Dermal fillers offer plenty of face-smoothing benefits from a short in-office appointment that you can make in the middle of the day without disrupting the rest of your schedule. The majority of brand name fillers use a formulation based on hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally found in your body that stores moisture. Made into a gel, it can be injected selectively to improve your appearance.
Over time, hyaluronic acid absorbs into your body, so aesthetic effects are temporary, generally lasting between 6-12 months, depending on the product and formulation. The team at Alpha Internal Medicine offers their patients a long-lasting filler alternative called Sculptra®.
Instead of a hyaluronic acid base, Sculptra uses a polymer that’s similar to the composition of dissolving sutures, which are also absorbed naturally by your body over time. Called poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA for short, this substance has an advantage over hyaluronic acid fillers. Sculptra is a bioactivator that stimulates the production of collagen, a key component of your skin’s middle layer, called the dermis.
The most common protein in your body, collagen forms a matrix in the dermis that supports and nourishes your skin. As you get older, you begin to lose volume from the collagen matrix, and with this loss, your skin begins to show signs of aging.
However, you retain the ability to make new collagen tissue. This is most obvious after a serious cut, when you may see a raised, light-colored scar develop. This is largely caused by collagen forming outside its typical matrix, though it does an excellent job of repairing the injury.
A Sculptra treatment targets many of the same skin contour issues as hyaluronic fillers. Unlike these other filler products, Sculptra also triggers collagen formation. While the PLLA filler gets reabsorbed by the body the same way other products do, this new collagen continues to develop after your treatment. Visible improvements continue over time.
An immediate benefit of Sculptra is that you’re less likely to experience overfill, a condition caused by over-injection of hyaluronic acid fillers. New collagen tissue develops slowly and produces naturally blended effects that last a long time. As many as 94% of clinical trial patients report satisfaction with their treatment results two years after their Sculptra injection.
Because of the way Sculptra works, you won’t see dramatic results the day of your appointment, with instantly plumped cheeks or reduced nasolabial folds. Instead, you’ll see constant improvement over the next few weeks and months as new collagen tissue forms. When other patients return for another hyaluronic acid filler treatment, you’ll be enjoying Sculptra at its maximum effect, one that you can expect to last another year or more.
Find out more about the Sculptra “glow” in consultation with a medical aesthetics expert at Alpha Internal Medicine. We’re standing by to help you rejuvenate your appearance with Sculptra and other cosmetic treatments that bring out your best. Book your session by phone or online today.
