Skin boosters
What is a skin booster? Skin booster vs filler vs Profhilo
Skin boosters are often confused with filler. Here’s what they are, how they differ from filler, and how the common types compare.
Written by Adrianne Hunt, [[ASK: role as on certificate, Q9]] · Reviewed [[ASK: date she approves the page]]
The short answer
A skin booster is an injectable treatment for the quality of your skin rather than its shape. It’s placed just under the surface in many tiny injections and is designed to support hydration, texture and radiance. It doesn’t add volume or lift anything, and, like filler, its effect is temporary.
How a skin booster differs from filler
Both are usually based on hyaluronic acid, a substance your body makes that holds on to water. The difference is in how they’re made and where they go.
Filler is a thicker gel that holds its shape. It’s placed in planned spots to add volume or structure: fuller lips, a more defined chin, softer-looking deep lines. A skin booster is much softer and spreads through the skin, so instead of changing your shape it works on the skin itself.
| Skin booster | Dermal filler | |
|---|---|---|
| What it’s for | Skin quality: hydration, texture, radiance | Volume, shape and structure |
| The gel | Very soft, spreads through the skin | Firmer, holds its shape |
| How it’s placed | Many tiny, shallow injections across an area | Fewer injections in planned spots |
| Usual plan | A short course, then maintenance | Usually one appointment, with top-ups later |
| Straight afterwards | Small bumps for a day or two | Swelling and firmness for a few days |
The main types of skin booster
Hyaluronic acid boosters
These use hyaluronic acid on its own, in forms designed to spread under the skin.
- Profhilo is one of the most widely known. Each session uses 2ml, placed at five points on each side of the face, and the product spreads out from those points. It’s usually given as two sessions about four weeks apart, with maintenance roughly every six months.
- Seventy Hyal 2000 is another hyaluronic acid booster. Its makers suggest two or three sessions about four weeks apart, with top-ups every six to twelve months.
Mesotherapy-style boosters
These combine a light hyaluronic acid with other ingredients, which vary by product, and are placed as many tiny, shallow injections across the whole area, usually as a few sessions close together.
Profhilo and Seventy Hyal 2000 are other manufacturers’ products, described here for comparison only. Course plans vary with the product, the practitioner and your skin. [[ASK Q36: say which, if any, you offer]]
Who skin boosters suit, and who they don’t
Skin boosters may suit you if you’re 18 or over and you’d like your skin to look more hydrated, smoother or more even, without changing your features, and you’re happy to commit to a short course.
They’re not the right choice if what you want is more volume, a change of shape or a lift: that’s filler’s job, or sometimes something else entirely. They’re also not for you at the moment if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, have broken or irritated skin or an infection in the area, have a history of severe allergies, or have a bleeding disorder or take blood thinners, until you’ve talked it through at a consultation.
How many sessions, and how long results last
Skin boosters work gradually. Most are given as a course of two to four sessions, a few weeks apart depending on the product, and the effect builds over the weeks after each session. Results vary from person to person and are temporary, so most people have an occasional maintenance session if they want to keep them going.
What to expect afterwards
Small bumps along the injection points are the most obvious thing, and they usually flatten within a day or two. You may also have some redness, mild swelling or pinpoint bruises. With mesotherapy-style boosters, bumps or bruises can take up to two weeks to clear fully, so it’s worth leaving that much time before an event. You’ll usually be asked to skip make-up for at least 12 hours, pause acids and retinol for a couple of days, and avoid heat, exercise and sun for 48 hours.
Side effects
Most side effects are short-lived: bumps, redness, swelling, tenderness and bruising. Less commonly, an injection can lead to infection, lumps that take longer to settle, or an allergic reaction. A good practitioner will go through these with you before you decide.
So which is right for you?
That depends on your skin, what you’d like to change and how many sessions you’re happy to come back for. It’s exactly the kind of question a consultation is for: we look at your skin together, talk about what you’re hoping for, and I’ll tell you honestly whether a skin booster is likely to help, and which.
Quick questions
- Is a skin booster the same as Profhilo? Profhilo is one brand of skin booster. There are several others, and they’re given in different ways.
- Can I have a skin booster and filler? Often, yes, though not always on the same day. The order is planned at your consultation.
- Does it hurt? Numbing is used where appropriate. The needles are very fine; you may feel a series of small pricks.