Who Should Perform Sculptra - Doctor or Nurse?

Hi weeks2,

While laws vary by state and country, nurses in the US have not provided Sculptra treatments due to the advanced nature of these cosmetic treatments. Unlike HA fillers such as Restylane or Juvederm, Sculptra treatments cannot be reversed with hyaluronidase. Dermik, the distributor of Sculptra, will only provide Sculptra to physicians in the core cosmetic specialties:  plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, and dermatology. Only after a comprehensive evaluation can a physician help determine appropriate options for you. Best of luck.

Dr. Chaboki

 

Sculptra should only be performed by a very experienced doctor (MD) as it is an advanced treatment.  I suggest going to the sculptra website to find a doctor in your area.

Sculptra is a very advanced treatment only a MD should perform.  It should also only be performed by an MD with lots of experience with the product.  Unlike other HA fillers it cannot be reversed with Hyaluronidase.  The main Sculptra website has a doctor locator.  If you are near the LA area come see me as I am one of the top Sculptra injectors in the entire country!

The company who manufactures Sculptra currently only sells the product to board-certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists.  Because a high level of skill and extensive knowledge of facial anatomy are needed to inject Sculptra.  I would recommend you see a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon (i.e. an experienced doctor) for your injections.  The Sculptra website has a list of providers in your area, which you can search by location. 

I, as a physician, consider Sculptra to require more extensive knowledge of facial anatomy and it involves an advanced injection technique.  Patients need to do their homework and only have this product injected by someone with extensive experience with the product to avoid potential long-term complications. In my office, physicians are the only ones allowed to inject Sculptra.

The person that injects Sculptra should be a highly qualified dermatologist or plastic surgeon. This is not an easy product to do a good job with and will be there for a long time. Incorrect mixing and injecting can cause nodules(can happen even if done correctly, but less common)and this cannot be dissolved. I thought that the company will only sell this to a qualified , trained provider so this puzzles me a bit. You will be paying good money for this so make sure the person that does it is well trained as you deserve good treatment. See someone else. 

Avoid Sculptra injections by an inexperienced injector - ask for before/ after photos. I echo the comments of my colleagues that the maker of Sculptra will only sell the product to core aesthetic physicians. If you have been seen by a mid-level provider supervised by a core physician with ALOT of Sculptra experience and good before/ after photos, you can go ahead with the treatment. However, if you're not shown photos or there's no MD to be found in the practice or the injector is not supervised by a core physician, please pass and find an experienced plastic surgeon to do your Sculptra injections. Only time can make Sculptra (or a bad result) disappear and we're talking about up to 2 years of time. Get in done properly by an experienced injector the first time.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

The makers of Sculptra will only train physicians-primarily dermatologists, plastic surgeons and facial plastic surgeons.  Those physicians can then train their nursing staff.  Sculptra is a great filler that is generally injected deeply under the muscle, though also above the muscle under the skin (subcutaneously).  I strongly believe that Sculptra injections should be performed by the board certified physicians and not delegated.  The more extensive experience of the M.D.s with their extensive training in anatomy is the key to success here.  Consult a board certified  M.D. in your area who will do the treatment his or herself.  There is a listing of these physicians on the Sculptra website.

Hope that helps.

Madeline Krauss, M.D.

Whether the injector is a Plastic Surgeon, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, or a Registered Nurse as long as they are properly trained and have a substantial amount of experience with the product they are all good choices.  The amount of education in a university does not necessarily make a person a better injector. 

 

Dr. Grant Stevens        

Dermik, the distributor of Sculptra, will only sell Sculptra to physicians in the core specialties of plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, and dermatology.  So the RN you are seeing, I assume, works for a plastic surgeon, a facial plastic surgeon, or a dermatologist.  If that is not the case, I would not have her do my treatment (personally). If she does, though, then I would be comfortable with her injecting Sculptra--ONLY after I saw before/after photos of HER OWN WORK and found out how long she's been injecting Sculptra specifically (it's different from other fillers, so experience with other fillers doesn't necessarily make you a good Sculptra injector). If you're just not sure, don't risk it with her.