The real reason we recommend Sculptra three times,

This is the part I explain most often

in the treatment room

Please check this before reading

Q. If you inject a lot of Sculptra at once,

isn't it faster?

A. It's actually the opposite. If you load it all at once,

the volume often comes up too much

and looks unnatural,

so the key is to build it over three sessions while watching the trend.

Q. Then why specifically three times?

A. Sculptra doesn't fill immediately after injection;

it is a treatment that gradually creates collagen,

so you need to observe the response with intervals between sessions

to get the right amount without over- or underdoing it.

Why is it three times, exactly?

Sculptra is a collagen booster containing PLLA (polylactic acid)

that induces collagen production within the skin.

A collagen booster

Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers, Sculptra does not

fill volume immediately upon injection,

and over several weeks your own collagen

gradually builds up to create volume.

Why shouldn't it be loaded all at once?

Dr. Wi Youngjin's

Core Insight

The reason I say Sculptra needs three sessions is

to watch the trend of Sculptra's

natural volume recovery.

It is an approach for natural results without overdoing it.

Why Sculptra is divided into three sessions

This is not a procedure that tries to deliver the result all at once,

but one that watches the trend of the volume that comes up with each session,

and finds the point

that is natural without being excessive.

Last month, a woman in her mid-40s came in,

and she said that at another clinic she had

4 vials of Sculptra injected at once.

It was fine at first, but about three months later

the area under the cheekbones looked puffy,

and she came in very stressed because her face looked bigger.

Honestly, cases like this are quite common.

With Sculptra, collagen really starts building up

2 to 3 months after the injection rather than immediately.

So even if you think at first, this seems a little lacking,

waiting often brings it up just right,

and conversely, if you feel satisfied at first,

it can become excessive later.

In the first session, I usually use only about

60 to 70 percent of the estimated needed amount,

and after a 4 to 6 week interval, I look at

how much it has come up by the second session.

The number three itself is not what matters;

the key principle is adjusting while watching the trend

with 4 to 6 week intervals between sessions.

Dr. Wi Youngjin's key summary

Sculptra three times is not about

needing three sessions for effect,

but about building it up over three sessions while watching how your face responds.

Think of it as a safety mechanism

that prevents overfilling.

This is how I divide it in the clinic

But it's not all good.

Getting it split across three sessions means

having to come to the clinic three times,

and the downside is that it takes more than 4 to 6 months

to reach the final result.

Still, my experience is that it's much better than

ending up overdone and needing to dissolve it or wait it out.

Three questions I get most often in the clinic

Q1. If I'm satisfied after the 2nd session, do I really have to do the 3rd?

No, you don't have to.

In fact, there are quite a few cases where I say first,

Let's skip the third session.

Q2. If I do all three sessions, how long does the effect last?

Usually you can think of it as around two years.

After that, many people manage their condition

with 1 to 2 vial maintenance injections.

Q3. I'm worried about side effects. What usually happens?

The most common thing is feeling small nodules at

the injection site,

but most of it can be prevented by massaging thoroughly

right after the procedure and getting the dilution concentration right.

Once Sculptra goes in,

it cannot be dissolved like hyaluronic acid.

So all the more reason to split it up,

and go slowly; that's the safer approach.

I'll continue with a deeper discussion in the next post.

This has been Wi Youngjin.

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