Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hi Dr lam-

What do you think about Sculptra? Do you use it as a filler? Do you think it actually works to stimulate collagen? Do you think it is a good option for patients with lipoatrophy?

Thanks so much,
M

i have actually answered this question multiple times, just do a search on it. to make it short, here are the reasons that i don't do sculptra in brief:
1. takes too long to see a result.
2. requires multiple treatments to get a result.
3. not truly safe around the eyes but midface good.
4. around the mouth since it is a "bioactivator" it can lead to nodules also in the upper face.
5. costs way too much.
6. because it is multiple cross hatch technique even with a dental block, it is too painful. now compound that with needing multiple sessions and waiting and having to massage it, i think you have a no winner.
7. unpredictable since you are waiting for things to grow and change.

here are the rare exceptions in my opinion for sculptra:
1. someone who is not a good candidate for fat transfer (lipoatrophy), does not have enough fat, can't afford it, very young, too overweight (then you might not need the sculptra) etc.
2. does not have hollow in the mouth or eye area JUST cheeks.
3. can afford it and deal with the time to see results.
4. can deal with pain.

for these candidates, i still prefer hyaluronic acid products especially perlane (except around the eyes i use restylane) for the following reasons:
1. reversible (big thing), also good if you are going to convert to fat.
2 great longevity (especially perlane in static areas. don't compare this with restylane/juvederm in the smile lines or lips, which disappears quickly)
3. safe around the eyes and mouth (in the hands of an experienced injector)
4. immediate results.
5. much cheaper
6. one time treatment
7. no nodules.

hope that is clear. i encourage you to watch my videos and forum posts on why i don't use sculptra.
best,
sml

Dr Lam-

Thanks so much for your helpful answer. I did not mean to waste your time:( I did a search on it and got no results- maybe I did not spell it correctly. I will check out the rest of your site.

Again, thanks for your answer. I made an appointment with you so I will be seeing you soon. Looking forward to it:)

Mandy

no problem. look forward to seeing you.
best,
sml