“From beautiful and rich to wicked witch!”
Sculptra: NOT worth it
Pain: Severe
Last year I had Sculptra injected in my cheeks and have been fighting it ever since.
I came into the clinic with hollow cheeks and I had also developed some lines between my nose and cheeks. Sculptra, not Restylane or similar, was recommended to fill in these areas. I started on a course of treatments the following week.
My body reacted negatively to the product almost immediately. I developed a rash and began to detect small, hard lumps under the surface of my skin. I rushed back to the clinic and was given a prescription that would clear everything up but my face just kept getting worse and my skin was also starting to dry out and crack. I had a second treatment anyway but the lumps kept growing.
I went back to the clinic and at this point they referred me to a cosmetic surgeon in the area. Their estheticians were just not equipped to handle my case. The surgeon gave me a different medication and very rigourous massage instructions.
Over the course of the next three months I went through five different medications and recommendations, some from overseas doctors advising my cosmetic surgeon. The clinic that injected me picked up some of this expense but not all of it because of the release form I had signed. So that left me responsible for a sizable portion of the debt.
Eventually I sought a second (sixth?) opinion at a teaching hospital and I was put on another medication. This is what I am doing now, combined with massaging out the lumps as directed.
Some of the lumps are finally beginning to clear but by no means does that make Sculptra worth the pain, effort or additional expense incurred! I went in a healthy, happy 40-something with moderate hollowing and now I am craggly, dry, pocked and lumpy. I look like the wicked witch at 60!
May 16, 2007Comments and replies (10)
unregistered guest
21 Jul 2007
My heart aches for you. How are you doing today? Was it sculptra, radiesse (once called radiance)or restylane? I am curious and want to be sure before I make any more foolish choices. Why did your Dr not use one of the products to dissolve it??? Maybe that could not be done. I am asking becasue I had one injection of sculptra in June 07 and very little happened, except I believe she made the space above my upper lip too full and it protrudes further than it did when young. So that means I don't look exactly like I used to. Fri.the 19th of July, I had restylane injected in my lips.........now I have seen some improvement in the past 24 hours to the lips, but I still see that same space above my upper lip looking too protruded, so plumper lips look like Trout Pout. Any comments you can share w/me will be GREATLY appreciated. VANE and not wanting to grow old! Three yrs ago I had a very well-liked/prominent plastic surgeon inject my lips w/radiance (now called radiesse). I cried most of the summer and hid out, as it was true DUCK BILL! He would not admit anything was wrong and continued to argue that I was the one crazy, hyper and whining, and because his staff wanted to keep their jobs they agreed w/him!! Eventually, someone tipped me off to a steroid which he finally injected, which dissolved it!!! Lots of my hard earned money down the tubes as he never gave me back a penny. I have read since then that radiance/radiesse is not used for lips. So I wonder if you had radiesse/radiance? THANXXX
2 posts
18 Jan 2008
Thank you for your words. "Finally" someone else is as annoyed for not being told enough about this product. This would have been enough for me "maybe it will work for you, and than again, maybe it won't". Sure didn't for 39% of the woman in this Blog. If I heard that honest comment "the maybe" I would have said thanks, no thanks, thanks for letting me know. I gladly volunteer to be in the Sculptra "before" and "after" brochure. The only difference would be, I had alot more money before I tried Sculptra. What a Ripoff
unregistered guest
1 Apr 2008
i have had five yes five lots of sculptra and the results are terrible. i kept thinking it takes time to work and saw a little difference. then came the lumps etc and worse be carefull
91 posts
31 Oct 2008
Do any of you folks know when the FDA Hearings in Washington are scheduled for A.S. to be granted full approval of their dermal filler? No off-label deal for these dudes, they deserve full approval. I want to be there. I suffer too, now! After all is said and done, really who could come up with the story they did? Sort of a drug company 'dream team'. This was the only stock I we needed to not freak out in this no job economy. Darn. It warms my heart to know how concerned they these folks are with HIV males suffering with the stigma of facial thinning, when they were granted off label approval in, 1979, typo sorry, 2004! A true dream team
6 posts
11 Jan 2009
I really would like to hear from anyone in the uk or abroad with regards to the after affects of sculptra. I had 5 vials over a course of 5 months from nov 07 to april 08 and have now a face full of lumps and a much fuller face resembling a chip munk. I am so upset and it has completely shattered my confidence, can anyone suggest something i can do to improve this ..thanking you. karen