Will The Final Result of Sculptra Be Similar to the Swollen Look I Had Initially?

As Sculptra is reconstituted in water, nearly all of the injected volume will go away within a day or two. The injected volume is used as a guideline to determine how much product to inject in any specific area. It is hard to predict what the end result will be a this is a stimulatory product and different people will react differently. In general, it takes 4-6weeks to see results from any one treatmen session. At that time, you and your doctor can decide if you need more product.

Sculptra is reconstituted in sterile water so most of the early filling effect of the first treatment is still the water. There is also some swelling from the needle trauma of injection. I advise all my patients to continue the massage routine over the next several days as directed by the manufacturer.

I find that my patients are more surprised by any swelling if I place two or more vials at the first session. Usually the volume correction with just one vial is about two teaspoons of correction, which in most people looks good. I ask my patients not to take fish or plant oils, aspirin or anti-inflammatories before any injection treatment.

Sculptra will provide gradual, progressive facial volume replacement. However, each treatment involves injecting 5 - 20 mL of water (depends upon dilution and the number of vials used) containing a suspension of Sculptra. With that said you WILL gain volume following Sculptra treatment but it is highly unlikely that your treatment will result in generation of the equivalent of 20 mL of collagen. It is difficult to put a number or percent on the results as all patients respond differently to Sculptra treatment. However, the beauty of Sculptra is that the treatment can be tailored with subsequent injections to optimize facial volume replacement throughout the series of treatments.
Thank you for your question.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

In my experience NO!. It take multiple sessions of the injections to obtain desired results over many months. Be sure you have an informed consent explained to your understanding. 

The reality is that the amount of swelling you have immediately after Sculptra injections has little to no relation to how you will look in the end.  Sculptra is diluted in sterile water and the swelling is caused by injection of the sterile water mix under the skin.  The water will be quickly reabsorbed.  Sculptra is a stimulatory filler and the long-term result of Sculptra is due to collagen synthesis in response to the Sculptra. 

When Sculptra is injected, it is mixed with water to spread the small particles through the tissues.  Although you see an immediate fuller look, it is mostly water that you are seeing, so it can have more of a "puffy" look.  Your final result from Sculptra (which can be months from the initial injection) is a result of new collagen production.  This tissue is firmer and will look like normal tissue compared to initial swelling. 

I often tell patients that the fullness they see after their Sculptra injections is similar to how they will look after their treatment series. As you have had only one treatment so far, you should not have this appearance as your final result if you stop now.