What Happens/Risks Are There if Sculptra is Reconstituted 2 Weeks Prior to Injection

I mix my Sculptra with bacteriostatic water. This will prevent bacterial growth. The Sculptra actually is smoother and works better the longer it has been mixed.You definitely want it mixed at least 1 day prior to injections.I think up to 1 month is fine for the Sculptra to be injected. In an office using the product on a regular basis this should not be a problem. They will use up their product quickly and it will not sit that long.

I truly find the longer this molecule sets the more beautiful the outcome. The reason is simple as the appearance even prior to injection in the syringe improves becoming less clumped & more evenly distributed with time.

Sculptra needs to be reconstituted. Typically physicians do this any where from 2-7 days prior to therapy.

Sculptra comes as a powder which needs to be reconstituted with sterile water.  Most injectors will mix it at least 24 hours prior to injection to allow it to hydrate adequately, which helps to prevent needle clogging and helps reduce the risk of lumpiness or bumps in the skin.   Some injectors prefer to let Sculptra hydrate for longer than 24 hours.  The dilution should be done in sterile manner to prevent contamination of the product.  The worry with 2 week old product is the risk for bacterial contamination since most people use sterile water without preservative to dilute it.  Some people use sterile water with preservative which would lower the risk of contamination.  I prefer to use it within a day or two of reconstitution. 

I agree with the other doctors that the main concern is sterility.  There is no loss of efficacy with a delay between reconstitution and injection.  This is an issue for neuromodulators like Botox or Dysport.  Using water with a preservative and of course maintaining sterile protocol will help prevent infection, but there have been no studies about the safety profile with delay between reconstitution and injection.  Most injectors wait at least a day, and obviously the longer the gap, the higher the risk of contamination and possible infection.

Yoash R. Enzer, MD