THE NEW SCIENCE OF PERFECT SKIN
INJECTABLE MOISTURISER’ THAT’S ALL THE RAGE
EvERy clinic I know that has started to offer Profhilo is hugely enthusiastic about it, finding it gives impressive results.
Why? It’s the most innovative of the new manmade ‘ injectable moisture’ treatments. It has been shown in clinical tests not just to improve hydration, but also to boost the skin’s elasticity and collagen levels. It is now classed as a ‘biostimulator’, something that kickstarts significant renewal within the skin.
WHAT IS IT? Profhilo is a very runny form of hyaluronic acid gel — the substance from which dermal fillers are made — injected at five key points on each side of the face. From these sites, it will spread, finding its way underneath the surface of the skin, to treat the whole face.
Once in place, the Profhilo solution boosts hydration by enabling the skin to hold more moisture. It also stimulates production of elastin and collagen, which is what, in two months’ time, will make the skin firmer and bouncier.
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE: Quick and easy. I visit Dr Saira vasdev at the Waterhouse young clinic just off Harley Street in London to try it out, and the injections take less than five minutes on each side.
I don’t ask for anaesthetic cream, as I’m used to having injections in my face.
Dr vasdev injects the Profhilo on the outer point of my cheekbones, in the corner of my jaw and in three places across my cheek (on each side of my face).
The injection sites look a little like alien wasp stings, all swollen with liquid, but she assures me these will vanish over the next 12 hours — and they do. There’s no downtime but, as I have swellings on my face, it wouldn’t be a good look to take, say, to a meeting or dinner with friends.
PAIN LEVEL (OUT OF TEN): Three. Minor discomfort from ten pinprick injections.
VERDICT: One of the quickest and most effective cosmetic fixes I have tried. you are told not to expect results for two months, but I could see a change after a month when I went back for the second round of injections. COST AND LOCATION: Profhilo, £975 for two sessions, a month apart, waterhouse young.com. To find a local practitioner, visit thetweakmentsguide.com
TIME TO TUNE IN TO RADIOFREQUENCY
RADIOFREQuEncy treatments are usually used to tighten skin, but this treatment uses radiofrequency to resurface the skin.
WHAT IS IT? The EndyMed machine delivers microblasts of radiofrequency energy, which create small channels of damage within the skin. As these heal, fresh skin is created, with new collagen released as part of the process, tightening the skin and leaving it smoother.
The machine is used with two different heads: the Fractional Skin Resurfacing (FSR) head works on the skin surface, tightening and brightening; while the Intensif head sends the radiofrequency deeper into the skin through fine microneedles. This is apparently better for skin texture and reduces the appearance of pores.
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE: First, my face is covered with anaesthetic cream for 20 minutes. I’m glad of it, as those blasts of radiofrequency energy are powerful.
The treatment is not intolerable, though, and, within 45 minutes, my face and neck have been done. I look as if I’ve been sunburned, and it takes a day or two for this to calm down. It feels normal after a week, but looks a little speckled.
PAIN LEVEL: Six. From moderate to challenging.
VERDICT: After four rounds of treatment, each a month apart, my skin is markedly smoother. A very good result. Benefits last at least a year.
COST AND LOCATION: EndyMed FSR starts at £300 for one session and EndyMed Intensif from £400 a session. The EndyMed Workout of two sessions of each, for both face and neck, costs £2,150, including skincare ( waterhouseyoung.com).
MESOTHERAPY FOR PAMPERED SKIN
InjEcTIng a cocktail of vitamins and moisturising ingredients into the middle layer of the skin — the mesoderm — is popular in France.
The treatment is used in the face to smooth and rejuvenate the skin and on the body to improve the appearance of cellulite. not much scientific research has been conducted into how well it works.
Despite that, many aesthetic clinics offer mesotherapy as an entry‘