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POSTED UNDER Sculptra REVIEWS

Beautiful, Natural, and I Love the Results. - Nebraska, NE

ORIGINAL POST

The second paragraph does NOT describe the area...

palaminoangelMarch 26, 2009
WORTH IT$1,050

The second paragraph does NOT describe the area where I had the injections.  They were placed ON the very highest outer part of my cheek bone - not "right beneath my eyes".  The doctor strongly advised against using it there.  So- even though  I would love to even out theskin beneath my eyes a little, but I do not think that a filler will achieve the overall lifted/refreshed look that I am hoping for.

I also plan to have a filler, possibly Sculptra, injected in the nasolabial region.  (I say region because I do not have folds or creases - just an overall lack of smoothness and thinness of flesh in the area).

palaminoangel's provider

Perry J. Johnson, MD

Perry J. Johnson, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

palaminoangel rating for Dr. Johnson:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
Staff professionalism & courtesy
Payment process
Wait times

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UPDATED FROM palaminoangel

I have had one treatment so far, and I am pleased...

palaminoangelMarch 27, 2009

I have had one treatment so far, and I am pleased with the results.  The cost is $350 per treatment (two injections per treatment, one on each side of the face).  I am not sure how much he is using, but I think it is 1/2 of one vial per cheek.

I am 30 years old, and I actually had the injections placed right beneath my eyes above the highest part of my cheekbones.  My cheekbones are naturally high, and were beginning to appear angular.  The doctor discussed the procedure thoroughly with me, and determined that since I am younger, there was no need to "attack" my whole face with filler.

I experienced almost no pain.  It was seriously no worse than a minor scratch.  The sensation afterward was kind of annoying, because of the numbing agent in the filler. 

I will return in three weeks for the second treatment.  The only thing I am concerned about is that one side seems to have "taken" better than the other.  When I was injected, my left cheek let one small spot of blood, which kind of freaked me out.  Well, a week later, and the side that bled seems to have "plumped" almost imperceptibly more than the other (it's my face, so even though others wouldn't notice, I do).  I think that may be due to healing and residual swelling from the injection, but I don't know.

I have no lumps, but I have been massaging often.  The first two days I may have even overmassaged, as I was determined to not get lumps or nodules.  The last two days I have noticed that when I begin to massage after resting, there is sort of a "fibrous" feel to the underlying tissue, but that it dissappears as I massage the area.  I do not think that I will get bumps or lumps, but I also think that caring for the treatment properly is key.

I will update this entry as I progress with the treatment.

Replies (7)

