Sculptra vs Lanluma: What you need to know

Lanluma vs Sculptra: What you need to know?

By Dr Sabika Karim 23rd September 2024

At Skin Medical, we offer both Lanluma and Sculptra as leading collagen-stimulating injectable treatments. These treatments, primarily composed of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA), are designed to enhance facial and body contours. Skin Medical was the first clinic to start using Lanluma in 2021 and we absolutely love the natural looking results it can provide across a range of treatment areas. Both Lanluma and Sculptra work beneath your skin, offering subtle, gradual improvements that look completely natural. Therefore, they are both great options if you are looking to rejuvenate your face with gradual, natural looking results or if you’re wanting to achieve your dream silhouette without the surgery. However with both products being composed of the same active ingredient, patients can wonder which product is best for them.

Safety of PLLA fillers

Let’s start with safety. For years, PLLA fillers such as Lanluma and Sculptra have been trusted by doctors and used safely in the aesthetic industry. Sculptra is FDA approved in the US and was the original filler to utilise PLLA for aesthetic purposes. PLLA is known as a bio-stimulatory filler, because it encourages your skin’s natural collagen production. Over time, collagen depletion contributes to visible signs of ageing, such as volume loss and deeper lines. By encouraging collagen production, these injectables help to restore the skin’s structure from within, resulting in a firmer, smoother appearance.

The treatments themselves are also minimally invasive, and most patients experience little to no discomfort, particularly as local anaesthetic is used to ensure a comfortable experience. This means you can achieve lasting rejuvenation or sculpting with subtle, natural-looking results, without the downtime or invasiveness that you would have with surgery.

Common Treatment Areas

Poly-L-Lactic Acid fillers, such as Lanluma and Sculptra, are highly versatile and can be used to rejuvenate various areas of the face and body.

To restore facial volume, these fillers can be used on the cheeks, jawline, temples, smile lines, nasolabial folds and the chin. They can also be used as a prevention treatment for these areas to prevent the natural loss of volume. Since 2000 (in the UK), Sculptra has proven to successfully treat deep facial lines and sagging skin. Lanluma, released in 2021, boasts latest technology and a recent study from Sinclair, the manufacturers of Lanluma, revealed the impressive results of this new generation PLLA filler, with customers still reporting its high satisfaction rate at their 9 month follow-up appointment.

Lanluma and Sculptra can be used on the bum, thighs, upper arms and décolletage. Lanluma is also frequently used to reduce the appearance of ‘hip-dips’ as well sculpting and lifting the bum to achieve a more youthful look. Both products can also help to provide a smoother appearance to the skin on body areas such as the thighs and bum, therefore reducing the appearance of dimpling and cellulite. These treatments are highly successful in providing natural but noticeable results, leaving customers extremely satisfied.

Value for money

Aside from the incredible results, the ever-increasing popularity of Lanluma is also partially thanks to its cost-effectiveness. Unlike Sculptra, Lanluma comes in two vial sizes, Lanluma X and Lanluma V, providing more flexibility, depending on your treatment needs. The smaller Lanluma X vial (210mg) is ideal for smaller body areas such as the arms, neck and face, whereas the larger vial, Lanluma V, contains 630mg and so is best for the larger body areas. This choice of vial means that the quantity can be tailored to your individual needs, providing you with a cost-effective solution to your aesthetic goals.

How long until I see results?

The results of PLLA will appear gradually over the course of a few months, but you may start noticing improvements in your skin’s texture and volume within 4 to 6 weeks after treatment. The full effects of the treatment usually take a bit longer to develop, due to the production of collagen naturally taking time, but you can expect to see optimal results 2 to 3 months post-treatment. However, these results tend to last a long time, with effects typically lasting up to 2 years or more. This will depend on the individual and the area being treated. Regular top-up treatments can help you to maintain the results that you’re looking for.