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How Can a Single Touch Up of Sculptra Be Enough to Maintain Results?

If Sculptra and/or the collagen created by it, last up to two years before completely breaking down, why do many surgeons insist that a touch up of just one vial is needed to maintain the effects? Wouldn't the whole process of three treatments have to be repeated to maintain the results?

Doctor Answers 2

Sculptra maintenance

January 19th, 2010
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Although three sessions are often done initially with Sculptra, there is significant new collagen left behind in many patients even at two years. Granted, the residual new dermis may not be visualized as an improvement but the scaffold is there, and it is common to find that less volume is needed the next time treatment needs to be initiated.If only one vial is needed, it doesn't mean that two years after the maintenance treatment that only one vial wold be needed then. It is quite probable that more will be needed at that time. Ones own collagen has been noted, by biopsy studies, to increase after the injection of hyaluronic acids. This is thought to occur because of the insertion of the needle and host response to this "trauma" or as a reaction of the product. So there is a basis for understanding why maintenance of Sculptra might require less product and sessions than the intitial treatment.

Ronald Shelton, MD


Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 37 reviews

January 19th, 2010

Sculptra maintenance

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}

Although three sessions are often done initially with Sculptra, there is significant new collagen left behind in many patients even at two years. Granted, the residual new dermis may not be visualized as an improvement but the scaffold is there, and it is common to find that less volume is needed the next time treatment needs to be initiated.If only one vial is needed, it doesn't mean that two years after the maintenance treatment that only one vial wold be needed then. It is quite probable that more will be needed at that time. Ones own collagen has been noted, by biopsy studies, to increase after the injection of hyaluronic acids. This is thought to occur because of the insertion of the needle and host response to this "trauma" or as a reaction of the product. So there is a basis for understanding why maintenance of Sculptra might require less product and sessions than the intitial treatment.

Ronald Shelton, MD


Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 37 reviews

Touch ups are necessary at varying intervals because...

July 26th, 2013
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the normal collagen will continue to breakdown and as it does it needs to be replaced...that's the theory of why Sculptra needs to be supplemented every once in awhile...
 

Ken Landow, MD

Ken Landow, MD
Las Vegas Dermatologist
4.6 out of 5 stars 9 reviews

July 26th, 2013

Touch ups are necessary at varying intervals because...

{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}

the normal collagen will continue to breakdown and as it does it needs to be replaced...that's the theory of why Sculptra needs to be supplemented every once in awhile...
 

Ken Landow, MD
Las Vegas Dermatologist

*Treatment results may vary

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