If you’re a patient of mine or have spent any time around me when I’m discussing injectables, you already are fully aware of my obsession with Sculptra. What’s funny about my relationship with Sculptra is that I was initially introduced to it in around 2015 and just wasn’t sold on it at all.

The realm of aesthetic dermatology has been moving at light speed in the ten years I’ve had the pleasure of being in it. There’s constantly a revolving door of new products entering the field that promise to turn back the hands of time without showing any evidence of such, so it is extremely easy to become a skeptic that is not easily impressed. Every time I meet regarding a new product entering the scene, I feel like someone should cue Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much”. With Sculptra, however, it took six years to convince me, but now I’m basically a fangirl.

How Sculptra Works

Sculptra is a poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) injectable that works to help you create collagen. It is mixed with sterile water and injected into the area of concern. As the PLLA molecules are absorbed, it works in collaboration with your body’s natural proteins to restore your skin’s structure and volume and collagen production accelerates. When thinking about the fact that our collagen production slowly starts declining and that about 25% of collagen is lost by age 45, this is a huge deal!

Although Sculptra is more widely being used in recent years, it actually was FDA-approved all the way back in 2004 to treat HIV-related lipoatrophy, which is the loss of fat in the face that is a common issue with HIV and other diseases. While it was being used for this indication, it was noted the changes that these patients were noticing, which led to the FDA approval of Sculptra Aesthetic in 2009 for facial wrinkles and folds.

Why Sculptra Is Different

Most fillers for the skin do two things: fill in deep lines and add volume. On the other hand, Sculptra actually makes collagen grow. It isn’t a filler but is instead a biostimulator. This means that instead of filling in deep lines with something from the outside, Sculptra works with your body to rebuild the structure of your skin from the inside.

Because your body is creating collagen that is improving mild to severe wrinkles and folds on the face, the results of Sculptra are both beautiful and natural. The huge perk of it is that you still look like you, just more rejuvenated and refreshed!

The Data

So now that I’ve talked about why I love this product, let’s also look at the numbers. The reason that I wasn’t sold on Sculptra initially is that no studies were out related to what kind of collagen it was producing. Without going into too much detail and boring you all, there are multiple types of collagen in the body. Type I collagen is what I like to call “good collagen” and the type of collagen I was hoping Sculptra produced but didn’t have any hard evidence of such back in the day.

Fast forward a bit and guess what? We have proof! Studies have shown that Sculptra increased type I by 66.5% in three months! Beyond that, we also have studies showing that patients have significant improvement in wrinkle severity after injection AND that Sculptra results last at least two years! When surveyed, 88% of patients reported being happy with their post-injection results and so far, I haven’t had a single patient say they regret getting Sculptra.

In general, I think that Sculptra is the future of aesthetic medicine in that it produces natural and long-lasting results. If you think this might be a good fit for you, schedule your appointment at S+A by clicking here.

Otherwise, as always, if you have questions about Sculptra or any other treatment options at Skin + Aesthetics, I’m always here to chat about your skin, so shoot me a message!

Until next time,

Blakelee Paige Smith, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, NP-C

Dual Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner + Owner

Skin + Aesthetics