In my experience, the invisible nodules she is referring to DO NOT dissipate.
I had one pellet-sized nodule form under my right eye after a Sculptra injection, but I wasn't sure it was due to Sculptra.
I had a subsequent injection two years later and now a second,rice-grain-sized nodule has formed near the first nodule. There is no doubt both of these are the infamous Sculptra nodules. Not even my PS is contesting this.
The problem is that these nodules DO NOT GO AWAY. These are permanent lumps. And no one wants to mess with these nodules if they're directly under the eyes. You're on your own if this happens. And it often does.
Please know that Sculptra is ineffective without multiple expensive treatments. One expensive session will NEVER give you the immediate, direct results that Juvederm or Restaylane will. Sure, Sculptra may last a bit longer, but it costs two to four times more than Juvederm, etc. -- and its famous "calling card" lumps/nodules are permanent!
My internationally-famous dermatologist told me he walked away from Sculptra many years ago. He pointed out that Juvederm and Restylane will "fix" the target areas in one quick session, whereas Sculptra requires at least three to four expensive sessions with unpredictable results. He pointed out to me that Sculptra is NOT a filler -- it's a non-specific collagen builder. A filler specifically targets the areas you want to address. A collagen builder may or may not, and you won't know until you spend lots of $ and time waiting to see. Also, Sculptra was never intended for people with healthy immune systems which might fight the product. It was intended for AIDs patients who wouldn't have immune defenses against it.
For the record, I got bumps despite the fact that:
1) My board-certified PS is a Sculptra EXPERT who trains other physicians. (She was diluting Sculptra long before the company itself recommended that doctors do this.)
2) Pre-injection, I asked my PS and her staff REPEATEDLY if their patients ever get lumps from Sculptra, but they REPEATEDLY assured me it was not the case.
3) I massaged religiously, as instructed.
3) My PS never injected beneath my eyes -- only my cheeks, once above a nasolabial fold, and once near my chin.
Other things you should know:
The risk for bumps remains for THREE YEARS after the injection. (I found this out after my injection, when I read the company brochure my PS handed me. How nice.)
The likelihood for bumps is highest 6 to 12 months after the injection. This is according to the company's own records.
If your doctor is like mine, none of this will be openly discussed with you. So I'm telling you:
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT.
There are less costly, less risky and more effective products on the market. In my opinion, the only people benefiting from Sculptra are the people making money from it.
Furthermore --
If your doctor does not sit down and spend at least 3 minutes fully discussing the potential problems of this product with you BEFORE injecting this product into your face, THIS IS AN UNETHICAL DOCTOR -- no matter how many board certifications this doctor has or how "skilled" or "famous" the doctor is. An ethical doctor using Sculptra will at least spend a couple minutes verbally discussing its potential risks to patients -- not just handing you a brochure as you leave the office and making sure you sign waivers protecting only THEIR interests.
I read that the company that manufactures Sculptra did not disclose all that should have disclosed to the FDA prior to it being approved. This allegedly came to light after FDA approval.
That is troubling.
If I walk away with no harm from this $800 experiment, I will be a very happy. No results are far better than negative results.
I'm bummed. It's nearly week 4. So far, no bumps, so that's the good news.
The bad news? I was under florescent lights while shopping this weekend and the two creases I specifically wanted addressed beneath my eyes are still very much there, just as prominent as before! I also have some new discoloration on my right cheek that I didn't have before Sculptra -- possibly some hyperpigmentation from the injection marks? So, essentially, I went from bad to worse in four weeks. And I paid $800 for this.
I wish I had gotten Juvederm as I originally planned. I would have had instant results when I left the office! As it is, I have no results from Sculptra after one month, experienced two weeks of ensuing skin drama, and now I get to worry about bumps. I'm furious that I didn't stick to my guns and got swayed by the PS office sales pitch.
