Does the collagen growth stimulated by Sculptra injections last as long as the patient's original collagen?

Question

In addition, with annual or biannual injections of Sculptra, can the resulting volumizing effect be preserved indefinitely no matter how old the patient becomes?

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your question.  The collagen formation developed from Sculptra should last longer than the 2 years purported by the studies.  The studies ended at two years with the majority of patients having maintained their full volume addition.  After the initial volume "correction" maintenance with 1-2 annual vials is an excellent method of preserving your results.  Hope this helps.

Kimberly Butterwick, MD · Answer

Collagen is a
protein that creates a supporting scaffold for skin, muscle and bone.
Gram for gram, the collagen fibrils found in skin are even stronger
than steel. Collagen, like all biological material, eventually
degrades and decomposes. This process can take up to 7 years in a
living creature.

When
you are injected with Sculptra or undergo another procedure that
stimulates the production of new collagen, such as Fraxel laser
therapy, the new collagen that is produced will last just as long as
your naturally-produced collagen. The reason you will need to re-do
your Sculptra treatments every two years is that as we age, we
continually lose more collagen. So, while the collagen that the
Sculptra created may still be in your skin, supporting and
strengthening it, older collagen has degraded and must be replaced.
Thanks
to Sculptra and other collagen stimulators, many of the patients I've
had for 10 years now look younger than they did when they first came
to me. I emphasize to patients the importance of maintenance
treatments, such as yearly Sculptra to keep that volume up. However,
keeping your skin plump and volumized with Sculptra is not a complete
fountain of youth. While it can help you to produce more collagen for
years or decades to come, aging is a multifactorial process. In
addition to the loss of collagen and elastin, we also lose bone and
muscle. Thanks to bone loss, our faces actually get smaller over
time.

Nevertheless,
using lasers, Sculptra and other dermal fillers can help us look
younger, like the best version of ourselves at that age, and keep our
skin functioning in a more youthful manner. Please find a
board-certified dermatologist to help you design a killer anti-aging
regimen so you can look even better in 10 years than you do now.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

The collagen produced from Sculptra should last 7 years or more as does normal collagen. The 2 year study does not mean that it only lasts for 2 years. It is just when the study was stopped. The correction curve was actually flat at that time and was not falling. There will be naturally occurring volume loss which will need replacing. A vial or 2 of Sculptra should keep up with yearly volume loss.

Does the collagen growth stimulated by Sculptra injections last as long as the patient's original collagen?

Answers (3)

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