Voluma or Sculptra at Courthouse Clinic -anyone had any experince? 1st timer!

[Snoopy10]

Hi All,

Finally feeling like Voluma or Sculptra might be cheaper than expensive creams that don't work. I am very nervous as have no experience of fillers. I am looking at Courthouse Clinic in London. I am mid 40s and hoping to slow down the collapse a bit.
Any advice on either the practice or the procedures would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[Snoopy10]

Or maybe it's a step too far! Any tips on good face creams? :)

[MsBojangles]

Sculptra scares me a bit, lots of horror stories on Real Self...although it's rumoured to be what keeps Christie Brinkley looking so amazing so it can't be all bad!

Ideally you want something injected really deep, the deeper the better for structural support. Perlane or Restylane Sub Q would probably be the way to go.

[Merriboo]

Head both at different times.
Both are great for restoring lost volume mid face which gives the "liquid face lift" effect and I would say go for it.
Sculptra is fab and long lasting- massage is key to preventing granular lumps and helping to develop a good result ( I had it 3 separate times and a fab result each time but was religious about massage) it takes time to see the full result and it lasts around 2 years- the initial swelling gives an idea of the final effect.
Voluma is an instant result rather than a gradual production of new collagen. I had it initially before sculptra to provide an instant result whilst the sculptra worked and have just had a top up of Voluma mid face (temple/lateral cheeks) and volbella around marionette/chin which I'm really pleased with.
Sculptra can't be done at the same time as Botox (due to the need to massage) whereas Voluma can. Sculptra also needs reconstituting a week in advance so upfront payment often required.

Practitioners tend to prefer a particular product and may recommend one or other- eg mine has moved away from sculptra as juvederm has improved (may also be related to being an allergen ambassador)
I don't have experience of courthouse clinics but would only go to a reputable practitioner, preferably a medic.

[Snoopy10]

Thank you Bojangles I will look into those two, I have the fear too. Have you had either of the fillers you mention yourself?
Thank you so much Merriboo for such a detailed account (so glad it has worked well for you). I am a bit nervous about the massaging with Sculptra, in case I forget. How long does Voluma work for- Why does you practitioner prefer juvederm now? Does this function in the same way as voluma?
Thanks for sharing your experiences it really helps to hear real accounts.

[Merriboo]

Juvederm is a family of fillers produced by allergen eg Voluma volbella volift ultra. They have different qualities depending on use- Voluma needs to be "thicker" to support lift in the cheeks which you wouldn't want for lips so ultra is lighter.
Perlane and restylane sub q are produced by qmed and distributed by medicis. They are all hyaluronic acid fillers and the amount of cross linking is what determines the stiffness/thickness.
My practitioner has moved away from Sculptra since the introduction of Voluma XC (Vycross) as she has found this gives better results overall- Voluma tends to give a more general lift over time (can't always predict how well anyone will produce collagen- I was lucky as I did respond well) whereas Voluma can be used fairly precisely.
With Sculptra I used to set timers and continued massage for several weeks.
There was initial puffiness when I had Sculptra which settled over a couple of days and I didn't really get much of that with Voluma XC this time.
With both I've been delighted to get mid face lift which reduced my jowls, marionettes and lower face heaviness without the excessive pillow face look.

far and away the most important thing is the skill of the person rather than the product they are using (which may be down to personal preference) my practitioner is a qualified plastic surgeon who teaches and lectures nationally and internationally.
Think of it like a painter not the paint that is important- the outcomes expends more on the location and quantity of where the filler is placed rather than the brand of filler.

[Frostycake]

Yes, I've had it at the Wilmslow branch. Very good results. Injected by their doctor - robin (can't remember his surname) but very good with a waiting list a mile long which tells you all you need to know. no bruising after either which is another good sign. He also does very good Botox, again, with no bruising.

[KJL193]

I'm 44 lots of volume loss - temples, tear troughs, lower cheeks. Used to hate my chubby cheeks, oh the irony! I've been advised Sculptra but am also v scared by the horror stories you find on it. Let me know how you get on! Anyone had experience with Jane Olver?

[KJL193]

Also anyone used Tracy Mountford - any experiences to share?

[Snoopy10]

Thank you Merriboo that is a very good point about the skill of the person carrying out the procedure.
Frosty - did you have Voluma or Sculptra? I think it is Robin Stones will ask. Going for consultation. Will let you know how it goes!

[KJL193]

Please be aware that you should not have Sculptra if you have an auto-immune disease or suspect you have a Thyoroid issue:)

[Buttwing]

Frosty its Robin Stones he does my Botox and he's amazing!

Sorry not much help op as your no where near wilmslow!

[Snoopy10]

Thanks Frosty - He does work at London branch as well. Saw Dr Vidal who has a great reputation and explained very thoroughly the pros and cons of both fillers and sculptra. He recommends sculptra as much more natural than fillers for lost volume on whole face after 15 months breast feeding. He said fillers good for very specific areas which could be treated if necessary after results of sculptra were established (but said it would probably be overkill). No hard sell. Told to go away and think about it. He said sculptra is your own collagen and therefore avoids the look of the plastic, too smooth face that can come from fillers. As you said Merriboo - all about the practitioner.

[Beauty11]

I've had Voluma and am really pleased. I chose it over sculptra because i wanted instant results. The Doctor I saw was Dr. Askari at ASKINOLOGY. He does do both and is also a national trainer for Sculptra so really knows his stuff - I would highly recommend him. He weighed out the pros and cons of both with me and reassured me that I would get natural results - (which i did) Nobody noticed that i had it done afterwards but I had many comments about how well I look! I could not recommend him highly enough! I think I will go back to him for Sculptra next time... Will keep you posted!

[Beauty11]

askinology.com/ based in EC1 (City of London)