FDA Approves "Sculptra Aesthetic"

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Sculptra for cosmetic purposes.  It's new name will be Sculptra Aesthetic.

I am thrilled!  For non-surgical facial rejuvenation, my patients in Ventura, California, have loved Sculptra.  It will be great to reassure them that their treatments carry a seal of approval.

(Sculptra was originally approved to treat the facial wasting associated with HIV/AIDS.  Savvy physicians have used Sculptra "off label" for cosmetic purposes.)

Sculptra is different than other facial fillers.  It stimulates the patient's own body to produce more of his/her own collagen.  The Sculptra itself does not provide the bulk; the patient does!

While Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, et. al., have been great, no product is better for "reinflating" large areas of the face than Sculptra....

• to lift the eyebrows
• to camouflage bags around the eyes
• to inflate the cheeks
• to minimize folds and lines around the mouth....
• to straighten the jaw line...

Of course, there are a number of fillers on the market that are FDA-approved for cosmetic use.  But none helps you to create your own collagen to the degree that Sculptra does.  Even more importantly, none lasts as long as Sculptra:  at least 3 years.  Let's compare the common fillers in terms of longevity:

• Non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acids (like Restylane and Juvederm):  6-9 months  (Don't be fooled by the advertisements, which purport longevities of a year or more.)
• Evolence (the new collagen):  6-9 months
• Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite):  8-16 months  (I used to think that this product would last 1-3 years.  Then, I recognized that it wasn't ever lasting 2-3 years, so I told my patients that its longevity was probably 12-18 months.  However, now, I am pretty certain that the product disappears in less than a year in at least half of patients.)
• Sculptra:  at least 36 months  (By the way, I used to think that Sculptra lasted only 2 years.  This is the only product that I initially "undersold."  Now, I confidently tell patients that they can expect 3 years, or even longer.)

So, now you know why I've been raving about Sculptra to all of my patients in Ventura County, California.  Sculptra can create a fuller, fresher, and more youthful appearance, and the result should last as long as some "mini-facelifts."

With FDA approval of Sculptra's cosmetic indications, expect to see a lot of advertising for this product.  It is great, and its manufacturers know it.  So, they're going to get the word out.

Sculptra really is the ideal treatment when patients say, "I still feel like I am 35.  But I look like I'm 50!  I'd love to have plastic surgery, but I can't take time off work."  With just a few injections in a few 30-45 minute sessions, Sculpta can produce natural results that won't make you look like Joan Rivers.  I promise.