“Stay Away from Sculptra, It Has Ruined my Eyes”

I'm so sorry you're going through this, and I hope you can get some relief soon. And thanks for sharing your story. Sculptra will definitely not be an option for me.

Hi there EVG - it was very brave of you to post photos. I am experiencing a botox disaster at the moment (which I hope will be temporary) and I do not have the courage to put up photos of it! I did not know much about Sculptra so I had a look on the internet and I can see that it is different from the hyaluronic acid dermal fillers (Restylane/Juvederm) because it is a synthetic poly-L-lactic acid. Were you just one of the unlucky ones who got the nodules? There is another RealSelf member (ANAN) who is going through a similar experience with Radiesse. We have spoken on the phone. Bad cosmetic results really profoundly affect your life, don't they? It is a very lonely experience. I hope you have someone you can share it with. I have couple of really good people in my life who are getting me through. It's so hard because you didn't want many people to know you were having the procedure done in the first place! What is the percentage of people who develop nodules with Sculptra? They note it as a 'rare' side effect. These days I am pretty convinced that 'rare' = 'under-reported'. If enough people report it, eventually the status will have to be changed from 'rare' to 'common' side effect. In your case, even if it is truly a rare side effect, it is a serious one! Were you warned properly of this side effect? Have you reported your adverse outcome to the FDA? The link for online reporting to the FDA is: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm Please keep us updated as to how you are doing. This forum is excellent to let you vent your frustrations to people who understand.

If I may ask, is the 'after' photo recent? Has there been any improvement since then or is this the final result?

OMG this is awful, i had sculptra 8 weeks ago, so far i have not exp any of this, but i am now very frightened

Thank you so much for posting your photos before and after. Gives courage to those of us who feel it is "our fault" that we didn't know better. So naive and taken advantage of due to trust of that term MD - board certified plastic surgeon facs or dermo. This goes so much deeper than our grauloma eyes can see.

I had 3 treatments of Scupltra about 2 years ago and was very pleased with the results. My doctor advised not to inject under the eye. She said sculptra can never be used for lips either. She also stated that it is imperative to massage face (injection sites) several times a day to avoid nodules. I used the oil I was given and heeded her directions. The results were fantastic. Sorry your results were so poor. I think anyone considering sculptra, juvaderm, etc.. should first and foremost do a lot of research and find a competent doctor. I tried restalyn at another location and the person doing the injection was actually a nurse and very heavy handed. The result was terrible bruising and injection off center. The problem is so many incompetent personnel at the other end of the needle.

Thousands of Europeans for years prior have probably been injected, certainly. That doesn't speak for their outcomes.

This reply is for Jer because I know that Michelle P is already well aware of everything below! The FDA approval of Sculptra Aesthetic for general cosmetic use does NOT mean that there are no side effects. In other words, FDA approval does NOT mean safety for all users. For the FDA approval of Sculptra Aesthetic see: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DeviceApprovalsandClearances/Recently-ApprovedDevices/ucm176124.htm Note that Sculptra is considered to be a 'medical device' (ie an implant) NOT a filler. It would appear that this important distinction is not made clear to users and potential users of Sculptra. Further, while it is accepted that the cosmetic effects of Sculptra are not permanent, it would appear that for those unlucky enough to develop the nodules/lumps/granulomas, the damage can persist for a long time and relief is hard to find. Your point about thousands of Europeans using Sculptra/New Fill for many years is actually irrelevant. The real question that should be asked to anyone considering Sculptra is: given the severity and nature of the adverse reaction, if there is even the slightest chance that this could happen to me would I take the chance for a cosmetic procedure? I don't want to speak for them, but I would strongly suggest that if they had been properly advised of the risk of developing persistent, painful and disfiguring granulomas which would cause problems for years and years then Michelle P, kooie etc would have said a resounding 'no thanks'.

No, No, No. I was not warned of any risks whatsoever. This is like the Wild West, there are no rules an MD is required to follow. They aren't even required to report the harm caused to an in shock "patient" to the FDA. FDA website - The patient harmed should know Sculptra is a medical device, (thank you Tried But Failed, you really are a quick study, good going). The FDA website for a patient reporting is a bit tricky, since it seems to be designed for an MD Reporting. Just skip the questions that could only be answered by the injecting MD and keep on going with filing your Adverse Events Report. Hopefully, eventually someone might pay attention.

I understand how you feel. I wanted to brighten up my eyes to cover up my dark circles that weren't even so bad to begin with. A little vitamin-k solution would have done it for me, but I just didn't believe there was anything out there for me, unless it was surgery to remove the dark circles. I got restalyne injections under my tear troughs and was thrilled, so I went back for a touch-up, and my ex doctor advised me to try out a new product called perlane, to inject under my tear troughs. It is a much thicker product, lasts longer and is made up of the same product as restalyne. He failed to tell me, that fillers were to never be injected under the tear troughs, especially something soo thick as perlane. He left the left side of my tear troughs overfilled, and told me to wait it out. It has been over 2 years now, and I still have bumps and overfilled areas. I went to a specialist to remove the filler with hyaluronidase. It removed some of the product, but not all of it. I have dents and now I see that the product erupted veins under my eyelids. I have veins buldging out now because of the filler irritation. I had to get them zapped with some laser, which didn't remove them completely. I have scars now cuz of the laser, I still have some bluish veins that i am unable to remove since it is dangerous to zap veins there. I have indentations and bumps that seem to never leave. I have become anti social, and am just not the same person that i used to be. I used to have beautiful eyes, and the worst part is that I am only 24 and am single! I understand you though, but I am soo young, and am super depressed now. I hope no one makes the mistake to get fillers done to their face, especially such a sensitive spot such as your tear troughs, you only have one face. I screwed up mine!

