Allergan, freeze dried and needs to be mixed with saline, as a diluent, Sculptra also needs to be mixed with a fluid, in order for it to be delivered. Initially the sales reps recommended 4cc/vial. The net result was a very... more

Sculptra comes freeze dried unlike other fillers so it has to be diluted with sterile water prior to injection. Standard protocol has been to dilute it with 5 cc of water. Many injectors have been diluting Sculptra to a greater extend as they have found it to be equally effective and at the same time the incidence of papules (non visible small bumps due to clumping of collagen) has decreased. This does not diminish your results as long as the correct amount is placed under the eyes.... more