The truth about… the injectable glow

Tried every moisturiser going? Polly Vernon finds a new way of hydrating and plumping skin that lasts months, not hours…

The spiel:

The latest in the rapidlyexpanding roster of injectable tweakments, Profhilo is a stabilised form of 100% hyaluronic acid, the super-hydrating molecule featured in increasing amounts of skincare. In theory, injecting it directly into the skin via 10 points (five on either side of the face) will boost your skin’s capacity to produce collagen, subsequently smoothing and firming it in a way that promises to be more subtle than other forms of filler.

The Tester:

How do you mitigate the signs of ageing without losing yourself to anxiety, self-loathing and an overworkedon face – one that winds up not even really looking like yours any more? I’m working on that; have been ever since I hit 40. If you’re tempted to go down the interventionist route, I definitely think finding an aesthetician – a tweakment doctor, a tweaker – you trust and enjoy being with is about as essential a step as any. Find someone who you know will send you packing if you ask too much of them, someone you think is in it for the right reasons. Dr Sarah Tonks is one of my favourites: she’s funny and smart, and she definitely thinks about the ethics of what she does, who she does it to, and how. So when I ask her if Profhilo would be good for me, and she says yes, I know it’s worth a go.

The reality:

Having 10 needles stuck into your face hurts. There just are no two ways about it. At the same time: I’ve learned to associate a bit of pain with a good result, like some kind of treatment perve. And anyway, Dr Tonks is quick and efficient and her needles are fine; she gives me a rubbery stress toy to squeeze as she injects each side of my face – concentrating on the cheeks, chin, side of my mouth and nose – five times over. It’s over in minutes – I only wince visibly once – and Dr Tonks tell me I’m a pro, which gratifies me like I’m a seven-year-old kid and my dentist just gave me a lollipop, post check-up.

The verdict:

I’m left on a fizzy high from the pain, with a couple of faintly visible mosquito-bite marks on my cheeks, but that’s about it.

The faux mozzy marks fade within an hour (without anyone noticing or asking me about them, thus making me decide whether I cop to having had ‘work’ or not), and a day later, when the ingredients start working with my own collagen… I start to glow like a starlet on awards night.

It’s exciting. The glow intensifies over the following day; better yet, I notice a definite plumping in my cheeks; the hint of downward drag around the corner of my mouth, and under my cheekbones, is lifted. It’s all incredibly subtle – but so much more gratifying for it. I’m booked in for the second recommended top-up in four weeks’ time already.

Would I recommend it? Hell, yeah! Even if you hate needles. It’s over so quickly, and it is deliciously lifting, without any chance of messing with the proportions of your face or making you look like someone else entirely.

Dr Tonks ( from £330), thelovelyclinic.co.uk