Autoimmune diseases and Sculptra.

Dr. Irwin
March 16, 2014
I have high ANA auto immune markers. Am I a good candidate for Sculptra?

There are definately differing opinions on this in the medical community.   But…… in general, if you have certain autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, sarcoid, an unexplained high ANA, or other similar diseases, I think it’s best to avoid Sculptra.

Here’s why.  Sculptra, when reconstituted (mixed) correctly, injected well and massaged, has a superb safety profite.  Most of the bumps that you read about on the web are small lumps of product that didn’t disperse properly.  These will go away slowly. These are not “inflamed” unless you’ve poked at them too much.   If they are invisible, don’t worry about them.  If they are visible, call your doctor and make sure he/she helps you with them.

Then, there is a very small (this is rare) group of people who seem to form true inflammatory bumps (granulomas) that don’t seem to go away on their own.  The people in this group are mostly patients with autoimmune problems.  This is why I recommend avoiding Sculptra, if you have one of these problems, Volume or Perlane would be a better choice.  

Hope this helps,  Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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