Your face looks a lot different than it did when you were younger. If you’ve noticed changes like wrinkles, sagging, and a loss of volume in your skin, then you may be looking for a solution. At Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, Il, we have the perfect way to help you get your youthful looks back. Here’s a close look at what Sculptra can do for you.
Does Sculptra Stimulate Collagen Growth?
This injectable has been around since 1999. Originally used to help those living with HIV regain fullness in the facial area, since 2014 it has been approved by the FDA to reduce and eliminate the appearance of wrinkles. This is a safe, highly effective way to get back the youthful appearance you may have lost with age.
But how exactly does it work? The main ingredient in this injectable serves a primary purpose. When it’s been injected into the skin, the ingredient in this product will help to stimulate your body’s natural production of collagen, providing you with a fuller, smoother-looking appearance.
What Is Sculptra?
This is an injectable treatment, meaning that a very fine needle is used to strategically apply the product to various areas of the face. It’s made with an ingredient called poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA.
This treatment was originally designed to help those who live with HIV. The disease can cause lipoatrophy or a loss of fat. This can cause the person to look even more gaunt and sickly, and the injectable was a great method for those struggling with the illness to get back a healthier appearance. However, it quickly became apparent that this could be a beneficial way for those concerned with sagging and wrinkling of the skin caused by aging to also regain a fuller, smoother appearance.
Why Do We Get Wrinkles?
The first step to understand how this product works is to learn more about why wrinkles appear in the first place. Your skin is made with proteins called collagen and elastin. When you’re young, these proteins are in abundance and allow your skin to retain its structural integrity.
However, as you get older the amount of collagen and elastin begin to reduce. This can be exacerbated by other elements like sun exposure and a poor skin care regimen. As your skin loses collagen, it is lace able to bounce back from the facial expressions you make, and you’ll find that it loses its elasticity and fullness.
How Does It Work?
The primary ingredient in this product is poly-L-lactic acid. This is a biocompatible synthetic product, which means that it is manmade but can be safely injected into the human body. Once the PLLA has been injected, it begins to stimulate the production of collagen.
You will see almost immediate results once your appointment is complete as the injection takes up space beneath your skin. Over the coming weeks, as the PLLA is safely absorbed by your body and the collagen that it’s produced remains, you will see the full results of your treatment.
What Does It Treat?
Several parts of the face will find this type of injectable beneficial. If any of the following areas are of concern to you, then you may want to consider getting this treatment for a younger, fuller, and healthier look.
Your Cheeks
The entirety of your face loses collagen as you get older, but there are a few places where it will be more evident than others. One of these places is in your cheeks. As the amount of collagen begins to reduce in the cheek area, you’ll find that a few things happen. First, you may look more gaunt. You might also find that your skin begins to sag.
This injectable is a fantastic way to provide volume that you may have lost in the cheek area. It can also help you add a little more definition to your cheekbones.
Your Temples
Another very common area where collagen loss is noticeable is around your temples. You may find that this loss of fullness makes you look much older than you may feel, or even actually be.
Going with this injectable will allow you to fill in the area, increasing its volume by about 40%. In just a few treatment sessions, you’ll notice a drastic difference to this part of your face.
Your Jowls
As your skin loses its collagen, gravity may begin to take a firmer hold of it. This, of course, will result in sagging. As your cheeks begin to lose fullness, the skin may be dragged downward, resulting in unwanted jowls.
These jowls can be a huge source of self-consciousness for many people. If you’re unhappy with the presence of jowls on your face, then this treatment option might be right for you. By providing more fullness to the cheeks, it will help pull sagging skin back up, eliminating your jowls.
Nasolabial Folds
Wrinkles and folds tend to appear around areas where your face is moving a lot. As your skin loses collagen and elastin, it’s less able to smooth back out after making facial expressions. The areas that crease when you form these expressions then stay creased, resulting in wrinkles and folds.
