Does Sculptra Tend to Sink Down Towards the Bottom of the Face and HA Filler Stays Put?

The simple answer is - no, Any injectable product can move a millemeter or so, but not enough to visually see. I have been injecting Sculptra for 7 years and have seen no migration of the product. Sculptra is basically a powder that we mix wiht water so it can be injected. Initially, the water give us the volume. This hydration effect is soon absorbed, however, and the value in Sculptra is that it caused production in your own volume by stimulating production of collagen. I prefer Sculptra in someone who needs volumizing over most of their face, as opposed to isolated areas. Much of the nasolabial crease and fold that people dislike is from loss of volume in the cheek and midface areas, as well as the hollow areas in front of the ear. This loss of volume allows the face to drop down and forward from lack of support. Sculptra is excellent for these problems, but I have not seen migration of Sculptra or an HA product. Silicone, however, did migrate, and the resulting deformities were virtually untreatable.

E. Ronald Finger, MD. FACS

No, Sculptra is a liquid that will have some effect based on gravity but this is minimal and the particles injected along with the water will tend to stay where they are put. 

Since you would massage the Sculptra following injections, you will move it around to keep it evenly distributed. Sculptra is not going to drop and in general does a great job of adding volume to the areas where it is injected.

Other products including Juvederm are soft gels that stay where they are injected. In some areas, muscles may move the product a little. For instance, when you inject around the mouth, there are muscles that can move the product and in some patients that are very expressive, it can move a little because their face moves so much.

In the cases where the product moves, the results are usually not visible but if they are, there are ways to correct them.

Neither Sulptra nor Restylane "sink down" after injection. If fillers are inadvertently injected into muscles they can move around, but otherwise they "stay put". Graviy has no effect on any of the dermal fillers.

Neither Sculptra nor  HA Fillers sink down although Sculptra, being diluted with large amounts of sterile water, may conceivably migrate downwards in insignificant amounts.It is very important to massage the Sculptra  following the onjecdtion and follow the rule of Fives: Five minutes, Five times a day, for Five days.

A notorious filler that used to migrate was the old version of Silicone, NOT the new Medical Grade Silicone, and not any of the modern fillers,

Make sure that you are being treated by an experienced, Board Certified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon.

When comparing Sculptra to the hyaluronic acid fillers, it is important to understand the difference between "stimulatory" fillers and "wrinkle" fillers. When treating problems due to volume loss such as cheek hollows and sagging skin beside the mouth, I will almost always use stimulatory fillers such as Sculptra or Radiesse. They are injected deeper, beneath the skin, and will generate more volume to create a much better lifting effect for sagging skin. They work by stimulating your skin to produce more collagen, which is why they are so problems due to volume loss. Hyaluronic acid gels like Juvederm or Restylane are used as wrinkle fillers because they are injected more superficially, being injected in the skin rather than beneath it.