The buzzy ‘tweakment’ designed to put the bounce back in your skin
Injectables; I’ve had a few. Probably more than most Telegraph readers (and with zero regrets, I should add) but for context, I should also say that I am a beauty editor with a professional interest and I would not – for a single second – expect you all to rush out and immediately try everything on my tweakment CV so far. Please; you do you. But if you were to ask me (and people do), which needle-based procedure I would recommend above all others, I would hands-down vote for skin boosters.
You might know these in a roundabout way as Profhilo, which – rather like Hoover – has become shorthand for a whole family of products; in this case, not vacuum cleaners but a category of minimally invasive aesthetic procedures best described as injectable moisturisers. Here, a gel made up largely of hyaluronic acid (a moisture-binding molecule that can hold many times more than its own weight in water) is injected into the skin across several sites on the face and neck to hydrate from within while prompting an uptick in collagen and elastin production. Skin looks fresher for six months or more, fine lines are softened: glow and bounce all round.
But beauty being beauty, and aesthetics being a particularly fast-moving subsection of that, skin boosters are now being used in increasingly intriguing ways. From hybrid treatments that combine HA (hyaluronic acid) with other popular injectables to a customised patchwork technique, here are some buzzy new tweakments moving the needle.
For more bounce for your buck… skin boosters with polynucleotides
“It’s testament to the direction the industry is taking,” says aesthetic doctor and reconstructive surgeon Dr Ashwin Soni, as he deftly injects a blend of hyaluronic acid and polynucleotides (again, more on this in a moment) just below the surface of the skin at 10 points on either side of my face. “Skin boosters, which have been around for years, are going to a whole new level, thanks to clever engineering and better formulating. The things we’re using now just weren’t possible a few years ago.”
He’s talking about Newest, a hybrid treatment that combines a hyaluronic acid skin booster with polynucleotides; another (and right now, much talked-about) injectable that uses trout DNA to stimulate skin to behave in a younger and stronger way. “The polynucleotides give an even greater boost to collagen and elastin regeneration while the HA provides deep hydration. You’re also getting an anti-inflammatory effect and an antioxidant boost – it’s the ultimate glow that gets better and better over the next twelve weeks.”
Plinest Newest at The Soni Clinic in Ascot and London, from £500
For volume, lift and glow… skin boosters plus fat pad regeneration
Last year brought great news for Profhilo devotees, with the launch of sister tweakment Profhilo Structura. But this version, with its souped-up concentration of hyaluronic acid, is used to restore volume in the lower half of the face by stimulating the regeneration of the fat tissues below the skin. (If the original is an injectable moisturiser, think of Structura as internal scaffolding.)
Why pick one when you can have both at the same time, asks cosmetic dermatologist Dr Stefanie Williams? Her new hybrid treatment, Eduelo Hydrostructure, combines the skin-plumping properties of classic Profhilo injections with the volume boost provided by Structura. “There aren’t many treatments that address the sagging and the jowls caused by the sinking of the fat pads, unless you see a surgeon for fat transfer or something like that. This is two treatments in one, which convinces the fat cells to behave like younger ones at the same time as improving hydration and elasticity.”
Eduelo Hydrostructure at Eudelo, London, from £1,450
For a mix and match approach… mosaic skin boosters
While every skin booster has its benefits, they also have their limits: Profhilo makes faces glow, for example, but the amount of water it draws into the skin can create unwanted puff around the eyes… which is where the mosaic technique practised by Dr Vicky Dondos comes in. Smoothing the fine “barcode” lines around the mouth? “I like to use Belotero Revive, which combines hyaluronic acid with glycerine for an extra boost of hydration,” says Dr Dondos. Crows feet around the eyes? Revive again.
For fine lines on the forehead, Teoxane Redensity 1 pairs HA with minerals, antioxidants and amino acids, while Profhilo or Newest are perfect for the crepey skin across the neck. Hands can benefit from skin boosters, too, adds Dr Dondos, explaining that Juvedérm Volite, which has a slightly lower concentration of HA, nicely pads out the backs of hands and along the fingers. “I wouldn’t hit a new client with a package of different skin boosters all at once, but once I know how they respond to different treatments there are a few ways we can improve skin quality.”
Skin boosters at Medicetics, London, from £350
