WHAT IS SCULPTRA?
Sculptra is made up of a substance called polylactic acid (poly-L-lactic acid) or PLLA, which when injected into the skin stimulates your own collagen production resulting in a gradual, natural looking build-up of tissue. This thickens the skin, smoothing out lines, softening your features and improving the skin’s overall appearance. Sculptra has a long-standing safety record and is FDA approved for cosmetic use. Once injected your skin will improve gradually over a period of 6-10 months and the results will last approximately 2 years.
WHY IS COLLAGEN SO IMPORTANT?
Collagen is a fibrous protein in the deep dermis that gives skin its structure and helps it look firm and smooth. A healthy supply of collagen makes for a more youthful-looking complexion so if you want to appear more youthful-looking — without appearing like you’ve had work done — then Sculptra may be a good choice for you.
WHY HAVE SCULPTRA TREATMENT?
With age, your skin’s natural collagen supply decreases and you may start to notice wrinkles, loss of definition and other signs of ageing, such as saggy skin, jowls and hollows. By the age of 45 you will have loss around 25% of your natural collagen.
Sculptra activates the skin’s natural renewal process to replace lost collagen. The beauty of Sculptra is that it works gradually so the results develop subtly and gradually to improve the signs of ageing over time so nobody will be able to guess your secret.
WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM SCULPTRA?
Sculptra is most suited to those who have facial volume loss due to excessive weight loss or those people who are very physically active and look ‘gaunt’ as it addresses the whole face. It is also suited to those who are looking for an anti-ageing treatment with results that are gradual and completely natural looking.
Before the treatment you will have a consultation with me to assess your suitability for treatment and discuss your desired outcome. We will discuss alternative treatments to ensure that you understand the options available to you and we will develop a tailored treatment plan.
Areas that can be treated with Sculptra
For best results I recommend a course of treatment – we suggest 1 vial for every decade of your life, so for example if you are 40 we would suggest a course of 4 vials, if you are 50 we recommend a course of 5 vials and so on. At each treatment you can have 1-2 vials injected and treatments will be 6 weeks apart until the required number of vials have been given.
Normally you can start to see results around 4-6 weeks after your first treatment but the skin will continue to plump and improve for many months with best results seen around 6-10 months after the first treatment. The results will last around 2-3 years but we recommend a ‘top-up’ treatment once a year to keep the collagen stimulation active.
Sculptra is injected into the areas being treated using a fine cannula which minimises the number of injections requires and reduces bruising and downtime. You may feel some discomfort but this will be mild and short-lived. The Sculptra solution will contain some local anaesthetic to reduce the discomfort.
The treatment time varies depending on what areas are being treated but should be no longer than around 30 minutes. Immediately after the procedure the treated area will appear slightly swollen, you may have some bruising and it will feel tender to the touch, but this will subside after a few days.
You will be provided with aftercare advice and instructions to ensure that your skin heals well and you achieve the best possible results. You will begin to see improvements in your skin around 4-6 weeks after treatment. For 2 vials the cost is £550 resulting in approximately 8mls of product.
