Ah, so Sculptra finally gets FDA approval for cosmetic purposes. Does that change anything? Of course not. “Off-label” use of a drug or device is entirely legal and ethical. Just because a study, say, studied a drug in women between the age of 30 and 32, doesn’t mean that it won’t work on women 33 or 29. That’s all off-label is; using the drug whose safety is already proved in a similar application.
The only thing that changes now is that the manufacturer of Sculptra can market its cosmetic applications to doctors and patients.
But that’s actually not such a good thing. By and large, patients are willing to believe anything, such as the myth that an injectable filler can come even remotely close to replicating the effect of surgery. Nothing could be more wrong!
Allow me to list a few myths:
Fillers are painless. Wrong – they hurt more than surgery. At least we give anesthesia. I see patients writhe and complain from these injections all the time.
Fillers are quick and easy. Not true. There is often prolonged bruising. I’ve seen people with more prolonged bruising around their eyes after the injection of hyaluronic acid than after most blepharoplasties.
Fillers look natural. Huh? Just look around at the duck lips. Take a glance – if you can – at the women who obliterate their natural nasolabial folds to the point they look ape-like. And look at the lumps in lips and cheeks from fillers.
Fillers are cheaper. Really? Only if you use the same kind of math that would make you think a rental car is cheaper than purchasing one. The day you rent is cheaper than the day you buy, but if you want to drive everyday – or to look good for years – the surgery will be far cheaper in the long run.
Fillers are a “non-surgical facelift.” I don’t know what facelifts the people making this statement are comparing the fillers to, but I’ve never seen a filler that could produce the kinds of results here: https://www.drteitelbaum.com/gallery/face/face-and-neck-lift/ .
Why am I ranting against fillers? Because fillers are overly used today. And since they are seemingly so easy to use, many untrained doctors are using them. Fillers have a role, but it is not nearly as great as their manufacturers would have us believe. There are too many women out there looking unnatural and unattractive who would be much better off with surgery.
