Sculptra: What Could Go Wrong?
Thank you for the thoughtful feedback on my last post. The dopamine boost your words provide is always much appreciated.
As loyal readers have surely deduced, debate is central to aesthetics. On most topics, professional opinions vary wildly. In my writing, I aim to present dissenting voices (in all their authenticity) rather than attempting to shape a clear (but artificial) consensus. As a conduit for expert voices, I feel it’s not my place to amplify one over another. I like to present a variety of (medically sound) viewpoints and then leave it to you smarties to form your own conclusions. Barring safety concerns, it’s never my intent to talk you into or out of treatments.
In the interest of transparency, I wanted to share one particular remark on my last Sculptra post. New York City dermatologist Dr. Dan Belkin — whom I’ve come to rely on for uncensored commentary — reached out to say, “Love the article. Except I do think Sculptra is the answer to filler fatigue 😂”
I’d quoted Dr. Belkin and several of his colleagues about the potential for Sculptra to create an overfilled appearance. Everyone had a slightly different take. Still, it seemed like a stretch to position Sculptra as universally pillowface-proof.
As I explained to Dr. Belkin, the “Eh” in my dek (The answer to filler fatigue? Eh.) wasn’t meant to be dismissive, but to convey an inconclusive: Maybe. Is Sculptra a solution for those who’ve been overfilled with hyaluronic acid (HA) injectables? Maybe. It depends on myriad factors, including — surprise, surprise — who you ask.
If you ask Dr. Belkin, he’ll tell you this: “When people are overfilled, I’ll often recommend dissolving and then replenishing volume with Sculptra. I feel like the volume you get from Sculptra is much more firm and structured [than that which] you get from a shapeless HA gel.” Makes sense, right? It’s forming fibrous tissue under the skin to add bulk.
But that doesn’t mean Sculptra can’t go awry. As Dr. Belkin points out, there’s a learning curve with Sculptra. “It can’t be injected in the same way that we inject HA fillers,” adds Dr. Jason Bloom, a facial plastic surgeon in Bryn Mawr, PA. In his opinion, when patients have complications from Sculptra, it’s usually because the drug was injected “in the wrong plane, using the wrong technique,” by someone possessing a low Sculptra IQ. (That last part is my interpretation of Dr. Bloom’s kinder phrasing.)
Since many of you wisely asked about potential problems, let’s go there now.
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