
Spanx For Your Face: How To Achieve Tighter Skin Without A Scalpel
By
8 hours ago
Forget fillers and facelifts – the new route to a tighter, more youthful-looking face lies in bio-stimulating injectables like Sculptra
A snatched face is by and large the benefit of youth – or, if you live in Hollywood, a darn good surgeon. But thanks to regenerative biostimulator injectables such as Sculptra, surgical intervention isn’t the only means to tighter skin, biostimulators can elicit a fresh batch of complexion-firming collagen while activating fat cells, making it the ideal antidote to sagging and facial hollowing. And unlike a facelift, collagen stimulators like Sculptra improve skin quality, which is fast becoming the true measure of ageing well.
What Is Sculptra?
Dr. Munir Somji from Dr. Medispa has been working with Sculptra from the very beginning. ‘Sculptra was first used in the NHS to inject patients with virus-induced lipoatrophy to replace not only lost collagen and thinning skin, but also to reactivate the fat cells,’ explains Dr. Somji.
The first biostimulator to exist, Sculptra consists of Poly-L-Lactic Acid, a synthetic polymer that’s been used in human skin since the 1960s, and as a medical suture material from 1970. It was first approved in 1999 for filling small facial deficits, improving the lives of AIDS patients suffering from facial wasting, by naturally activating the skin’s innate ability to produce collagen (the body’s main structural protein) as well as stimulating elastin and increasing skin thickness.
Though the technology was groundbreaking, it took time before the regenerative biostimulating injectable took off. ‘Sculptra went out of fashion for a period of time in place of hyaluronic acid injectables that give immediate results,’ says Dr. Somji, explaining that it didn’t take long before patients realised that if you rely too heavily on HA fillers, it can lead to complications from puffiness to swelling under the eyes. ‘And it does nothing for the tightness of the skin,’ he adds.
As the homogenisation of facial filler took hold, collagen stimulants began to attract a new discerning customer in search of a subtler option. In the meantime, Sculptra had evolved from providing basic volumisation in a medical setting, to improving firmness, structure, radiance and overall skin quality in aesthetics. Furthermore, the solution is ‘hyper diluted’ compared with 25 years ago, explains Dr. Somji. ‘Diluting the amount of P-L-LActic (PLLA) Acid in each syringe not only makes its safety profile on par with hyaluronic acid, it drastically minimises the chances of lumps and bumps occurring,’ he adds.
What Are Bio-Stimulating Injectables Best For?
Sculptra is proving to be a godsend for those on weight loss jabs. ‘Recent evidence shows that Sculptra helps to improve elastic fibres, stimulate new fat cells and produce collagen – it’s a great option to have injected at the beginning of your fat loss journey as it will prevent sagging,’ says Dr. Somji with the caveat that all is not lost if you wait: ‘biostimulators can also reverse the negative effects of losing weight rapidly as well.’
You don’t have to have lost weight to be a candidate for Sculptra, biostimulators are sought after for long-term age resilience, helping anyone to maintain peak skin quality that lasts for more than two years. While those with mature skin will benefit from wrinkle reduction in the cheek area, providing fullness and glow without the use of dermal fillers. Sculptra is also a good solution for marionette lines and nasolabial (nose to mouth) folds in place of filler.
‘We know that as we get older, the skin thins over time. We also lose elasticity, and Sculptra is going to help with both of those things. But crucially it’s going to provide that deeper volume,’ says Dr. Somji. ‘So you’ve got the improvement in skin thickness and elasticity as well as the fat stimulation alongside daily habits, like ensuring that you mitigate bone loss, by having enough calcium and vitamin D, as well as managing your hormones, then you’re going to delay a lot of the aging process.’
Perhaps one of the best things about biostimulators like Sculptra is its longevity, says Dr. Somji. ‘The results start to kick in at about eight to 12 weeks and the changes are fully evident between 12 and 24 months.’ He adds: ‘You can even see changes two or three years later; it continues to get better with time.’
And you can’t ask for more than that.
MORE
For more information, visit galdermaaesthetics.com
Dr. Munir Somji is a Galderma KOL.
Adverse events should be reported. For the UK, Reporting forms and information can be found at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. For Ireland, Suspected adverse events can be reported via HPRA Pharmacovigilance, Website: www.hpra.ie; Adverse events should also be reported to Galderma (UK) Ltd, Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 300 3035674
References available upon request
This article is sponsored by Galderma
GB-SCU-2500012 DOP JULY’2025