I had 4 vials of Sculptra . I see no difference. Do you think its going to work or not?

Hi Cathy,The results of Sculptra do vary from patient to patient, but it does eventually work in most all patients.  The amount of correction from Sculptra is directly related to how many treatment sessions one has.  You should ask your injecting physician to compare your pre-treatment photos with your current photos.  Be patient.  About 50% of patients see a noticeable difference after their first treatment, 85% after their second treatment, and nearly all patients see improvement after their third treatment.  Sculptra results may vary depending upon the injecting physician as well, therefore it is important to choose your injector most carefully.  Good luck and be well.Dr. P

Sculptra is a biostimulator, which has your body create collagen and volume.  As such there is a variable response with Sculptra and any facial filler where results may not be as dramatic as desired.  In patients who smoke, older than 70, and in some patients Sculptra may not respond with as dramatic a result as desired.  Consult with your injector and see if there are differences on your before and after photographs to help see what changes are present.

sculptra works fantastically if you do enough vials and you are patient.  I suggest doing them more frequently and in combination with other procedures such as thermage or sublative to stimulate the sculptra and improve your skins texture and lifting ability.  But without photos, we cannot know if you are a great candidate for sculptra at all.  So I suggest posting photos or an in office consultation.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Because Sculptra is a stimulating agent, it normally does take a series of treatments to obtain the best result.  Without seeing you or pictures of you before your treatments, it is difficult to know if you might have been a good candidate for Sculptra or not.  For patients that do not need drastic improvement, it can still take 2-4 treatments to get the desired result.  If a patient's starting point is more severe, it could take 3-6 sessions to get to the final result.  It also will take 1-2 months after a Sculptra treatment to see the effect of that particular treatment session.  I would encourage you to discuss your concerns with the physician who treated you.  

Sculptra was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 3, 2004 as the first synthetic injectable. Sculptra® Aesthetic is intended for use in people with healthy immune systems as one time treatment regimen of up to 4 injection sessions that are scheduled about 3 weeks apart for correction of shallow to deep nasolabial fold contour deficiencies and other facial wrinkles.Facial wasting and fat lipoatrophy has been described in many conditions including HIV, facial deformities resulting from tumor resection, and athletes who have lost much of their facial fat from training and overexertion. Fat wasting may be severe and distressing for patients who are otherwise stable.

Sculptra works by stimulating collagen production around the areas of injection.  This buildup causes an increase in volume in the area which then helps lift the skin and minimize wrinkles.  This buildup takes time however and it is gradual.  You should see full results by 3 months after the injection.  My best advice to you would be to look at your presculptra photos and compare them to the way you look today.  Oftentimes, becuase the results are gradual over a lond period of time, it is difficult to see the results without the comparison.  If you still don't see any difference, discuss your results with your physician. 

I liken the results of Sculptra to watching your puppy grow. Its hard to notice a difference if you are looking at it everyday, but snapshots taken months apart show much more differences.  The amount of vials varies according to the patient, and their age.  A rule of thumb is one vial per decade of life.  I would say this is the least amount.  The people that respond the least are smokers and people with very sun damaged skin.  Their collagen producing capacity is lowered.  Other than these patients, response is fairly universal.  Even older, healthy patients can respond to Sculptra.

Thanks for your
question and I am sorry that thus far you have noticed no appreciable change
with your Sculptra injections. Sculptra works by stimulating new collagen to
grow under your skin and this process takes time. Each person receiving this
reacts differently and every patient needs a different amount of Sculptra. You
may just need more product if you have had this much and are not noticing an
appreciable change. We do recommend that you consult with a board-certified
dermatologist or plastic surgeon to make sure that you are getting the most
experienced care. We also recommend that these injections take place at 6-week
intervals to maximize the benefits of Sculptra. Work with your injector to get
the results that you are looking for.

Without seeing before and after pictures it is impossible to comment on your specific case. I have never seen Sculptra result in no improvement. Different patients need different numbers of treatments to see the results they desire. Have a frank conversation with your provider about your concerns before your next treatment.

Sculptra is a great treatment for building collagen and stimulating your body's own collagen for being produced.  The results are natural looking but it takes time.  You will not have "instant" results.  It may take a few months to get the results that you want.  If you post photos I can tell if you are a candidate for Sculptra or not.  For the best results please consult a board certified dermatologist withe a great deal of experience with Sculptra.