So many options. How do you choose?
If you have been researching ways to improve your skin, you have probably come across a handful of treatment names. Skin boosters. Profhilo. Polynucleotides. Sculptra. They all promise to rejuvenate your skin, and they all sound fairly similar.
They are not.
We offer all of them here, and the question we get asked more than almost anything else is which one to go for. The honest answer is that it depends on your skin and what is actually bothering you. But once you understand what each one does, the choice gets a lot simpler.
Here is the quickest way to think about it. Some treatments work on the surface of your skin. Some work at cell level. One works underneath, on the structure of your face. Get that clear and everything else follows.
Skin boosters: hydration and glow
Skin boosters are injectable treatments that hydrate the skin from the inside out. We use SKINVIVE, which delivers hyaluronic acid into the superficial layers of the skin.
Think of it as a long drink of water for your skin. It improves hydration, softens fine lines, and gives you the kind of dewy glow that no moisturiser quite manages on its own.
Best for: dull, tired or dehydrated skin. Improving skin quality without adding volume. A subtle, natural improvement. A good first step if you have not had injectables before.
What to expect: results build over a few weeks as the skin takes up the hydration. A course is usually recommended.
Price: SKINVIVE from £350 per syringe.
Profhilo: a skin booster that does more than hydrate
Profhilo is technically a skin booster, and it is often listed as one, including on our own site. But grouping it in with the rest undersells what it does.
Standard boosters hydrate. Profhilo hydrates too, because it carries one of the highest concentrations of hyaluronic acid of any injectable. The difference is that it spreads through the tissue after it goes in, and that spreading stimulates your skin to produce its own collagen and elastin.
So you get the glow, and you also get firmness. If your concern is skin that has lost its bounce, or that has started to look a little crepey, Profhilo is the stronger choice.
Best for: loose, crepey or dull skin. Anyone wanting firmness as well as hydration. Face, neck, décolletage and the backs of the hands.
What to expect: the standard course is two sessions four weeks apart, with a top-up around every six months.
And here is the honest bit. Not everyone needs two. If you already look after your skin and you are mainly after hydration, one session can be plenty. Elizabeth will tell you if that is the case, rather than booking you in twice because the protocol says so.
Price: from £220 per session.
Polynucleotides: repair at cell level
Polynucleotides work differently again. Rather than adding something to your skin, they prompt your skin to repair itself.
They are made from purified DNA fragments, and once injected they encourage cell turnover, improve elasticity and support the skin’s own repair processes. The result is skin that is healthier and more resilient, rather than skin that has been plumped.
They are also particularly good in delicate areas, including under the eyes, and they are well tolerated by sensitive or reactive skin.
Best for: early signs of ageing. Loss of elasticity. Under-eye concerns. Sensitive or reactive skin. Anyone who wants skin quality rather than volume.
What to expect: results build gradually over several weeks. The standard protocol is three sessions, two to four weeks apart.
In practice, Elizabeth often finds two is enough, and then finishes with a Profhilo. You get the repair at cell level and the glow on top. That combination has become one of her most recommended plans, particularly for the neck.
Price: from £150 per session.
Sculptra: rebuilding structure
Sculptra is in a category of its own, and it is the one most often misunderstood. It is not a skin booster and it is not a filler.
Sculptra contains poly-L-lactic acid, which works deep beneath the skin to rebuild the collagen framework that gives your face its shape. It does not treat the surface. It restores what is underneath.
Because it works by prompting your own collagen production, the change is gradual and looks entirely natural. It also lasts, typically up to two years.
Best for: volume loss. Hollow cheeks and temples. Loss of facial structure. Anyone wanting a long-term, natural result rather than an immediate change.
What to expect: this is a journey rather than a single appointment. Results develop over weeks and months as new collagen forms.
Price: first vial £450, second vial £400.
So which one is right for you?
A quick way to narrow it down:
- Want hydration and glow? Skin boosters.
- Want firmness as well as glow? Profhilo.
- Want to improve skin quality and repair from within? Polynucleotides.
- Want to rebuild lost volume and structure? Sculptra.
- Tired, shadowed under-eyes? Polynucleotides, or Lumi Eyes Pro, which is designed specifically for that area.
But it is rarely an either or. Profhilo and polynucleotides work well together because one works on the skin and the other at cell level. Sculptra restores the structure underneath, and a skin treatment on top finishes the job. Plenty of our clients end up with a plan rather than a single treatment.
Have you lost weight recently?
If your face has changed since losing weight, you are not imagining it. Rapid weight loss affects facial volume, skin firmness and even hair, and it is one of the most common reasons people come to see us.
Read more: what rapid weight loss does to your face, skin and hair
The most important thing
We do not do one size fits all. Elizabeth will look at your skin, listen to what is actually bothering you, and tell you what will help.
Sometimes that means a plan over several months. Sometimes it means one treatment. And sometimes it means telling you that you do not need much at all, which she will happily do.
The consultation is free, and there is no pressure at the end of it.