PrettyInShockingPink
March 24, 2009
Something recently is a little different. Every doctor who injects now has great results. Oh I mean patient.
HKKitty
March 25, 2009
Michelle, the good results people are seeing now may be because over time doctors gain more experience with a product. They learn from their own experience and that of others what works and what doesn't. That doesn't mean that you don't have do your homework and find a doctor who has a high level of expertise with the product/procedure in which you are interested. However, I've had doctors tell me that in the past it was common practice to do things a certain way, however today they've modified the technique or found better methods of working with a product. Somethings are only learned through a lot of clinical experience. Which is a good case for not being an "early adopter" of any new product or treatment. Regardless of it being FDA approved or a doctor claiming to have used it on a lot of patients. It takes years for all the bad news to surface.
PrettyInShockingPink
March 25, 2009
What trail studies are you basing your information? Please let me know. I would very much like to access this new study.
PrettyInShockingPink
March 25, 2009
Dear HKKitty, As far as my homework, isn't this the Surgeon or Dermo's job, the licensed Medical Doctor, the one who has those Diplomas framed and displayed, the one who has brochures prominently displayed in her or his reception area. The one who spent years in medical school, has a trained eye, the one who get the big bucks to do his or her homework on this injectable. Aren't they obligated to look at the trial studies and decide if the risk they put their patient through is an acceptable level of risk. They do not share the serious risks, they get the Reward in their pockets. A very high profit margin. In my experince and that of many of the others injected and harmed, the MD either acted SHOCKED, DISMISSIVE or ANGRY. Next that doesn't work, these side effects aren't going away in fact they are getting worse. Now what, come clean, they made a mistake, the over estimated their ability to use this filler, it was ticker than they thought. Very profitable for them, but this sure isn't botox. They didn't do the studying that was needed. They could also blame the patient. Mine chose to Blame The Patient, who put trust in the Medical Doctor. The Drug Company than Blames the Injecting surgeon or dermo. This is a new one for me. The trial studies I saw are were alarmingly unacceptable, after the fact, but you see, I am not a medical doctor, I am not an expert, I am not an injector. I sure could see in looking at the trial studies, the ones supplied by the Drug Company, I was in for big problems...I was in shock, did this person really inject this stuff in my face! If I were to apply for a job as an art director, or a photo retoucher and showed my Book of Artwork, which wasn't my artwork, this would be considered deceptive. I would be fired when I could not produce what my prospective employer saw with his own eyes, I was capable of when they viewed My Book. This would be considered misleading. I clearly misrepresented myself. I didn't demonstrate the ability I displayed. In fact, I retouched a beautiful piece of artwork and I wrecked it. I told this employer I could enhance it. Now I try to fix my mistakes and in turn only damage it more. That employer who have the right to seek damages. Now it is so wrecked, even the most expert retoucher can't repair what I did. Imagine taking this to a much higher level. A surgeon or dermatologist, a title of respect, this title is given to someone who have demonstrated they are experts in a particular area, anatomy, skin, disease of those areas, a high level of skill and for that are granted a license. Now the Medical Doctor is showing A Book of patients' After photos that aren't those aren't hers/or his patients! That is more than unethical, it is criminal. Also I not not informed I was part of a trail study. I would not sign my face up for a trail study. Never. I am sure you can understand that somehow what you say, doesn't fly.
kooie
March 27, 2009
HKKitty, Too bad the doctors don't learn as they gain more experience... It might be helpful for you to understand the nature of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) - AKA sculptra. The immune system has an integral role in fibroblast behavior, (that'd be the lumps/granulomas) in other words its how the the host immune system responds to it. Poly-L-lactic acid differs from the other fillers in that it is dependent on the host immune/reparative response to accomplish filling. Other similar products include silicone and polymethyl-metracrylate (neither is currently FDA approved for soft tissue augmentation). Here is the risk factor: and there is no way even the best injector in the world can control this.... Unfortunately this mechanism of action for augmentation has two potentially negative effects INHERENT TO THE NATURE OF THE RESPONSE : (1) the host immune system can respond less than optimally causing less augmentation then desired; or (2) the host immune system can respond over exuberantly creating granulomas or lumps. I repeat.... INHERENT TO THE NATURE OF THE RESPONSE In the medical literature, there are many reports of delayed foreign body granulomas; in one report with PMMA (Artefill/Artecoll, which is Plexiglas!), up to 12 or 13 years following the injections! The reasons this can occur is that you are injecting something foreign into your body and the human body has a very sophisticated immune response. When it sees something as a foreign invader, it creates a complex reaction to try to get rid of it, and the result is the granuloma which you describe. Your best injectors have no control over this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So if your injector is injecting this stuff for cosmetic purposes- he/she is not the best! Its just criminal to take money and cause this kinda of harm. and this is the point the injector will blame you for the problem - Pretty good racket they have going! kooie
kooie
March 25, 2009
HKKitty, This statement " the good results people are seeing now may be because over time doctors gain more experience with a product." The bigger picture here is the product, yes the injector plays a role but its the product that plays a bigger role. Look here at what the panel of docotrs who approved Sculptra are now saying.... Imagine they were lied to by Dermik... and want this stuff pulled... http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMAUDE/Detail.CFM?MDRFOI__ID=979482
kooie
March 26, 2009
"As far as my homework, isn't this the Surgeon or Dermo's job, the licensed Medical Doctor, the one who has those Diplomas framed and displayed, the one who has brochures prominently displayed in her or his reception area. The one who spent years in medical school, has a trained eye, the one who get the big bucks to do his or her homework on this injectable. Aren't they obligated to look at the trial studies and decide if the risk they put their patient through is an acceptable level of risk. They do not share the serious risks, they get the Reward in their pockets. A very high profit margin. In my experince and that of many of the others injected and harmed, the MD either acted SHOCKED, DISMISSIVE or ANGRY." Right on! The so called professionals are just as accountable at the company who makes and distributes the product. There are actually several to blame for this being injected into us for cosmetic purposes. You take on the docs and I 'll take on the product makers.. LOL
UPDATED FROM palaminoangel

I had my second treatment last week, and am really...

palaminoangelApril 12, 2009

I had my second treatment last week, and am really seeing results now.  I had slight assymetry from the first injections (one side "took" a tiny bit better than the other), which he corrected this time.  The swelling is down and I can see that these results are dramatically improving my appearance.  

I have always been fairly thin naturally, and my face is the first place I lose weight when I detox and/or diet.  Now I have gained about 5 years back in terms of age appearance.  One, possibly two more treatments will get me there, I think.

I am still massaging like crazy- at every opportunity, really (in the morning, on my break, in traffic, in the shower, and especially before bed -  five minutes at a time).  I have no lumps or bumps to speak of.  Very happy with this stuff, and I love how it is improving my skin texture as well as the underlying tissue.

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