Sculptra®
Sculptra® is a treatment approved for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss, lipoatrophy, in people with human immunodeficiency virus. It is the first FDA-approved product of its kind for this indication.
Facial fat loss, or lipoatrophy, is the loss of fat beneath the skin, which can result in sunken cheeks, indentations, and hollow eyes. Sculptra® is a synthetic, and biocompatible material that can be injected below the surface of the skin in the area of fat loss. It is very similar to a suture or stitch known as Vicryl and supplied in powder form and reconstituted in sterile water for injection.
Sculptra® works by stimulating an intense inflammatory response under the skin surface and with the help of specialized cells called fibroblasts, the creation of collagen and new soft tissues. This works much the same as healing from a wound. The beads of poly-lactic acid that make up Sculptra are gradually resorbed by the body leaving behind collagen fibers and other soft tissue over a period of several months.
Typically, it takes several treatments to achieve the desired effect of soft tissue filling and there is a delay after treatment of two to four months before an appreciable filling effect is seen (other than the post treatment swelling that can be significant). Reported side effects, particularly when treated around the eye and lip areas are most significant for nodules or bumps which can sometimes be improved by injecting corticosteroids like Kenalog into the lumps to decrease the inflammation.
The substantial delay in achieving the desired filling effect has lead us to using alternative fillers which give immediate and long term improvement like Radiesse for soft tissue volume restoration particularly in the liposdystrophy associated with aging.