Sculptra injection helps tighten skin

Age gracefully without looking overdone? Sculptra is your answer.

The aging process is multifactorial in how it affects how we look. It is a combination of thinning skin, loss of volume and sagging. Sculptra is the one injection on the market that can treat all three.

We lose 1% of collagen each year, and Sculptra can help to actually reverse this. Sculptra is a good option for collagen production leading to tighter skin. Once injected, it begins working with the deep dermal layer of the skin to help stimulate your skin’s natural collagen production, helping to reinforce the skin’s inner structure and increase facial volume that has been lost due to aging.

It’s a technology that has been around for years but is gaining popularity as people are striving for and trending toward more natural results. Especially here in the South, I find that patients are always expressing concerns about looking overdone.

This is one of the reasons I really enjoy using Sculptra in my practice. Sculptra isn’t going to make you look like you’re 19, but it also isn’t going to look fake. It’s going to give you a more well-rested, natural, fresh appearance. Many of my patients just want to age gracefully and look good for their age.

On the market since the 90s, Sculptra started gaining aesthetic popularity around 2004. It is poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA), which is a type of dermal filler used for skin and soft tissue augmentation. This compound stimulates your own body’s collagen production to restore volume and rejuvenate skin. Most studies so far, and thus its FDA indication, is for use for replacement of fat loss in the face. In recent years, however, its “off label” usage has become popular after great celebrity results for global volumizing of the face and other areas such as knees, elbows and buttocks.

Sculptra is unique and unlike any other dermal filler on the market today. While other fillers are composed of hyaluronic acid (HA), they’re typically only used to treat one area, often being placed on the bone such as the cheek, in nasolabial folds, lips or under the eyes. These fillers produce immediate results that tend to last in the range of months. Sculptra affects the foundation of the face, restoring the underlying structure of the skin by stimulating your own natural collagen.

It’s truly the only liquid facelift out there. It’s also one of the only injectable products that actually improves the quality of the skin itself.

It is excellent for a wide range of areas and is commonly done over a series of treatments, usually only two to three, and it can take four to six months to achieve total correction. Although results are not immediate, once correction has been reached, it tends to last longer than other fillers and requires less maintenance.

This is why my patients love this product so much when going for subtle, natural results. It’s your body’s own collagen that is giving you your volume back. Results are grown over a period of weeks and then last years. Eighty percent of users were still satisfied with their treatment results at 25 months, which is longer than any of the more common hyaluronic acid fillers on the market. Personally, I have found that in my patients, it ranges two to five years.

I do find that selecting the right patient for the procedure is important; if you are looking for a quick fix or large volume changes in more structural areas, I find that there are more ideal products to choose.

It is also important to note that injecting too superficially, inaccurate dilution of the product or poor placement can lead to complications. It is important to seek a board-certified facial plastic surgeon or dermatologist who has the knowledge and experience to use this product safely.

If you are unsure if Sculptra is the right choice for you, I recommend coming in for a consultation. Sculptra brings a natural and gradual replacement of lost collagen. It’s the ability to look better over time without looking like you’ve had something done.

Dr. Lindsey Pennington is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon with an office at 6030 Line Ave. in Shreveport. She is the only female facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon in solo private practice in Louisiana. Dr. Pennington is known for her refined, natural results. All cosmetic consults are complimentary. Website: www.penningtonfacialplastics.com or phone (318) 216-5366. Follow them on FB and IG @penningtonfacialplastics for special offers and examples of their work.