If You Have Full Cheeks and Hate Risk, Think Twice - Georgia

Six week out. The good news:

My skin has nearly returned to normal, thanks to my dermatologist. There is still faint discoloration on my cheeks which bothers me, but it's steadily improving.

The bad news:

I now have three lumps on my face (two invisible, one visible).

I'm incredibly disheartened.

Two years ago, I wasn't sure if the first bump could be attributed to Sculptra.
Now I know without a doubt that the first nodule -- an invisible BB-pellet-type formation beneath my right eye --was created by Sculptra.

The reason I know this is that a second bump has recently appeared near the original bump. It feels nearly identical to the first bump, though it is smaller -- more like a grain of rice beneath my eye. Fortunately, this newer nodule does not appear to be growing. It is invisible.

I have another, potentially more serious problem, though.

I had nasolabial implants placed on the sides of my mouth in 1998. For 12 years, I've had no problems with them. I constantly blessed the wonderful PS who inserted them for me! The implants greatly enhanced my face and felt natural and comfortable. Most plastic surgeons will no longer insert inplants for fear of initial infection, so I always considered myself lucky to have gotten these in 1998 and had so much benefit from them through the years.

Well, last weekend I felt a very odd, faint pinching sensation near my nose. When I opened my mouth to stretch the skin near my nose so I could see what was going on, I was shocked to find a very visible pea-sized lump protruding an inch or so beneath the "pinching." I now believe that a Sculptra nodule has formed beneath the lower end of the implant, which is pushing the upper end against my nose, creating the pinching sensation. It doesn't really hurt and it isn't visible unless I hold my jaw in an unusual way. However, it is VERY visible under those circumstances... it looks like a pea-sized protrusion from the side of my nose. I'm hoping the lump doesn't expand because it will cause lots of problems -- financial and physical --for me. I am also hoping my PS can do something to help me with this latest complication at week 6.

I've loved the results of the implants for 12 years and am so upset. I'm just praying I don't have to spend thousands of dollars to have them removed or fix. Removal would be heartbreaking for me because this will change my appearance in a dramatic and unhappy way. .... I'm trying not to think of that tonight.

I know that I did not have this very visible lump on my face before the last Sculptra injection, nor did I have the faint pinching sensation near my nose. This is all new.
My PS's office tried to tell me that it couldn't be Sculptra because it the injection mark was an inch or two above the nodule. I replied, "The PS injected only my cheeks, but now I have two Sculptra lumps beneath my eyes." No one could argue with that.

My dermatologist told me he will not use Sculptra because it often migrates to places it isn't even injected. It appears I'm now a walking poster for that.

Sadly, for all the stress, the results from this $800 injection are NIL. NO RESULTS! I still have the same creases and nasolabial folds I had before Thanksgiving. I essentially paid my PS $800 to give me two nodules, skin issues and swelling, and lots of anxiety. The areas I sought help for last Thanksgiving still remain.

I wish I had read this doctor's post before I trusted my PS to inject this product into my face. Because I didn't, I'm sharing it with you:

http://www.realself.com/question/sculptra-newfill-lumps


I WILL NEVER AGAIN GO NEAR SCULPTRA.

I will also judge the professional integrity of a physician and dermatologist by whether or not they use Sculptra. If I ever see Sculptra advertised on a doctor's website, I will pass. I don't consider it ethical to use this product on people with healthy immune systems.

By the way, I have gone to my PS about the lumps. So far, nothing is being done. The lumps under the eyes "are better left alone." I agree with this assessment (provided they don't grow). I'm resigned to living in peaceful coexistence with two hard, invisible nodules beneath my eyes. Is that what I signed up for? No. But that's what I'm left with.

The implant is a bigger worry to all of us. My PS's office is worried about "kenaloging" the implant for fear it might compromise it. I agree with that, too. If they do decide to kenalog, I will get my dermatologist's opinion on it first.

So, 6 weeks and $800 later, this is where I'm left: Three permanent lumps and, as it stands tonight, all are in such precarious areas that there is no viable treatment to resolve them.

Please think hard if your PS is marketing Sculptra to you. Once the PS injects you, you have to live with the results, not your PS. The PS can hold your hand and speak kind words, but if nodules land in unsafe territory (like mine), you're essentially on your own. You may even be seen as a "problem" by that office and will certainly be told you are the "exception, not the rule."

But here's how I see it --

If I were a PS and had ONE patient return to me with visible lumps after I treated them with a product, do you know what I would do? I'd do what my derm did. I'd immediately stop using it. I wouldn't continue to take risks like that on future patients. As a doctor, I would have an ethical responsibility not to harm ANY of my patients.

Incidentally, my PS is one of the Southeast's top Sculptra injectors who trains other doctors. Sculptra is big business for her and has been for years. She's no newbie. That's why I trusted her.

So I've changed my review from "Undecided" to a "Not Worth It." If I had gotten Juvederm by my dermatologist, I would have had instant results and no lumps on my face right now. Instead, I paid $800 for Sculptra, have lumps and no results whatsoever.

I just pray that this is the end of it.

For the record:

My PS injected my cheeks. She did one injection just above my right nasolabial fold (God, I wish she hadn't!), and one (inexplicable) injection at my jaw near my chin.

She did not inject directly beneath my eyes at all, but I have two of the infamous Sculptra nodules there now.

She did not inject directly into my right nasolabial fold -- just above it - but I now have a pea-sized Sculptra lump there.