When I was experiencing intense facial swelling after the injections, my PS's office told me that I needn't worry about that swelling was indicative of the final result -- that it's not uncommon for people to complain they don't see ANY results with the first treatment. Well, nice to know this AFTER I forked over $800 hard-earned dollars to the PS! I'm sure there are lots of people out there who don't mind spending $800 for no results ...
I suppose if I walk away with no additional bumps from this experience, it will be worth $800 to learn from this folly.
Fortunately, RealSelf readers can learn from my experience for free.
But I should be 50% there to getting results already, but frankly I believe I just set $800 on fire in my PS's office a month ago. Read my experience and learn from it!
This is the last time I'll post unless I get bumps or notice any surprise improvements.
I'm not sure about getting anymore Sculptra injectons. I don't have concerns about my PS, but I do have concerns about the product itself.
Right now, it's now 3 weeks after the Scuptura injection. I'm already noticing a bit of positive change, which frankly surprises me. With my first injection two years ago, I saw NO change at all. I suppose I'm seeing quicker, more visible changes this go-round because I had two injections two years ago to build upon. There's probably still a little residual Sculptra left in my cheeks even after all those months, so the third injection is building on that.
They say it takes 3 months to see complete results per injection but that 80 percent is there by the 6th week. At week 3, so far, so good ... More importantly, no lumps.
Sculptra appears to require a MINIMUM of two treatments to get "results." Even the PS on RealSelf support that.
In my opinion, that makes Sculptra less cost effective than Juvederm, especially when you consider it's not really a specific filler like Juvederm but a non-specific collagen-builder.
Don't assume one treatment is all you need. If you do decide to get Sculptra injections, understand that you will likely need two treatments to see * any * results. In my case, two injections -- and Sculptra gives my PS a special discount -- costs a total of $1,600. That's a lot of money.
Even on the Sculptra website, they only begin showing "after" pictures following the second treatment. Most likely it's because the first treatment didn't produce significantly noticeable results.
Recent comments
Posted to Sucks on 11 Jan 2011
I had one pellet-sized nodule form under my right eye after a Sculptra injection, but I wasn't sure it was due to Sculptra.
I had a subsequent injection two years later and now a second,rice-grain-sized nodule has formed near the first nodule. There is no doubt both of these are the infamous Sculptra nodules. Not even my PS is contesting this.
The problem is that these nodules DO NOT GO AWAY. These are permanent lumps. And no one wants to mess with these nodules if they're directly under the eyes. You're on your own if this happens. And it often does.
Please know that Sculptra is ineffective without multiple expensive treatments. One expensive session will NEVER give you the immediate, direct results that Juvederm or Restaylane will. Sure, Sculptra may last a bit longer, but it costs two to four times more than Juvederm, etc. -- and its famous "calling card" lumps/nodules are permanent!
My internationally-famous dermatologist told me he walked away from Sculptra many years ago. He pointed out that Juvederm and Restylane will "fix" the target areas in one quick session, whereas Sculptra requires at least three to four expensive sessions with unpredictable results. He pointed out to me that Sculptra is NOT a filler -- it's a non-specific collagen builder. A filler specifically targets the areas you want to address. A collagen builder may or may not, and you won't know until you spend lots of $ and time waiting to see. Also, Sculptra was never intended for people with healthy immune systems which might fight the product. It was intended for AIDs patients who wouldn't have immune defenses against it.
For the record, I got bumps despite the fact that:
1) My board-certified PS is a Sculptra EXPERT who trains other physicians. (She was diluting Sculptra long before the company itself recommended that doctors do this.)
2) Pre-injection, I asked my PS and her staff REPEATEDLY if their patients ever get lumps from Sculptra, but they REPEATEDLY assured me it was not the case.
3) I massaged religiously, as instructed.
3) My PS never injected beneath my eyes -- only my cheeks, once above a nasolabial fold, and once near my chin.
Other things you should know:
The risk for bumps remains for THREE YEARS after the injection. (I found this out after my injection, when I read the company brochure my PS handed me. How nice.)
