New England Facial and Cosmetic Surgery Center

What is Polylactic Acid/Sculptra?

Polylactic acid is a synthesized simple sugar that is used in cosmetic applications as a soft tissue filler. Sculptra is different from other tissue fillers. It lasts up to 24-36 months in European studies. Once adequate correction is achieved, it needs to be touched up only once every twelve to twenty-four months. Unlike other fillers, Sculptra is used as a volume filler, more like fat grafting but without the downtime, the trauma, or the concerns over “viability.” As one ages, one’s face loses four to five grams of volume a year, the loss showing primarily in cheeks, under the eyes, in the chin and sagging neck. The loss of volume with aging has often been treated with surgical “pulling-back,” but Sculptra allows Dr. Petropoulos to slowly restore volume loss with a simple in office 30 minute procedure. Most cosmetic restorations require two to three treatments. Severe lipoartophy (fat loss) from HIV infection requires four to six treatments. The Before and After photos demonstrate the amazing results that can be achieved with Sculptra and its skilled use in any patient that has lost volume due to aging.


	Sculptra Liquid Facelift
	Sculptra, the U.S. trade name for New-Fill was approved by the FDA in August 2004. New-Fill is the previous trade name for the substance polylactic acid. It has been used for cosmetic purposes, such as filling out the cheeks, the hollows under the eyes, the marionette line areas around the mouth, the neck and other areas that have lost fat with aging or trauma, in Europe and Mexico since 1998. More than 200,000 thousand patients have been treated. Polylactic acid is a simple synthesized sugar that once injected into an area, stimulates the production of collagen, and thus adds volume to the face. Polylactic acid is non-allergic in human use and has been used in joint replacements, reabsorbable sutures and other medical applications for more than 60 years.

	Dr. Petropoulos is highly skilled in facial rejuvenation using injectable fillers with over 10 years experience. Dr. Petropoulos has perfected the fine nuances of Sculptra use in Facial Volumization under the guidance of Dr. Englehard, who has treated more than 3000 patients with Sculptra. He performed the actual studies that were instrumental in Sculptra's FDA approval for use in the United States. Sculptra is a volumizer that restores facial contours and three dimensional volume in areas that hollow out with aging, such as cheeks, tear trough deformities, and laugh lines. It can even make jowls appear to be gone by restoring a pleasing jaw line. Sculptra is the newest addition to the multiple options offered by Dr. Petropoulos for restoration and rejuvenation of the face and neck. Sculptra is compatible with most other fillers such as Restylane and Radiesse.
	Before	After


	Volume restoration is the most important theme in recapturing a youthful appearance. Please note these signs of aging in the above pre-sculptra picture : The distance from the lower eyelid lash-line to the cheek becomes longer with age; the arch of the cheek is split in two by a dent called the tear trough deformity and the cheek loses its ogee curve, flatening as it descends.The naso-labial fold deepens and lengthens. After Sculptra Facial Revolumisation, the youthful cheek ogee curve is restored as is the cheek height and the distance from the lower eyelid lash line to the cheek becomes shorter, as it is in young people. The naso-labial fold too is softened with the added volume. The above described signs of aging occur early - in the late thirties to early forties and a treatment example is demonstrated above. The drastic improvement was acheived with a Botox Browlift and with Sculptra Revolumisation alone. For older age groups, the face deflates and the skin crinkles just like a half filled baloon. The examples below demonstrate significant improvement in the older age groups just using Sculpora Revolumisation.
	Before	After


	What is Polylactic Acid/Sculptra? Polylactic acid is a synthesized simple sugar that is used in cosmetic applications as a soft tissue filler. Sculptra is different from other tissue fillers. It lasts up to 24-36 months in European studies. Once adequate correction is achieved, it needs to be touched up only once every twelve to twenty-four months. Unlike other fillers, Sculptra is used as a volume filler, more like fat grafting but without the downtime, the trauma, or the concerns over “viability.” As one ages, one’s face loses four to five grams of volume a year, the loss showing primarily in cheeks, under the eyes, in the chin and sagging neck. The loss of volume with aging has often been treated with surgical “pulling-back,” but Sculptra allows Dr. Petropoulos to slowly restore volume loss with a simple in office 30 minute procedure. Most cosmetic restorations require two to three treatments. Severe lipoartophy (fat loss) from HIV infection requires four to six treatments. The Before and After photos demonstrate the amazing results that can be achieved with Sculptra and its skilled use in any patient that has lost volume due to aging.
	Before	After


	How does Sculptra work? Right after a procedure, the correction appears fully treated, but most of the apparent correction is fluid used to deliver the polylactic acid particles into the subcutaneous layer. The fluid disappears within a few days of the procedure and the correction appears lost. But polylactic acid stimulates collagen formation in the skin and slowly over the two to three months following injection, the volume slowly increases from the newly-formed collagen. The restoration of volume is gradual, building noticeably with each treatment. When fully corrected, the volume restored usually lasts up to three years. Patients with severe lipoatrophy due to illness may need touch-ups yearly.
	Before	After


	How is the procedure done? Sculptra is injected into the subcutaneous areas that need volume replacement with a 25-26 gauge needle in an overlapping fanning pattern or a droplet pattern with a number of individual injections, depending on the site of injection. An anesthetic is mixed with the Sculptra just before the injections are started and eliminates the need for nerve blocks. Each “procedure” typically takes forty-five minutes. The Sculpture Procedure is performed one month apart for the first two sessions. Two months should pass before the third session, in order to assess the degree of correction and determine whether any additional treatment is necessary. The exact number of sessions to achieve maximal correction of the areas being treated depends on the depth of the original deficit and the “volume” loss prior to treatment. Sculptra can be used to augment as well as fill. It can build out one's chin or fill in large areas of depressed acne scars. Sculptra can restore the volume time has stolen from us.
	Before	After


	What are the cosmetic uses of Sculptra? Sculptra may be used to restore volume to the sunken parts of the face: filling in the hollow under the eyes, restoring cheekbone height, reshaping and re-supporting the mouth, chin and the neck. Its use is similar to fat transfer injections to the face, without the 2-3 weeks of swelling, the bruising or the pain. Please look at the Before and After photos for great examples of cosmetic correction using Sculptra.
	Before	After


	Is Sculptra/Polylactic acid safe? Polylactic acid is extremely safe. It is a simple sugar with a long history of use in medical procedures. With time, it is biodegraded to lactic acid, a normal by-product of the body’s metabolism. In sixty years of use, there have been no reported allergic reactions. It is extremely important that the cosmetic physician you choose be an expert in the administration and aesthetics of Sculptra, and in facial aesthetic principles.
	Before	After




	What happens after the procedure? There is some swelling and occasionally bruising afterwards from the volume injected so ice packs may be applied. Usually the patient can return to work immediately. The treated areas may be a little sore for a few days and the treated areas need to be massaged for five minutes at night for the week after treatment.
	Rejuvenate your life – start by putting your best face forward !

Sculptra Liquid Facelift