For those of you who are looking to turn back the hands of time for a more youthful looking appearance, Sculptra may be the answer for you!

Volume and the Aging Face

Before we talk about Sculptra, let’s have a quick word about volume and the aging face. The aging face is not just about collagen loss, as most of my patients think when they first come to me.

The aging process is more than skin deep.  There are many contributors to the aging face:  receding bone, atrophy of fat, slow gravitational pull, and the loss of collagen all lead to the overall decreased volume that we see as we age.

Decreased volume in the face is a major contributor to aging.  Don’t you notice that the thinner your face is, the more aged you look?  Heavier people maintain a more youthful appearance in their face.  Most of us find that the thinner and fitter we are, our faces look slightly gaunt or empty.  It’s a catch-22!

We all want to look our best – both face and body, both men and women!  While we maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce unwanted fat elsewhere from the body, with dermal fillers you can regain some of the facial volume lost with aging and weight loss.

Sculptra restores volume that has been lost due to the natural aging process:

What is Sculptra?

Sculptra is poly-L-lactic acid (absorbable suture material).  Sculptra was originally approved for lipoatrophy patients in the 1990’s, as it added volume to the face where volume was receding.  When it was discovered to have great cosmetic benefits and a very low risk profile, it was FDA approved for cosmetic use in 2009.

Why Sculptra?

Sculptra is in a class of it’s own! It works differently than other fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, or Belotero.  These traditional fillers are known as “hyaluronic acid” fillers.  Hyaluronic acid fillers give us quick and instant results and are added in areas where there is need for correction on lines, folds, and wrinkles.  In many cases, hyaluronic acid fillers are the way to go.  Sculptra, on the other hand, is called a “bio-stimulator” which could yield a more optimal and different result.  It stimulates our body’s own collagen to help combat the effects of facial aging.

Sculptra helps restore some of the deep volume that has been lost from the aging process and helps with the natural contour of our face.  For Sculptra, I often use the analogy of the framework of a house.  Sculptra augments the framework of the face where bone and fat pads have receded the most, which helps support the overlying skin.  It is injected in a series of 2-4 sessions, depending on the patients age and volume loss.  This varies from person to person.

Why I love Sculptra

I enjoy injecting Sculptra because there isn’t anything else like this on the market.  It is the only product that helps restore overall volume.  It gives amazingly subtle and beautiful results with a more refined and youthful appearance.  The best thing about it, is that the results can last up to two years or more, definitely making this a worthwhile investment.

I love that we live in an era where there are so many different types of non-surgical treatments for facial volume loss.  Depending on the goal for the patient, the other hyaluronic acid fillers are great to add on for fine lines, wrinkles and folds that cannot be corrected with Sculptra alone.

To schedule a consultation with Emily Sespaniak, NP, complete our online consultation request form or call 415-923-3067 today!