“The whole truth please”
Sculptra: NOT worth it
Pain: Mild
I am writing in this particular site because after spending an hour or so in here I am shocked at how misleading the info is in regards to sculptra. The truth is that granulomas form - often times they can be seen. The granulomas are permanent and extremely disfiguring.
This material sculptra is a foreign body and your system will attack it as long as it remains in you. This is an implant, its not like other fillers. While the benefits only last 2 years the granulomas are forever unless you excise them. This is not easy to do without causing more damage. My hope is that this info will help you to make a more informed decision - go with a filler that if lumps form they can be removed in a less damaging manner.
Please understand that not all complications can be fixed with more plastic surgery. My life has forever been changed. My photo's are now used at many training conferences- there is no help for me, I hide away and have no life. Its been 4 years since I had the implant and I have tried several methods to remove them and they have not changed one bit, and in fact I am more disfigured. Please research this.
Updated on Mar 29, 2009:
Mar 24, 2009Comments and replies (46)
1408 posts
25 Mar 2009
Hi kooie, Thanks for adding your review and I'm so sorry to hear about the negative experience you had. If you haven't already, please consider reading some of the Q&A on Sculptra lumps, as this may help you get rid of them. Sculptra Q&A What can I do about Sculptra lumps? You also mentioned that you think our Sculptra info is "misleading" - would you mind telling us what, specifically, is misleading? You're welcome to send me a message with your thoughts, or click the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page if you prefer. We've received 71 reviews of Sculptra so far, and currently 61% believe it is "worth it". I just wanted to make clear that this is not an endorsement from RealSelf, but rather an overall ranking from our community members. Thanks again for your review and I hope you're successful in finding a treatment to get rid of the Sculptra. Best, --Sharon
38 posts
25 Mar 2009
Hi Sharon, Thanks for your support. I guess what I am finding here on Real Self that leaves a bad taste in my mouth are the ads you have posted on sculptra, its just strange to see a site that is suppose to "Keep It Real" and suppose to help people make an informed decision be supported with this type of paid advertising.This advertising is big and bold and catches the eye - it says "Real Self supports sculptra" Your not neutral at all. Also I have been in and out of this site for about a month, I have posted a couple of times to doctors who don't tell the whole story. I saw several posts that were negative towards sculptra and now all of a sudden there are all these strange posts about how absolutely wonderful sculptra is. Everyone is silly happy with the stuff. Which is fine but its an about face... These posts seem fake. Its your site you can do as you please, but please know its important to me that the information regarding sculptra is truthful. This is my mission in what little life I have left in me. If you saw my photo I am sure you can understand. Best Regards, Koo
38 posts
25 Mar 2009
Thanks for your post HKKitty, I appreciate your tip on Dr. Fitzgerald. I will contact her, however I have to tell you that I have seen or contacted several of the very top doctors about my issue. I have contacted even the designer of this product in Europe. Many techniques have been tried and I have been even more disfigured. I shall post that photo for all to see what happens when you try to fix this. Its worse then the lumps. You are correct that things have changed since I was treated, but only in how the implant is injected and mixed- there are no new successful techniques on getting rid of the granulomas, especially if they are large and have been there for a while. Many many new victims of this product are coming to me everyday. I get at least 3 e-mails a day asking for advice, I see damage that is worse then mine. I will see about posting those photos after I get permission. These are recent sculptra victims- some from just 3 months ago. Many more victims will come forward as they realize they have a problem. Most people are working with the doctors that did this to them and being told, be patient the lumps will go away. So like me they will be patient, wait and wait, maybe go 2-3 years as their doctors will ask, then they realize "Oh crap, these aren't going away" they then realize they have permanent or very long lasting damage. The granulomas can rear their ugly little heads up to ten years later. I am not telling you all anything that can't be backed up by facts. I have been dealing with this for 4 years and believe me I have learned a thing or two. Don't go by my nightmare, just go to Google and type in sculptra lumps and see all what comes up, don't go to one site go to many, check out the journal articles. Please understand that anyone who has had this crap implanted can have a problem and it may not show up until later. Believe me its not worth the risks. The