EVG1994, my heart goes out to you, I'm so sorry. I hope you feel better after the corrections are done, and I hope for the best outcome possible for you. Thank you for your honesty and warning...I was 'this close' to getting sculptra a couple of times, the doctor that gives me botox (and gave me TOO MUCH radiesse) has been pushing scuptra to me big time!!! I have some scarring from acne on my temples which have bothered me for a long time, and he swears it will get rid of the indented scars. I was scared but really considered doing it because he's been pushing it so hard...I trusted him. I've had a couple appointments and I kept cancelling them, not having a good feeling. Now after reading all these bad reviews, I will never do it. Thank you.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and I pray for you and that your situation can be corrected over time. I'm sure you've helped save lots of people from having this awful procedure. There's just not enough known about the potential side effects with off label use of the product, and not enough long term safety data about delayed side effects from on-label use. It's so scary, and the company needs to take more responsibility for whats going on.

Somehow the drug company recently "managed" to get this nightmare injectable fully approved by these experts at the FDA. I vote that they must agree to get personally injected with PLA before they could vote that the people they are there to protect can get sales pitched on this injectable.

The problem with the FDA is not that they approve dangerous products willy-nilly but that their approval process is too darn rigorous and slow. There are all sorts of supposedly amazing fillers (such as Aquamid) that have been available for years in Europe that may take years (if ever) to get approved for use in the U.S. Sculptra may have just been given the official FDA stamp of approval for cosmetic use this year, but my doctor has been using this product off-label for volumizing since it first became available years ago. Sculptra and Artefill are my two favorite filler/volumizer products...at least used properly by a good doctor such as mine.

Hi there, Sculptra was originally developed and approved for the treatment of facial wasting in HIV+ individuals. I used my self for almost 10 years and here is the thing. When you deal with plastic surgery and such it is all about the doctor skills and knowledge and experience and no doctor or study will ever be able to tell you how your own body reacts to any filler or implant. That said over the years I got few lumps, they way to avoid them is to massage every 1 hour on the first day after application and then few times a day for the next 5 days. In your case I suspect you have more then a lump I suspect your doctor might have injected too much sculptra. Here is my experience with lumps, they vanish suddenly after 1 and half to 2 and half years. As per sculptra itself it is only a sugar derivate from corn, once injected in the body it stimulates collagen growth and sculptra itself is digested and vanish over a 6 to 12 months period. The thing is, some people produce more collagens then others it all depends on the individual reaction, and by the same token over time the collagen (a hard tissue that usually forms after a cut or a burn) will also first soften and then fade away. So in time your lump will dissipate. In some people the collagen last longer and in others very little again it depends on the individual. Last and not the least it is not OK to inject sculptra under the eyes it is a very tender area and it is a bit dangerous unless you have an incredibly skilled doctor like Dr Frechette in NYC (unfortunately he passed away last year) but the guy only did sculptra for HIV+ 27/7, when he did it to me he did the small injections and because the area is hard to massage and often produce a black eye for a week, I did get small internal lumps under my eyes that after a couple of years faded away, but I did look good. Again from my ten years experience and some 20 sculptra sessions due to HIV wasting. I can tell you that if that is just a lump it will dissipate but if you have too much sculptra in the area it will take longer to slowly go away depending on your body. But I am very surprise you don't know that cortisone injections melt away collagen and will make that lump fade away in a couple of weeks.

You might want to talk to Dr. John Joseph in Los Angeles. He corrected a botched lipo for me. He is a facial plastic surgeon and trains other Drs. on how to use Sculptra. But most importantly, he is honest and low key and does beautiful work. He'll give you the real low-down on what is and is not possible.

Always make sure that you are seeing a physician or nurse trained in scupltra. Check the credentials of your injector and beware the lowest price in town.

There is no right or wrong here. Yes, scupltra has risks and benefits just like ANY cosmetic procedure/implant that you can recieve. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people in medicine and it is not necesarily due to bad product or bad doctors. Make sure that you actually read the informed consents that we all sign so quickly at the office and ask questions about the products used in your facial rejuventation. Be informed and ready to accept both the risks and the benefits. The important thing to rememeber is that a great physician will stand by you and continue to assist you if you are one of the unfortunate that has an unexpected result. And, just because your results were unexpected, you cannot automatically assume the physician "messed up". Before getting involved in a legal matter that may delay your recovery, at least get a second opinion from a trusted physician, not one suggested by a lawyer.I hope all who experience these unexpected results do well and wish them the best. For those of us who get great results, always remember that we accept the risk every single time we have a procedure and there are no guarantees!

don't worry this is not permanent you are a handsome man regardless

Thanks for posting your comment. You are helping others not to make the same mistake.

Hi there EVG. I just wanted to say that as a medical practicioner myself, Sculptra has to be dealt with the right protocols and have the right medical professionals trained well with the correct injection techniques before injecting patients. Sculptra is NOT meant for eyebags. Sculptra is not a filler and cannot be used for eyebags, lips and forehead. It CAN be used for the hollow&sunken areas further down the eyes (tear troughs). But not bags. I am so sorry this happened to you because your medical professional who injected you should actually be held responsible. I have seen the product used on hundreds of people, and even myself. There has not been such adverse events.