Sculptra
Poly-L-lactic acid biostimulator, with Radiesse where a firmer lift is needed
Sculptra does not fill. It prompts your skin to make its own collagen over the following months, so volume returns gradually and the result is close to undetectable. It is the treatment Dr. Nawas reaches for when a whole face has started to look tired rather than one spot.
What it treats
Is this for you?
- Overall facial volume loss
- Hollow temples
- Flattened cheeks
- Jawline definition
- Crepey skin on the face, neck and chest
- Areas off the face, by consultation
- Acne scarring, with subcision
How it works
What is actually happening.
Sculptra is made of poly-L-lactic acid, the same material used in dissolvable stitches. Suspended in sterile water and placed beneath the skin, its microparticles act as a scaffold that your own fibroblasts respond to by laying down new collagen. Over two to three months the particles dissolve and the collagen remains. Because the change is built by your own tissue, it arrives gradually and lasts about two years.
Radiesse works on a similar principle with calcium-based microspheres and gives a firmer, more immediate lift, so Dr. Nawas sometimes chooses it for a jawline or the backs of the hands. Either way, a series of two or three sessions a few weeks apart gives the best result.
The science
Collagen, and how Sculptra brings it back.
What collagen does
Collagen is the fibrous protein that gives skin its shape and structure. It is what lets skin resist fine lines, wrinkles and sagging, and it declines with age: by around forty, most people have lost up to a fifth of their natural collagen, and the loss continues from there.
PLLA and collagen stimulation
Sculptra is made of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA-SCA). Placed deep in the skin, its microparticles act as a scaffold. As the particles are gradually absorbed, the tissue around them responds by producing new collagen of its own. Collagen strands rebuild over the following weeks and months, restoring the skin's inner structure and softening wrinkles and folds from beneath. In a clinical study, Sculptra produced a 66.5 percent increase in type 1 collagen three months after treatment.
1. Placed deep in the skin
PLLA microparticles are placed beneath the surface, where the skin's supporting structure lives.
2. Your collagen responds
As the particles are absorbed, the surrounding tissue starts producing new collagen strands of its own.
3. Structure is restored
Over weeks to months, the rebuilt collagen restores support and volume, so the change looks like you, rested.
Source: adapted from Sculptra Science, Galderma Laboratories, sculptrausa.com/sculptra-science. Collagen loss with age: Shuster et al., Br J Dermatol 1975. Collagen increase at three months: Goldberg et al., Dermatol Surg 2013. Sculptra is not used in people with a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring, and is not placed in the lips or around the eyes; common side effects are swelling, tenderness, redness, bruising and small lumps that usually settle. Full safety information is on the Sculptra website.
Your visit
What the appointment is like.
Plan
Dr. Nawas maps where structure has been lost and agrees the number of vials and sessions.
Treat
After numbing, the suspension is placed in the deep tissue with a cannula in several passes, then the area is massaged.
Massage
You massage the treated areas for five minutes, five times a day, for five days. It matters.
Repeat
Sessions are spaced four to six weeks apart. Results build for six months.
Before and after your appointment
Simple preparation, simple recovery.
Before
- Tell Dr. Nawas about autoimmune conditions, keloid scarring, pregnancy or recent illness.
- Pause blood-thinning supplements for a week if your doctors agree.
- Plan the series so the final session is at least three months before a big event.
Afterward
- Swelling and tenderness for a day or two; small bumps under the skin are normal for a week.
- Massage as instructed: five minutes, five times a day, five days.
- No strenuous exercise for 24 hours.
- Photographs at each visit track a change that is easy to miss day to day.
Pricing
Published in advance, like everything else here.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Sculptra or RadiessePer vial or syringe | $1,100 |
| Typical first session2 vials | $2,200 |
| Series of 2 to 3 sessionsQuoted as a plan | Quoted |
Most faces need two vials per session and two or three sessions. Estimates for planning. Dr. Nawas confirms your exact plan and price at the consultation, and you pay only for what is used. Cosmetic care is not billed to insurance. How insurance, superbills and financing work here.
Good to know
Questions patients ask.
How is this different from filler?
Filler adds volume the day it is placed. Sculptra makes your skin build volume itself over months, so it is better for a general loss of structure and less suited to one precise spot. Many plans use both.
Can it be dissolved?
No. It is gradually absorbed over about two years, which is why Dr. Nawas places it conservatively and builds in stages.
Does it hurt?
The suspension contains lidocaine and numbing cream is applied first. Most patients describe pressure rather than pain.
Related procedures
Often planned together.
Next step
Ready when you are.
Collagen rebuilt gradually by your own skin, over a short series of visits.
New to ZN Dermatology? Choose a consultation appointment: how many vials and sessions you need depends on the degree of volume loss, which is assessed in person. The first session can usually be done at the same visit.