issue here is the mess can't be removed - this is not a trivial matter and are you all willing to risk that the granulomas could show up years down the road. By the way these lumps aren't soft, they are very hard, bone hard. They are heavy, mine are very heavy- You can all sing the praises of scultpra as much as you want but any honest doctor will tell you that what I am saying is true, there are risks that is the message I am trying to put out- nothing more. If a doc wants to say there are no risks with this product, I 'd run the other way. I am not saying there can't be successes - there are and this is talked about all the time, but I want to talk about the fact that it can go wrong, the damage can be permanent. Really a good doctor would steer you to juvederm or resty which are hyaluronic acids, sculptra is a polylactic acids. I am just saying there are risks please don't write and tell me how wonderful it is... ok ok I get that, but there can be a risk of granulomas that are difficult to get rid of. I have chased this thing for years, spent thousands, seen the best of the best docs, the good ones say leave them alone you'll look worse if they come out. A bad doc ....oh yeah he's all over this, " I can fix it, let me put some kenalog in it, let me bop a needle in and out", yep that can be done and its can cause worse damage. Look can we just warn there might be a risk... thats all I am asking.... Just be honest, use the same excitement you use to sing the praises of sculptra to sing the risks. While there are problems with the product there can be problems with the doctor who is injecting it. I 'd rather not blame the doctors though, I believe the product is just plain risky and difficult to work with - even in the most experienced hands and I also believe there are more inexperienced hands then there are experienced so it becomes doubly risky. You all can figure it out ...its not rocket science.
38 posts
25 Mar 2009
One short message... Doctors please pay attention here... The FDA panel of doctors that approved the use of Sculptra in the USA are now saying they were lied to about the risks... (For those who don't know Dermik is the company who distributes Sculptra) I quote "The product never would have been granted approval under the standard complete pma application criteria. The key panel concerns were: brief period of patient follow-up, limited number of patients in clinical trials,narrow patient demographics, inconclusive analytic results regarding safety and efficacy; poor understanding of mechanism of action; no histology provided; inflammatory response and nodule formation in 52% of subjects." AND..... " We are dismayed by dermik's blatant disregard for patient safety and law and strongly encourage the fda to act immediately to protect the public by stopping this behavior." http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/Detail.CFM?MDRFOI__ID=979482
29 posts
28 Mar 2009
If you read my posts you will see that I don't disagree with any of you. Please read all my posts before thinking I am not for real.
38 posts
25 Mar 2009
Keith you asked: "Why is my experience unique if it's not at least partially due to the level of expertise? I am just asking." Here is why .... It is successful for treating hollow cheeks, for filling big depressions and for the non-surgical face lift, but it is poor for the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles. Filling large depressions and for facial contouring this is arguably the best of the lot. Those of us in here whining and complaining had the injections pushed on us for wrinkles. This material does not act as a dermal filler, which would be injected superficially to smooth wrinkles, but needs to be placed deeply below the muscles to be a safer and more effective agent. This why you are happy and we are not.
6 posts
25 Mar 2009
Kooie, thank you so much for sharing your experience at your cost... I really hope your skin condition gets better.... I was considering to get Sculptra from a famous doc for doing that, but I do not think I will get it for what I leaned from your experience. I do understand some people may have had a big success, but I just can not take such a big risk which may appear long time after and lasts for years or longer. I decided to get temporary filler.
29 posts
25 Mar 2009
Koole, That last post of yours really clarified a point well taken. Thank you. I am wondering if the number of HIV+ med-related lipoatrophic faces out there are having anywhere NEAR the problems we hear about now. It appears to me as being promoted to women like a wrinkle-filler/sunken eye-plumper.
29 posts
29 Mar 2009
Kooie, Also have been curious when patients on this review state that the pain is mild. Believe me, even with lidocaine and other numbing agents for 8 years it has ALWAYS hurt like hell. That's because the doctor has to go deep for sunken face like mine was.
21 posts
26 Mar 2009
You could be 100% correct about cosmetic uses, but remember it is only FDA approved for HIV/AIDS patients. Some of the reviews on here are for HIV/AIDS. I would hate to see them lose a treatment option b/c of off label abuse. Docs should explain this, though.