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I Am Considering Sculptra, my Question is What Happen if the Body Doesn't Produce Collagen? Are There Cases Related to That?
asked 10 months ago by Vigo in Washington, DC
Latest answer by Joseph A. Eviatar, MD
Question viewed 468 times
Tags: collagen
12 answers to I Am Considering Sculptra, my Question is What Happen if the Body Doesn't Produce Collagen? Are There Cases Related to That?
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The body will produce collagen from the Sculptra
The body does produce collagen. As long as there is the possibility of the body healing, which everybody has, the body will produce collagen from the Sculptra. How much it produces, however, depends on age, sun damage, and how much collagen loss needs to be corrected. The older you are, the less collagen is produced with each treatment. The younger you are, the more collagen is produced with each treatment.
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Scupltra does not produce Collagen!
The filler Sculptra® was at one time considered an important agent in managing facial fat loss in HIV+ patients. Prior to FDA approval, it was used in a clandestine manner. In clinical trials evaluating this agent for correction of fat loss in HIV+ patients although the study patients were for the most part satisfied, up to 50% of the injected individuals developed some degree of lumpiness in the treated areas. Furthermore, these lumps are often...
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Arnold W. Klein, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
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Little to no response to sculptra in a few patients
Sculptra has been used with great success in my practice for the last five years. As a general rule, the younger the patient (40's, 50's), the greater the response. Another factor I have noticed is the less sun damaged the skin, the greater the response to Sculptra. The few patients that have had little to no response have been those with thin skin secondary to excessive sun exposure and some patients in their late 60's and early 70's.
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A small number of patients do not respond as robustly to Sculptra injection
Dear Vigo,
My personal experience is that a small number of people will not have as robust a response to Sculptra injection. This is probably fewer than 2-3%. Every patient I've injected has had a response but a small number do not achieve the results that they, and I, had envisioned. The upside is other filler options exist (hyaluronic acid) that do not require your body to synthesize lots of collagen to have a good effect.
Best,
Stephen Weber, M.D., Ph.D.
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Sculptra is very reliable at creating facial volume
Sculptra is a very reliable stimulator of facial volume by creating the formation of new collagen. It does need to be placed carefully and skillfully to achieve the best results.
A consultation and discussion of goals is important with a treatment plan for how many vials over what number of sessions should be done before starting the sessions.
The technique for placing it has evolved over the years since it was first made available in the United States. It is very important to see a...
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Will Sculptra work for facial volume restoration
Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) was initially approved in the US for restoration of lipoatrophy in HIV positive patients. The results of safety and efficacy studies showed that a great majority of these patients benefitted from Sculptra injections. So considering that patients with a chronic illness had a good response to Sculptra for the most part, it is rare to have a healthy person not respond to Sculptra injections.
Sculptra works by stimulating collagen formation as the...
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Does Sculptra work in Everyone?
This question has been studied and it was shown that all patients will respond and make new collagen. There are other factors to consider of course, such as age, amount of volume loss, health, etc but you can be assured that your body will be stimulated make new collagen.
Joseph Campanelli, MD
Minneapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon
Minneapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Sculptra reliably improves facial volume.
I have been treating patients with Sculptra for many years and I have yet to find someone who does not respond. After hundreds of treatments I am confident that results can be expected. If there is not enough volume then additional treatments need to be done. My typical patient is happy with a total for 3 treatments (ususally 4 vials in three visits over 3 months). Occassionally additional treatments are appropriate.
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There are patients who do respond poorly to Sculpra
Patients who are trying to loose weight
Patients who are exceedingly gaunt will need relatively more product
Patients who become "sick" especially those with HIV who are not doing well
Patients who excercise a great deal will also need relatively more product.
My present routine is to give a great more Sculptra at the earlier sessions (usually three or more ampules so the results come more quickly and without the discomfort of many sessions. In...
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Individual responses to Sculptra
Sculptra is a wonderful injectable for producing soft, natural rejuvenating effects on the face by filling out deflated contours from age or heredity. Everyone seems to respond a little differently, so it may take a different number of treatments to get the desired effect. I have not had any patients that did not respond at all. Most patients will require 2 -3 treatment sessions spaced 4-6 weeks apart.
Marialyn Sardo, MD
La Jolla Plastic Surgeon
La Jolla Plastic Surgeon
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What if sculptra doesnt work
Sometimes Sculptra does not produce enough collagen to make a difference in the typical session of three-four visits. For these people, more product may be needed or more time may help.
I have not seen anyone that has not reacted but I have seen people that needed 4-6 bottles of Sculptra to obtain good results. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict what people will do .
I love this product for volume replacement and it is an integral part of my facial sculpting program where I...
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Sculptra Rarely Does Not Work
Sculptra is one of my favorite products for restoring a more youthful shape to the face. As you know, Sculptra is not a filler but a stimulator of your own collagen which then acts to create volume in a gradual, progressive, and predictable manner. As a general rule, the best responses for collagen production are seen in younger patients. However, I typically see a good response in older patients as well but more treatment sessions may be necessary. Please remember that little to no result...
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