Thursday, May 7, 2015

Sculptra: Long Lasting Smooth Skin

We are excited to now offer Sculptra, a facial injectable product that stimulates your skin to produce your own collagen to fill lines and wrinkles. 

Sculptra is different than other dermal fillers in that it does not use a gel-like substance to fill sunken areas so that immediate results are seen. Because it causes new collagen to grow, Sculptra takes 1-2 months to show its full effect. 

This product provides a more natural transition to smoother, less wrinkled skin. And the filling effect of Sculptra is worth the wait because it lasts for over two years!
          
Dr. Jenny injects Sculptra through a blunt-tipped cannula, which is safer and much more comfortable than needles, and greatly reduces the likelihood of bruising.

What to expect during and after a Sculptra treatment: 

Before your treatment, the doctor will clean and sterilize the skin. She will make a small numb area using lidocaine, and make a small needle hole in this area. Through this hole, she will pass the cannula, and the product is injected through the cannula in to the cheeks, temporal area, nasolabial folds, chin folds, etc. Sculptra is not used in the lips. If you have a history of cold sores, we will pretreat you to prevent these, as we do with any injection around the mouth. 

Sculptra is mixed with a few teaspoons of sterile water per vial of product. The volume of fluid injected with Sculptra is more than you get with hyaluronic acid fillers (e.g. Juvederm, Perlane, Restylane), so your face may look a bit swollen immediately after your treatment. Because the swelling is just due to salt water, it will dissolve very quickly, and you will wake up the next day with minimal to no swelling. The area treated will be massaged immediately following the treatment and the patient is educated on how to do this at home in the days following treatment. 

After your treatment, you will have to be patient, while this amazing product does its work. For three days following injection you will be asked to massage the facial skin for 2-3 minutes 3 times a day, which helps to distribute the Sculptra evenly in the face and allows the product to improve the skin all over the face. For the next two months, your skin will produce collagen; saggy areas will lift; creases will diminish; and wrinkles will fade. Every patient should be seen again 2 months after the initial injection, at which point you can do another treatment if necessary. Some people need more than one treatment to reduce lines and wrinkles effectively.

What makes Sculptra unique?
          
Unlike other dermal fillers, Sculptra can be injected to affect almost every area of the face so your wrinkle filling is very natural looking. Your skin quality will improve as it gains a more youthful amount of collagen. Because of its unique affect on natural skin tissues, Sculptra filling lasts longer than hyaluronic acid fillers. It does an exceptionally good job improving the skin under the eyes. We do not inject Sculptra directly in this area, but when it is used in the cheeks, it also indirectly improves the skin under the eyes.

What does Sculptra cost?
          
Sculptra is comparable to hyaluronic acid fillers. It costs approximately $600 a vial. A patient can use as few as 1, or as many as 8 vials (there is a two vial maximum per office treatment) depending on the areas being treated.

Bottom line is that Sculptra is the ideal treatment for patients not looking for immediate results, but rather slow, less obvious results with long-term smoother skin!

 About Dr. Jenny


Dr. Jenny Weyler is a board certified physician and specializes in non-invasive anti-aging and body contouring  procedures.

Her practice, Aponi Aesthetics in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a patient-centered medical aesthetic practice that uses the latest technology and medical advances to rejuvenate your skin and restore your body to a more youthful appearance.