Nasolabial folds are deep-set folds that appear between your nose and mouth. They are caused by a combination of repeated facial movements and a loss of volume. When you combine this injectable with a neuromodulator, this makes for an extremely effective way to reduce and possibly even get rid of the appearance of these folds.
Marionette Lines
These are wrinkles that appear around your mouth and mimic the look of the lines on a marionette. Like many wrinkles, they are caused by a combination of repeated facial movements and a loss of volume in the area.
Many people feel self-conscious about the appearance of marionette lines, as they are a major sign of aging. When you receive this injectable, you’ll find that the fullness that it provides helps to reduce the appearance of these wrinkles.
All About the Treatment
Are you thinking of receiving this treatment? It’s normal to be curious about what treatment looks like, and what you can expect from the process.
Here, we’ll take a close-up look at what you can expect when you visit our clinic to receive your Sculptra treatments. Expect a warm, inviting, and clean environment where our staff and technicians will help you feel safe and comfortable throughout every part of the process.
How to Prepare
Among the many things there are to appreciate about this treatment is the fact that you’ll need to do very little to prepare for it. Many treatment options require a lot of preparation beforehand, which isn’t going to be desirable or feasible for everybody. If you’re looking for a treatment that will be as easy to prepare for as it is effective, make sure you consider this one.
There are just a few things you’ll need to take care to avoid if you want the treatment to be effective and to prevent potential bruising. Don’t take medications like ibuprofen or aspirin, don’t drink any alcohol, and avoid certain supplements like fish oil and St. John’s wort. Our clinic will be able to give you a more thorough list of what you should avoid in the week leading up to your appointment.
What Happens During Treatment?
Many anti-wrinkle treatments involve long, uncomfortable processes that can take hours. But if you decide to go with this injectable, you’ll find that the treatment itself is fast and very comfortable. First, we’ll begin with a consultation. This is just as important a part of the process for you as it is for us. It helps us determine and set expectations and gives us a chance to address any questions or concerns that you might have.
Once the consultation is done, we can set you up with your appointment. Once your appointment comes around, we’ll start by preparing your skin. We will thoroughly clean the areas where the injections are being applied. A small amount of numbing cream may also be applied to the areas to help make your experience even more comfortable. When your skin is ready, we will use a find and precise needle to apply the product.
What Happens After?
Once the treatment is complete, you won’t need to worry about lengthy and uncomfortable downtime. Because this treatment is non-invasive, recovery is extremely fast and easy. You’ll be able to go back to work right away, and you’ll only need to avoid a few things to ensure that your treatment is effective.
For the first week or so after your appointment, make sure that you avoid direct sunlight. You’ll also want to keep away from any strenuous activity, or anything that might cause you to sweat. You’ll see a difference in your skin immediately after your appointment, with full results becoming visible in the next week or two.
Why You Should Get This Treatment
Are you considering getting this injectable? Here are a few benefits you can expect.
Feel More Confident
With age comes wrinkling and sagging of the skin, and with this comes feelings of self-consciousness and discontentment with your appearance. But this isn’t something you should have to experience. This treatment offers you a way to feel happier with your appearance and look as young and healthy as you feel on the inside.
Get Long-Lasting Results
There are many fillers available on the market that can help you look younger. But not all of them offer particularly long-lasting results. If you’re looking for something that’s going to last you a long time, then this treatment could be right for you.
While many fillers will require that you return every few months, as long as you follow an overall healthy lifestyle and keep up with a good skincare routine, you can expect to enjoy your results for up to two years.
Be Assured of Safety
When it comes to any type of medical treatment, safety is incredibly important. Treatments like surgical procedures come with a lot of risks, and that may not be something you’re willing to take on.
But this injectable is non-invasive, completely safe, and encourages your body to produce collagen, something it does naturally anyway.
Learn More Today
If you’re looking to get back your younger appearance and look healthier, then Sculptra could be the perfect solution for you. When you come to our clinic to receive your injections, you can expect a safe, clean, and welcoming environment. Are you ready to learn more? Get in touch with us at Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, Il today.