The likelihood for bumps is highest 6 to 12 months after the injection. This is according to the company's own records.
If your doctor is like mine, none of this will be openly discussed with you. So I'm telling you:
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT.
There are less costly, less risky and more effective products on the market. In my opinion, the only people benefiting from Sculptra are the people making money from it.
Furthermore --
If your doctor does not sit down and spend at least 3 minutes fully discussing the potential problems of this product with you BEFORE injecting this product into your face, THIS IS AN UNETHICAL DOCTOR -- no matter how many board certifications this doctor has or how "skilled" or "famous" the doctor is. An ethical doctor using Sculptra will at least spend a couple minutes verbally discussing its potential risks to patients -- not just handing you a brochure as you leave the office and making sure you sign waivers protecting only THEIR interests.
Be careful out there.
Posted to If You Have Full Cheeks and Hate Risk, Think Twice - Georgia on 19 Dec 2010
That is troubling.
If I walk away with no harm from this $800 experiment, I will be a very happy. No results are far better than negative results.
Posted to If You Have Full Cheeks and Hate Risk, Think Twice - Georgia on 19 Dec 2010
The bad news? I was under florescent lights while shopping this weekend and the two creases I specifically wanted addressed beneath my eyes are still very much there, just as prominent as before! I also have some new discoloration on my right cheek that I didn't have before Sculptra -- possibly some hyperpigmentation from the injection marks? So, essentially, I went from bad to worse in four weeks. And I paid $800 for this.
I wish I had gotten Juvederm as I originally planned. I would have had instant results when I left the office! As it is, I have no results from Sculptra after one month, experienced two weeks of ensuing skin drama, and now I get to worry about bumps. I'm furious that I didn't stick to my guns and got swayed by the PS office sales pitch.
When I was experiencing intense facial swelling after the injections, my PS's office told me that I needn't worry about that swelling was indicative of the final result -- that it's not uncommon for people to complain they don't see ANY results with the first treatment. Well, nice to know this AFTER I forked over $800 hard-earned dollars to the PS! I'm sure there are lots of people out there who don't mind spending $800 for no results ...
I suppose if I walk away with no additional bumps from this experience, it will be worth $800 to learn from this folly.
Fortunately, RealSelf readers can learn from my experience for free.
But I should be 50% there to getting results already, but frankly I believe I just set $800 on fire in my PS's office a month ago. Read my experience and learn from it!
This is the last time I'll post unless I get bumps or notice any surprise improvements.
Thanks.
Posted to If You Have Full Cheeks and Hate Risk, Think Twice - Georgia on 14 Dec 2010
Right now, it's now 3 weeks after the Scuptura injection. I'm already noticing a bit of positive change, which frankly surprises me. With my first injection two years ago, I saw NO change at all. I suppose I'm seeing quicker, more visible changes this go-round because I had two injections two years ago to build upon. There's probably still a little residual Sculptra left in my cheeks even after all those months, so the third injection is building on that.
They say it takes 3 months to see complete results per injection but that 80 percent is there by the 6th week. At week 3, so far, so good ... More importantly, no lumps.
Posted to If You Have Full Cheeks and Hate Risk, Think Twice - Georgia on 12 Dec 2010
One important thing that I forgot to mention:
Sculptra appears to require a MINIMUM of two treatments to get "results." Even the PS on RealSelf support that.
In my opinion, that makes Sculptra less cost effective than Juvederm, especially when you consider it's not really a specific filler like Juvederm but a non-specific collagen-builder.
Don't assume one treatment is all you need. If you do decide to get Sculptra injections, understand that you will likely need two treatments to see * any * results. In my case, two injections -- and Sculptra gives my PS a special discount -- costs a total of $1,600. That's a lot of money.
Even on the Sculptra website, they only begin showing "after" pictures following the second treatment. Most likely it's because the first treatment didn't produce significantly noticeable results.
Thanks!