Sculptra issues are not limited just to injection points. It migrates. My internationally-famous dermatologist believes this migration is BECAUSE of all the rubbing Sculptra patients are required to do. I think he's right. It's a bit ironic, too: Notice that when PS offices reluctantly admit to patients with "occasional" lumps, they inevitably follow it up with: "... but the patient didn't massage as instructed."

So know this:

I massaged religiously, exactly as instructed.

My PS is considered an expert at Sculptra injecting.

And I still got lumps, and I'm only 6 weeks in.

This stuff can create lumps for three years after injection. Even if you are one of the lucky ones without initial nodules/lumps, you are signing up for three years of potential surprises.

When the Sculptra effects go away -- assuming you get any! -- the lumps will still be there.

Your PS will certainly not tell you this, so I and others on this site are. Please listen to us.

I had my first session of Sculptura two years ago. My PS is a big proponent of Sculptura and trains others in injecting.

I wanted my nasolabial folds improved and small slight troughs in my upper cheeks enhanced. The first injection was a breeze. A bit of swelling but nothing too significant. Minimal brusing. The problem was that, three months later, I couldn't see any difference in my face. My PS pulled out some of her photographs and showed me some differences but, again, I couldn't see it.

I did, however, notice a small "nodule" underneath my eye months later. It's not visible, and I'm not sure it can even be attributed to Sculptra; however, I became aware of it during a rubbing session after the second injection. In the past two years, it hasn't grown and it hasn't decreased in size. I hardly know it's there unless I press down and feel it.

Four months later, after I had my second injection, I did notice some improvement with the "troughs" but they were still visible, just less so. I didn't notice any dramatic improvement with my nasolabial folds, though. Fortunately, nothing negative happened from this experience besides disappointment that I didn't get the results I wanted. However, my face did look a little better and quite natural.

That was 20-24 months ago.

Three weeks ago, I decided I needed a touch-up in the same two problem areas. I saw the same PS to specifically ask for Juvederm. However, the staff and the PS were still enthusiastic about Sculptura -- how long it lasts, how cost effective it is ("lasting two, sometimes five years!"), how natural it looks compared to Juvederm Ultra and other fillers, etc.

So, while sitting the chair, I agreed to a third injection of Sculptura. I figured my PS and her staff knew more than I did on the subject.

This third injection cost $800 and didn't go as well as the previous two injections. My face turned bright red, probably due to an allergic reaction to a topical. There were many loud injection marks all over my cheeks and two small, faint bruises near my chin and on a cheek. Nothing like I had experienced before! I experienced significant facial swelling, too (-- apparently not significant to the PS, but certainly to me, and I'm the one who matters here). The swelling and intense redness upset me, but it did settle down within three days or so. I could leave the house by the next day, in fact, covered with concealer. However, it took 2-3 weeks for my face to completely return to "normal." This is probably a normal experience for fillers, but it certainly didn't match my previous two Sculptra experiences.

Terrified by the third post-injection's facial swelling, I asked my PS, "Will my face look this fat when the Sculptra kicks in?" She assured me it would only retain 50% of that appearance, because much of it was initial water retention. I sure hope so!

Anyway, this will probably be the last time I get Sculptura. Here are the reasons:

1. Why play with fire? Reading the accounts on this website have frankly terrified me.

In fact, my PS's office spent NO time openly discussing Sculptura's potential dangers with me -- EVER. After the injections, as I walked out the door, I read the handout given to me which explained the dangers. I find this unsettling. I believe it's the medical community's responsibility to openly communicate and explain the dangers of products they are injecting in patient's faces.

2. Lack of significant results for those who already have full cheeks.

My cheeks are pretty full, not gaunt. I don't need them fatter! I just need two areas tweaked. However, I ended up with slightly bigger cheeks and only marginally improved target areas after the first two injections.
It helped and it looked natural, but for the expense and risk, the results weren't as happy as I hoped.

Recently, my board-certified dermatologist (who teaches internationally) told me he quit using Sculptura long ago. Besides the risks, one of the reasons he quit Scultra is that it's too non-specific as a filler. Patients may get fullness in areas they may not want fullness (i.e., cheeks), but not enough filler in the areas they do want fullness. Many of his patients did achieve fuller faces after Sculptra but still failed to achieve significant results in their target areas -- not exactly their objective! I told him that his patients' experience exactly matches my own experience! Because I never had filler before Sculptra, I thought this was just the nature of filler. Not so.

3. Costly.

My PS told me that Sculptra is more cost effective than Juvederm, but my dermatologist completely disagreed with that assessment. ... To be fair, my experience does support claims that Sculptura lasts nearly 18-20 months; however, I failed to achieve the results I wanted during that time. It's likely I could have targeted my problem areas with Juvederm far more effectively and for the same amount of money -- assuming I saw someone who charged me by what is actually used rather than by the vial (a common practice which ends up ripping the patient off, according to my dermatologist's nurse).

Incidentally, my derm says that Juvederm is coming out with a longer-lasting, safe product in 2012 which will probably end up putting Sculptra out of business.

Right now, I'm praying I don't have any lumps. Sculptra hasn't been horrible (so far), but it hasn't given me results. However, it hasn't given me the results I wanted. I think it probably works best for those who want to specifically target facial gauntness -- assuming you are willing to take the risks associated with Sculptra.

I'm going to pray everything goes well with this last injection. Then, when things settle down at the three-month mark, I'm going back to my wonderful dermatologist and getting Juvederm! Instant correction! No more waiting, no more risks!