Sculptra for Laugh Lines and Hollow Under Eyes?

Sculptra is FDA approved for BOTH HIV facial lipoatrophy AND non-HIV volumization. Sculptra, when injected by an experieinced injector, is one of the most powerful injectables for adding volume to the entire face - including under the eyes. Make sure you ask you doctor how much experience he/she has witht he product, in particular if you are going to be injected under the eyes. Undereye injections should only be done with the most experienced injectors.

I recommend fillers to soften the nasolabial folds themselves and also lift around the mouth and cheeks to build underlying anatomical support. In our practice we combine Sculptra with other fillers "layered" on top and lasers, skin tightening treatments such as Thermage, Fractora, and Renuvion (J Plasma), thread lifting, and peels to get the most conservative, natural look. I suggest seeing a facial sculpting expert for a formal consultation. Best, Dr. Emer

I would not recommend Sculptra for the laugh lines and for the hollow under eye area.  Instead, a better option would be using a hyaluronic acid filler like Juvederm or Restylane for the under eye area and Botox for the laugh lines. 

If you want to reduce the hollow sunken eye look and improve the smile lines, any filler like Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse or Sculptra will work.
However, the best results for long term results come with Sculptra. It works slowly and gives a subtly dramatic look.
Please make sure a high dilution of at least 6 cc or better if 10 cc is used. That reduces the risk of nodule formation.
Regards

Sculptra is a suspension and the particles can settle from the liquid. They might tend to move more as a consequence from the muscle movement of the eyelid than Juvederm or Restylane, and therefore may not improve the fine laugh lines around the eyes. You do have to wait for the Sculptra to induce your own body's production of collagen, whereas the Restylane or Juvederm can volumize your tear trough and improve the hollowness of the lower eyelid. These hyaluroinic acids are more homogenous than Sculptra and allow me to do finer work in these areas. When correcting the lower eyelid, there may be a greater chance of developing Sculptra bumps because the skin is so thin in this area and a slight bump elsewhere on the face might not be visible but in the lower eyelid it couild be obvious.

I agree with Dr. Aldea. Sculptra is generally used for large volume filling and not for fine lines. This is injected deep in the tissues and not into the superficial layers where it has the potential to be visible.

Sculptra is the ideal product for injecting the hollows in your face, specifically the cheeks and temples.  However, Juvederm or Restylane are better filler for the nasolabial areas that look sunken.  In addition, Belotero is the best injectable fore the hollows under the eyes.  It is a thin hyaluronic acid and lends itself best for fine lines and delicate areas of injections such as lip lines and under the eyes.  Please find a board certified dermatologist with a great deal of cosmetic dermatology experience in injectables for this procedure.

Sculptra is a wonderful three dimensional filler but is best used in facial areas with thicker skin. The thin skin around the orbit may not conceal the Sculptra well leading to palpable or visible nodules. A combination of Botox for laugh lines and Juvederm or Restylane for the periorbital hollowness would be a better and safer treatment choice.

Sculptra, or poly-L-lactic acid, received it's FDA clearance for correction of facial lipoatrophy in patients with HIV. It's frequently used off label for malar augmentation and filling in other volume deficient areas of the face. It's administered in a single treatment regimen, at three week intervals, for up to 4 treatment sessions for the correction of shallow to deep nasolabial fold contour deficiencies.
I've observed too many problems with infraorbital correction with Sculptra such as granulomas, surface irregularities. Correction or removal of these agents are very difficult. Other injectable or dermal fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm offer more consistent and safer treatment options.

Sculptra has been approved for correction of facial wasting in patients with HIV. It is MUCH more commonly used in an off label application for facial filling to bring more volume to the cheeks and the areas under them. In my opinion, it is not an ideal filler for superficial facial lines nor the Tear Trough deformity.
Facial lines, depending on their depth and location, are better filled with either Perlane or Juvederm Ultra placed deeply and Juvederm or Restylane placed more superficially. Lines caused by muscle contractions, depending on the location, can be nicely smoothed with Botox.
The Treat Trough areas are nicely filled with Restylane.
Hope this was useful.
Dr. P. Aldea