Sculptra® Aesthetic

Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kent Hasen is pleased to offer his patients Sculptra® Aesthetic. Sculptra® Aesthetic is a long lasting treatment approved by the FDA that works gradually to give you subtle yet noticeable results that can persist over 2 years. Sculptra® Aesthetic is approved for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial aging including fat loss of shallow to deep nasolabial fold (smile line) contour deficiencies and other facial wrinkles. It is the first FDA-approved product of its kind that stimulates your body to replace collagen lost during the aging process.

Facial fat loss, or lipoatrophy, is the loss of fat beneath the skin, which can result in sunken cheeks, indentations, and hollow eyes. Sculptra® Aesthetic is a safe, synthetic, and biocompatible material that is injected below the surface of the skin in the area of facial aging. It provides a gradual and significant increase in skin thickness, improving the appearance of folds and sunken areas. No skin testing is required.

Sculptra® Aesthetic has been safely used outside the United States since 1999 in over 150,000 patients under the trade names New-Fill™ and Sculptra®. Dr. Hasen has been using Sculptra® Aesthetic in Naples, Florida since early 2006 in hundreds of his patients. Because of his vast experience with the product, Dr. Hasen has been asked to be a national speaker for Sculptra® Aesthetic to help educate and train cosmetic plastic surgeons and dermatologists on the safe use of the product.

Sculptra® Aesthetic is an injectable product that restores and corrects the signs of facial fat loss by replacing lost volume. Sculptra® provides an increase in skin thickness, helping to create a more natural facial appearance in those with facial aging.

When the word lipoatrophy is broken down, "lipo" means "fat," and "atrophy" means "the loss of." Facial lipoatrophy is the loss of fat beneath the skin, which can result in sunken cheeks, indentations, and hollow eyes.

Sculptra® is composed of poly-L-lactic acid, a synthetic material. Sculptra® is not made from human or animal sources and does not require a skin test. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is a biocompatible (does not harm the body), biodegradable (able to be broken down by the body) material that has been widely used for many years in surgical products.

The effects are long-lasting; they were shown in a clinical study to last for up to 2 years after the first treatment session. The results from Sculptra® are not immediate; Sculptra® provides a gradual increase in skin thickness. Usually it takes 3 – 4 sessions spaced out by 4 – 8 weeks between the sessions to complete the treatment. Dr. Hasen will see you again in a few months after the initial series of injections to decide if additional injections are needed. Touch-up treatments may be needed to maintain the desired effects. People with mild lipoatrophy will require fewer treatments than those with severe lipoatrophy.

Featured Cases

Click thumbnails below for larger view or click here for more Sculptra® cases.

Case Number 75:		Case Number 141:
Before	After	Before	After

The before and after pictures above depict ACTUAL PATIENTS of Naples Plastic Surgeon Kent V. Hasen, M.D. Your results may vary.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sculptra® Aesthetic

What is Sculptra® Aesthetic?

Sculptra® Aesthetic is a synthetic injectable material known as "poly-L-lactic acid." Poly-L-lactic acid is biocompatible (a material that does not harm the body) and biodegradable (able to be broken down by the body). Poly-L-lactic acid has been widely used for many years in dissolvable stitches, soft tissue implants, and other types of implants.

How does Sculptra® work?

Sculptra® is injected below the surface of the skin in the area of fat loss. Sculptra® provides a gradual increase in skin thickness. Visible results appear within the first few treatment sessions.

Sculptra® will not correct the underlying cause of the facial fat loss, but will help improve the appearance by increasing skin thickness in the treated area.

Do I need a skin test before being treated with Sculptra®?

No skin testing is required prior to use.

Are the results from Sculptra® immediate?

No. At your first treatment visit, it may appear that Sculptra® worked immediately because of swelling from the injections and the water used to dilute Sculptra®. In a few days, when the swelling goes down and the water is absorbed by your body, you may look as you did before your treatment. Sculptra® takes time to gradually correct the depression in your skin. Dr. Hasen will see you again in 4-6 weeks to for the second session of Sculptra® injections.

How many treatments are required?

Dr. Hasen will decide the appropriate number of treatment sessions and the amount of Sculptra® you will need at each session. Patients with severe facial fat loss may require 3 to 6 treatment sessions.

How long do treatment results last?

Treatment results will differ for each person. In a clinical study, the treatment results lasted for up to 2 years after the first treatment session in most patients. Some patients had effects lasting as long as 5 years. Touch-up treatments may be needed to maintain the desired effect.

Do injections of Sculptra® Aesthetic hurt?

As with any injection, injections with Sculptra® may hurt. Sculptra® is injected in small amounts using a very fine needle. Dr. Hasen will apply a topical and local anesthetic to minimize the discomfort.

What can I expect to happen at a treatment session?

Dr. Hasen will answer all of your questions and prepare you for the treatment.

• Make-up should be removed.
• The area where the injections will be given will be cleaned with an antiseptic.
• Dr. Hasen's assistant will apply a topical anesthetic to your face.
• Sculptra® Aesthetic will be injected in small amounts into the skin using a very fine needle. Multiple injections will be needed.
• An ice pack should be applied to the treatment area to help reduce swelling.
• After the treatment session, the area should be thoroughly massaged to distribute the product evenly.

What can I expect after treatment?

Immediately following a treatment session with Sculptra® Aesthetic, redness, swelling, pain, bruising or all of these signs can happen in the treatment area. These signs usually go away in a few hours to a few days. Some have been known to last up to 17 days. Dr. Hasen will give you specific post-treatment care instructions. You should massage the treated area (a few times each day) for several days after the treatment session. Within the first 24 hours after treatment, an ice pack should be applied for a 20 – 30 minutes at a time to the treatment area to help reduce swelling. Wrap the ice in a cloth and avoid putting ice directly on your skin. Avoid excessive sun and UV lamp exposure until any initial swelling and redness has resolved.

How quickly can I get back to my daily activities?

Most patients feel comfortable going back to their normal activities following the treatment.

When will I be able to apply make-up after treatment?

Make-up may be applied a few hours after treatment if no complications are present (for example, open wounds or bleeding).

What are the possible side effects of treatment with Sculptra® Aesthetic?

The most common side effects with the use of Sculptra® Aesthetic include injection-related side effects at the site of the injection such as bleeding, tenderness or pain, redness, bruising, or swelling. These side effects generally last, on average, 3 to 17 days.

One possible delayed side effect with Sculptra® can be small bumps under the skin in the treated area. These small bumps may not be visible, and you may notice them only when you press on the treated skin. These bumps tend to happen within the first 6 to 12 months after the first treatment. Occasionally, these bumps go away on their own. Visible bumps, sometimes with redness or color change to the treated area, have also been reported. As with all procedures that involve an injection through the skin, there is a risk of infection.

We ask that you report any side effects to Dr. Hasen as soon as you notice them.

Who should not use Sculptra®?

You should not use Sculptra® if you are allergic to any ingredient of Sculptra®. Talk to Dr. Hasen about your medical history when deciding on treatment options.