The hands of time never stop, meaning wrinkles and lines will eventually appear on your face. But you don't have to helplessly watch these changes take hold. Instead, you can choose an easy treatment that transforms skin from dull and unhealthy to soft, vibrant, and bursting with life. Sculptra is an injectable that harnesses your body's healing power to provide a more youthful appearance, and at BevelUp in Tampa, FL, we're excited to share this option with you.
How Should I Prepare Before Sculptra?
Properly preparing for treatment is important but not complicated. To illustrate, it's important that you not apply products that can irritate your skin two to three days before treatment. This means you must avoid ingredients like glycolic acid, Retin-A, and benzoyl peroxide.
You should also skip that glass of wine 24 hours before treatment. Alcohol can slow the healing process and encourage bruising. Likewise, you should avoid the use of NSAIDs and aspirin for one week. It's equally important you stop certain nutrients one week before treatment, including:
- Essentially fatty acids
- Vitamins A and E
- Cod liver oil
- Flax oil
- Green tea
- Garlic supplements
- Ginkgo Biloba
Arnica Tablets
Arnica tablets are also routinely called Mountain Daisy and have been used for centuries to treat common skin afflictions. Starting an Arnica regimen two or three days before your treatment can help the injections slide into your skin with ease.
Sun Exposure
You will need to cancel your appointment if your face is sunburned. It's therefore best to avoid sun exposure for at least a week prior to treatment. If you have plans during this time to be outside, liberally apply sunscreen - even if the weather is overcast. And on that note, you should include sunscreen in your daily skincare routine. This prevents sun damage, the number one cause of wrinkles and fine lines, to keep your skin smoother for longer.
The Day of Treatment
We recommend wearing loose-fitting and comfortable clothes to your session. It's fine to wash your face with gentle, non-scented soap before your appointment but skip your usual face oils and moisturizer. Also avoid makeup, perfumes, or jewelry.
Post-Treatment Instructions
Most normal activities can be resumed immediately after treatment. Some patients return to work, while others cautiously arrange for a friend or family member to drive them home. The choice is yours, but you should know this therapy does not require downtime.
Having said that, you will want to avoid strenuous exercise for one to two days after treatment. In addition, stay out of the sun and apply your SPF; UV rays will only cause more wrinkles that reduce your treatment results. Cosmetic therapies like laser and IPL should be delayed two to three weeks so your skin has a chance to heal. Makeup, however, can be applied several hours after treatment.
Give Yourself a Massage
Unless otherwise instructed, you will need to massage the treated areas five times a day, five minutes each time, for five days. This helps evenly distribute the solution, and we will likely massage your face immediately after your injections. The easiest time for you to massage is right after cleansing or moisturizing, when your face is hydrated.
What You Should Know About Treatment
Sculptra is often referred to as a filler, but it's actually a bio-activator. It contains poly-L-lactic acid that stimulates the body to produce new collagen. This means it refreshes your appearance from within, unlike injectables made with hyaluronic acid that plump skin just below the surface.
Over time, your skin breaks down the PLLA into water and carbon dioxide, but the collagen remains and continues amplifying. And with increased collagen comes higher levels of elastin as well. This means that as collagen restores shape and volume to the face, elastin improves bounce and skin firmness.
The Effects of Time
We need these doses of collagen and elastin to compensate for what our bodies naturally lose with time. A gradual decline in collagen production is directly responsible for common signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles.
Sculptra is a unique treatment because it restores the skin's inner structure. Your skin will actually be smoother and plumper as its underlying support network is restored. Treatment plans are often comprised of three sessions spaced four to six weeks apart. Once the correction is achieved, results can last a full two or three years. In contrast, fillers made of hyaluronic acid usually last about a year.
Treatment Candidates
If you're concerned with a loss of volume or hollowness caused by aging, weight loss, or other factors, you're likely a qualified candidate for treatment. This injectable is not associated with a "right" age; men and women from 25 to 75 years old see great results. We'll conduct a consultation before treatment to ensure it's right for you and then craft a treatment plan based on your desired results and skin's needs.
Areas That Can Be Treated
This injectable can do a lot, but the most common areas treated include sunken temples and cheeks. It can also redefine the chin and jawline so your face shape looks more youthful.
Because treatment stimulates collagen production, it adds fullness to the face and erases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It's especially useful for targeting marionette lines, wrinkles around the chin, and smile lines. This treatment also softens boney areas of the face, such as cheekbones, where skin has become thinner with age. But Sculptra does more than improve your appearance; it helps thicken skin so it is truly stronger and healthier.
Enjoy Gradual Results
Gone are the days when cosmetic therapies rapidly and completely changed your appearance. Now, treatments are designed to deliver subtle enhancements that don't immediately alert others to your having "work done." Sculptra follows this mantra to a tee, delivering gradual results that take a little time to develop. The slower process comes with a host of benefits; to illustrate, this is one of the longest-lasting injectable treatments available.
As explained just a moment ago, this therapy improves skin's overall health. These effects are very appealing to those who don't want to drastically alter their appearances but instead want to look more refreshed. With that in mind, your results will start to show two to three weeks after your first session. They will then reach their full potential within several months, depending on factors like age and volume loss.
Skin Texture Significantly Improves
One of the most surprising aspects of this treatment is its ability to fully rejuvenate skin's texture. Other injectables deliver immediate plumping effects and temporarily help with moisture recovery. But this injectable pushes the boundaries to give you a smoother canvas with a gentle, luminous glow. And these effects will continue as long as collagen production stays at higher levels - meaning that coveted glow won't disappear overnight.
You're in Control
This treatment allows you to decide how much volume you want in each area without having to make a quick, rash decision. If you decide down the road you want to look a little plumper, we can easily and accordingly adjust your dosage. This is a treatment with incredible flexibility.
Results Look Natural
Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to dermal fillers, but many patients love Sculptra because they say it delivers natural results. We attribute this to the ongoing process of collagen stimulation. Patients never look over-filled but do enjoy a softer fullness.
Treatment Is Easy
Although this injectable works a little differently from others, the treatment sessions are very similar to each other. A topical numbing agent will be applied to your face beforehand to ensure treatment is as comfortable as possible.
Once that agent has taken hold, a member of our team will mark the areas where injections are to be placed. The actual injections move very quickly, and after they're complete, we will gently massage your face for about five minutes. As mentioned earlier, this distributes the product evenly for lovely and consistent results.
Not Your Average Treatment
This injectable is more than your average filler. It's a smart, sophisticated option for patients who want to plump shallow areas and erase fine lines and wrinkles. Beyond these results, treatment offers many advantages, including increased collagen production and natural, long-lasting results. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving this injectable a try. Schedule your consultation today by contacting BevelUp in Tampa, FL.