Sculptra Face & Buttock Aftercare & Recovery

Please follow these instructions carefully after your treatment. Appropriate aftercare helps support recovery, distribute the product as instructed and ensure that possible complications are recognised promptly.

Sculptra is an injectable collagen stimulator containing poly-L-lactic acid. It does not behave like hyaluronic-acid filler and does not create its final result immediately.

Contact the clinic promptly if you are concerned about any symptom, even if you are unsure whether it is normal.

For a non-urgent concern, or if you are unsure whether something needs attention, you can also call NHS 111 (free, 24/7).

A guide only — everyone heals at their own pace.

Swelling and tenderness are expected — here's how to stay comfortable and support your result:

Immediately after treatment, the area may appear fuller because of:

• Sterile water used to prepare the product
• Local anaesthetic
• Swelling
• Temporary tissue expansion

This initial fullness normally reduces as the fluid is absorbed. You may therefore notice that the area appears less full several days after treatment. This does not mean that the treatment has failed. Sculptra works by stimulating a gradual tissue response. Visible improvement develops over the following weeks and months. Facial clinical-study participants have experienced results beginning from approximately one month, sustained for up to two years in some studies. Buttock results are less predictable. Results vary and cannot be guaranteed.

Unless your practitioner has given different instructions, follow the 5–5–5 rule: massage the treated area for 5 minutes, 5 times each day, for 5 consecutive days. The manufacturer's patient guidance recommends this routine to help distribute Sculptra evenly. Your practitioner may extend, shorten or modify the routine according to treatment area, number of vials, injection plane, tissue response, swelling or bruising and individual findings. Follow the personalised instructions recorded on your treatment plan.

Massage may feel mildly tender, particularly during the first few days, but it should not cause severe pain.

Manual massage should be used unless your practitioner has specifically approved another method.

Stop massage and contact Layali Clinic if you develop:

Do not massage directly over an open entry point, broken skin, a suspected infection, a blister, an area of suspected tissue damage, or a very painful or rapidly enlarging swelling.

A clean cool compress may be used if advised.

Cooling does not replace the prescribed massage routine.

You may cleanse or shower gently once your practitioner confirms the entry points can become wet. During early healing:

Official product information permits makeup several hours after treatment, but waiting until the injection points have closed and the following day is preferable. When restarting:

For approximately 24–48 hours, or until irritation settles, avoid:

Gentle massage performed as part of the instructed Sculptra routine is still required. Avoid all additional or aggressive facial manipulation.

Avoid strenuous exercise for approximately 24–48 hours, or longer if the area remains significantly swollen, painful or bruised. This includes:

Gentle walking is generally acceptable. Return to exercise gradually.

Until redness, swelling and tenderness have settled, avoid:

Avoid swimming until the entry points have closed. Use broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed facial areas once the skin can tolerate it. Do not expose bruised or inflamed skin to deliberate tanning.

Alcohol: avoid for at least 24 hours and while significant bruising or swelling remains.

Smoking & nicotine: avoid or reduce smoking, vaping, shisha and other nicotine use during healing.

Medication:

• Do not stop prescribed medication without speaking to the clinician who prescribed it
• Do not stop prescribed blood thinners on the clinic's advice alone
• Do not take leftover antibiotics
• Do not apply unprescribed antibiotic or steroid creams
• Ask your practitioner, pharmacist or prescriber which pain relief is appropriate

After facial treatment:

After buttock or hip-dip treatment:

Unlike surgical fat transfer, Sculptra does not automatically require a surgical BBL pillow or prolonged avoidance of sitting. Use one only if your practitioner has recommended it.

Temporary firmness or small areas of swelling may occur. Sculptra can also cause delayed nodules or lumps. These may:

• Be felt beneath the skin
• Be visible
• Be painless
• Become tender or inflamed
• Develop weeks, months or occasionally longer after treatment
• Require medical treatment
• Rarely require surgical treatment

Official safety information reports small palpable bumps and larger delayed lumps, with or without inflammation or skin discolouration. Long-term monitoring has documented injection-site nodules following facial Sculptra.

Do not repeatedly squeeze, needle or aggressively massage a persistent nodule without clinical advice.

Sculptra-related lumps or inflammatory reactions may require clinical observation, medical treatment, prescription medication, specialist assessment, imaging, intralesional treatment, drainage, or rarely surgical management. Do not arrange hyaluronidase treatment elsewhere without first informing the clinician that the product is Sculptra.

Delayed inflammation may develop after the initial treatment has appeared to settle. Possible symptoms:

• New swelling
• Redness
• Tenderness
• Firmness
• Multiple lumps
• Recurrent swelling
• Warmth
• Skin discolouration

Updated product labelling recognises that delayed inflammation may follow viral or bacterial illness, infection, vaccination or dental procedures.

This does not mean every illness or vaccination will cause a reaction, but any new delayed swelling or nodules should be assessed.

Contact Layali Clinic promptly if you experience:

Do not squeeze or drain the area, insert a needle, apply leftover antibiotics, continue forceful massage over a suspected infection, or delay seeking help.

Do not undergo another procedure over the same area until the skin has healed and Layali Clinic confirms it is appropriate. This includes:

Tell future practitioners that Sculptra is present, when it was injected, where it was placed, how many vials were used and whether you experienced any complication.

Sculptra treatment usually involves a planned course rather than one session. Official facial guidance states many clients undergo approximately two to three sessions over several months, spaced at least three to four weeks apart. Do not have another session simply because the temporary fluid-related fullness has reduced.

Your practitioner must allow time to assess:

Results are gradual and cannot be guaranteed.

Attend every follow-up appointment. Review may include:

Do not wait for a routine review if you experience:

Contact if:

• You are concerned about your recovery
• Pain is severe or increasing
• Swelling is excessive or worsening
• One side becomes significantly more swollen
• An entry point opens or begins leaking
• The area becomes increasingly red or hot
• You develop a persistent lump
• You develop a painful or inflamed nodule
• Swelling returns after initially settling
• You develop symptoms after illness, infection, vaccination or dental treatment
• You notice unexpected contour changes
• You are unable to complete the massage because of pain or swelling
• Your symptoms differ from what was explained