Juvelook vs Sculptra: two polylactic acid injectables side by side

Standard Juvelook, made by VAIM in Korea, contains 42.5 mg of PDLLA and 7.5 mg of non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid; Juvelook Volume contains 170 mg and 30 mg (VAIM product lineup (accessed 24 October 2026)). VAIM makes its PDLLA particles by spraying an aqueous PDLLA solution into a cold vat, which gives porous, spherical microparticles, and uses the hyaluronic acid as a gel carrier (VAIM technology page (accessed 24 October 2026)).

Sculptra contains PLLA microparticles with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and mannitol, supplied freeze-dried in dose vials of 367.5 mg in all, two vials to a carton (Sculptra instructions for use (accessed 24 October 2026)). Authors of a 2026 comparison describe PDLLA as spongiform microspheres with a smooth outer shape and a porous inside, and PLLA as irregular, spiky particles with a densely packed inside ^[1].

Sculptra’s label gives two ways to mix a vial: with 5 mL of sterile water, left to stand for at least two hours and usable for up to 72 hours, or with 8 mL, shaken and used straight away, with 1 mL of 2% lidocaine added just before injection if wanted. The suspension settles when it stands, so the vial is agitated again between syringes (Sculptra reconstitution steps).

Published Juvelook protocols mix further ahead. The under-eye study prehydrated the 50 mg vial with 6 mL of saline at least 24 hours before treatment and mixed it on a vortex mixer 30 minutes before injection ^[2]. The head-to-head trial mixed both Juvelook Volume and Sculptra in 6 mL of sterile water, left them for 24 hours, vortexed them for 30 minutes and added 2% lidocaine to a final 8 mL ^[1]. A Seoul price list names Juvelook sessions by volume, 3 cc or 4 cc, so ask how much liquid and how many vials your quote assumes.

Sculptra’s label places the 5 mL mix in the deep dermis through a 26 G needle and the 8 mL mix in the subdermal region through a 25 G needle; in its cheek trial it was injected in the subdermal plane, subcutaneously or supraperiosteally, just above the bone (Sculptra injection steps and cheek study).

Juvelook’s Korean record describes injection under the skin. In the under-eye study, a 25 G or 27 G cannula placed 0.3–0.5 mL per lower eyelid beneath the skin, above the orbicularis oculi muscle ^[2]. In the head-to-head trial, both products went into the deep fat and the layer just above the bone of the nasolabial fold through a 23 G blunt-tip cannula ^[1].

Sculptra’s label limits use to a single regimen of up to four sessions, three to four weeks apart, with at least four weeks between sessions for cheek lines and no re-evaluation sooner than three to four weeks after a session. Swelling from the water in the mix can look like full correction at the end of a session; it settles within hours to a few days, and improvement then builds over several weeks. The cheek trial assessed results at months 7, 9 and 12; its response rates are on the Sculptra vs Rejuran comparison.

The Juvelook under-eye study gave three sessions a month apart and assessed each one a month later; the largest change in improvement scores came between the first and second sessions, and the authors suggested maintenance every six months ^[2]. The head-to-head trial gave both products at weeks 0, 4 and 8 ^[1].

Both plans need return visits weeks apart. If you are visiting Seoul, ask before the first session whether the later ones can be done where you live with the same product, and how many vials a Sculptra course in Seoul would use.

One randomised split-face trial compared the two directly. At four dermatology centres, 33 Korean adults received Juvelook Volume in one nasolabial fold and Sculptra in the other at weeks 0, 4 and 8. At week 24, wrinkle severity scores had fallen by a mean of 1.37 points on the Juvelook Volume side and 1.20 points on the Sculptra side, and global improvement scores were 1.85 and 1.62; the differences were not significant at any visit, and the authors concluded that the PDLLA product was non-inferior ^[1].

Of 20 participants who answered a follow-up survey, 70% had no preference between the sides. The trial tested Juvelook Volume rather than the standard vial, and VAIM, the maker of Juvelook, supported it ^[1].

Sculptra’s label warns of delayed papules and nodules under the skin, often felt rather than seen, that appear days to months after injection and are slow to resolve. For PLLA, these lumps have been linked to incorrect reconstitution, an uneven suspension, injection that is too superficial and no massage afterwards ^[4]. In the Juvelook under-eye study, most women had mild swelling for a few hours to two days and two had temporary bruising ^[2]. In the head-to-head trial, most participants had mild swelling for three to four days with either product; one developed moderate swelling and tenderness on the Juvelook Volume side after the second session, which settled after injections of triamcinolone and hyaluronidase ^[1].

Both materials carry the rare risk of injection into a blood vessel. A 2026 systematic review counted two confirmed reports of visual loss after PLLA, two after PDLLA carried in carboxymethylcellulose and one after a PDLLA-HA product ^[5]. Changes in vision, signs of a stroke, whitening of the skin or unusual pain during or shortly after injection need prompt medical attention.

The FDA record P030050, dated 3 August 2004, states that Sculptra “is intended for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus”, and supplement P030050/S039, dated 25 April 2023, states that it “is indicated for correction of fine lines and wrinkles in the cheek region for use in immune-competent subjects”; the current label also lists shallow to deep nasolabial fold contour deficiencies and other facial wrinkles. Juvelook’s Korean record in the MFDS medical device database, 제허17-972호 dated 21 December 2017, is a Class 4 tissue-repair material of polylactide and hyaluronic acid injected under the skin to temporarily improve facial wrinkles in adults, and lists Juvelook, Juvelook Volume, Lenisna and Juvelook i among its product names (records checked 24 October 2026).

A Seoul dermatology price list gives Juvelook at KRW 150,000–300,000 for a 3 cc session and KRW 200,000–350,000 for a 4 cc session, and Juvelook Volume at KRW 500,000–700,000 per vial. The same list gives no Sculptra price, so ask for a written quote per vial and for the whole course. Prices checked 2026-10-24; confirm at consultation. Juvelook’s variants are compared on the Juvelook guide.