I have (or rather, my face has) issues with toxin (aka Botox) in my brow. Eminently effective at smoothing and softening any forehead knitted by years of worry and surprise, in my case the minutest amount also makes my brow and eyelids drop incrementally, giving me tiny piggy eyes that I don’t like.
It’s a facial anatomy thing that’s only true for some people and can’t be helped, according to cosmetic doctors I’ve consulted. Given the choice, I prefer lines in my forehead if it means my eyes stay perky.
I also need to be careful with injectable filler near my eyes, as less-than-efficient lymph function in the area puts me at risk of swelling that forms odd little temporary cushions. You may assume that, because of all this, I’m no fan of needles. But you’d be wrong.
There’s another type of injectable that I’m particularly fond of and it is gaining in popularity due to its subtle, natural-looking results: the emerging category of skin boosters and biostimulators. And increasingly, it’s my ‘tweakment’ of choice.
What are skin boosters exactly?
Best described as injectable serum or moisturiser, these jabs don’t change anything about your features: nothing freezes or inflates, and no lines magically disappear after a few days. What improves is the quality of your skin; when infused with moisture at a depth topical products can’t reach, skin becomes dewier, more translucent, less drawn, and ever so slightly firmer-looking for months on end.
With skin boosters, subtlety is the point: if you’re concerned about ending up with glossy bowling ball-tautness, then boosters are the antidote. They soften and slow down the visible ageing process rather than changing your facial anatomy.
Over the past few years I’ve had a whole raft of different types of boosters and they all offer slightly different benefits. So, here is an overview of the main ones, alongside the thoughts of cosmetic physician Dr Sarah Tonks, who isn’t beholden to one brand of booster like some practitioners are (aka, she’s impartial).