Skin boosters in London

What skin boosters are

Skin boosters are injectable treatments that improve skin quality from within, rather than adding volume or changing shape. They hydrate, improve texture and elasticity, and support the skin’s own repair. At our Islington clinic, the options include Profhilo, polynucleotides, Sunekos, Volite and Restylane Skinboosters, alongside Plinest.

It helps to know that “skin booster” is not a single treatment. It is a category, and different clinics stretch the term over quite different products. One clinic’s skin booster is a simple hyaluronic acid; another’s is a product designed to stimulate repair. If you are comparing prices across London, you may be comparing things that are not the same. This page sets out what sits under the umbrella, what each option does, and how we decide between them for your skin rather than for whichever product happens to be in stock.

What a skin booster is, and is not

Every genuine skin booster shares one feature: it improves the quality of the skin over an area rather than changing its shape. It does not lift a cheek, project a chin or fill a deep fold. It hydrates, smooths texture and, for some products, encourages the skin to repair and rebuild.

That single distinction resolves most of the confusion. If a treatment is being offered to add volume or reshape a feature, it is a filler, and that is a different conversation. If it is being offered to improve how the skin looks and feels, it belongs under this umbrella, and the real question becomes which one.

Which skin booster is best?

• Profhilo: broad hydration and early laxity across the face and neck. A stabilised hyaluronic acid that spreads through the tissue rather than holding a shape, usually given as two sessions a month apart, then maintenance.
• Polynucleotides: thin, crepey skin, particularly under the eyes. Purified fragments that act as a repair signal, often chosen for delicate or sun-damaged skin that needs more than water. See also polynucleotides for the under-eye and polynucleotides vs Profhilo.
• Sunekos: hyaluronic acid with amino acids, for fine lines and dull skin. Often used around the eyes and across the face for a less tired look, as a short course.
• Volite and Restylane Skinboosters: hydration and smoothness, often lasting several months. Fine hyaluronic acid placed across an area to improve hydration, fine surface lines and the feel of the skin on the face, neck, hands or chest. For the neck in particular, see neck rejuvenation.

There is no single best product, only the best for your skin. Dr Vishal Patel, who is IBSA trained, chooses the product and plan after assessing your skin.

How we choose: four questions

Rather than starting with the product you have heard of, we work through four questions. Between them they decide the right booster far better than any brand reputation.

Is the concern skin quality or volume?

If the concern is a flattened cheek or a softened jawline, no skin booster is the answer, and we will say so. Skin boosters earn their place when the concern is dullness, dehydration, crepey texture or thin, tired-looking skin.

Where on the face or body?

The under-eye points strongly towards polynucleotides. Broad hydration and early laxity across the lower face and neck point towards Profhilo. A hydration refresh with fewer visits may point towards Volite. The area does much of the choosing.

What is the skin’s condition?

Sensitive or reactive skin often does best with the calmer character of polynucleotides. Robust but dehydrated skin tends to respond well to Profhilo or a hyaluronic booster. Sun-damaged skin usually needs a repair signal, not only hydration.

What commitment makes sense?

Some boosters need a course of three; others give months of benefit from fewer sessions. Matching the plan to your life and budget is part of an honest recommendation, not an afterthought. The aim throughout is natural aesthetics: skin that looks well cared for rather than treated.

Who skin boosters suit, and who they do not

Skin boosters tend to suit people who notice:

• skin that looks dull, dry or tired despite a good routine
• fine lines and crepiness, particularly around the eyes, neck or chest
• early loss of firmness, before significant sagging
• uneven texture after sun exposure

They are not the right choice where the main concern is lost volume or structure, deep folds, or significant laxity, which need other approaches such as a PDO thread lift. We do not treat during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or where there is active infection, a cold sore or inflamed skin in the area. Certain medical conditions and medicines need discussing first, which is part of why we assess in person before recommending anything.

Skin boosters vs fillers

Fillers add volume and reshape features. Skin boosters improve the quality of the skin itself and do not change your shape. Many people benefit from a mix. See skin boosters vs fillers.

Put simply, a filler uses a firmer gel that holds its shape, works immediately and restores structure. A skin booster works over weeks and improves the surface and quality of the skin. Filler restores the architecture; a booster improves the canvas. They complement each other, but they are not interchangeable, and blurring the two is how people end up paying for the wrong treatment. If structure is the concern, our dermal fillers page explains that side.

Skin boosters also differ from surface treatments. A HydraFacial or a peel works on the outer layers and gives a quicker, shorter-lived glow. Microneedling stimulates collagen through controlled micro-injury, and a PRP facial uses your own platelet-rich plasma to support repair. A skin booster places hydration or a repair signal directly where it is needed, and the two approaches often work well together.

What to expect

Treatment takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Small raised bumps and mild redness settle within a day, and occasional bruising within a week. Most products need two or three sessions a few weeks apart, then maintenance. Prescribed and administered by Dr Vishal Patel, BDS, MSc Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry, GDC 103127, the clinic’s sole aesthetic prescriber.

Your first visit is a consultation: we look at your skin, discuss your medical history and what you would like to change, and explain which product we would suggest and why, including when a simpler or lower-cost option makes more sense. On treatment day the skin is cleansed, a numbing cream can be used if you prefer, and the product is placed with fine injections across the area. Afterwards we suggest avoiding make-up for the rest of the day and avoiding strenuous exercise, saunas and alcohol for around 24 hours.

Results and safety

Hydration-led boosters often show an early improvement within a few weeks, while repair-led products such as polynucleotides build more gradually over a course. The full effect usually shows a few weeks after the final session, and maintenance sessions help sustain it. Results vary from person to person and depend on age, skin condition, sun exposure and lifestyle.

The most common effects are temporary: small bumps where the product was placed, redness, tenderness and occasional bruising. Less commonly, there can be swelling, infection or a reaction to the product. Placement near the eye in particular calls for a clear understanding of facial anatomy, and every treatment is planned around the vital facial structures beneath the skin. We review you after treatment and remain available if anything concerns you.

How much do skin boosters cost?

At our Islington clinic, skin boosters (polynucleotides, Sunekos, Volite, Restylane Skinboosters and Plinest) are from £250 per session. Profhilo is £350 per session, or £625 for the usual two-session course. A skin and aesthetic consultation is £65 and is redeemable in full against treatment.

A lower per-session price can mean a simpler product, a smaller area or a shorter-lasting effect rather than better value. A course of the right booster is usually better value than repeated sessions of the wrong one, and we will give you a clear, costed plan before you commit to anything.

Why have it with us

Dr Vishal Patel has around twenty years in dentistry and ten years in facial aesthetics. His training includes the International Fellowship in Advanced Aesthetic Science, a facial anatomy and cadaver course with Dr Ali Pirayesh at the University of Amsterdam, Harley Academy and IBSA training in Profhilo. As a cosmetic dentist he works every day around the blood vessels, nerves and muscles of the face, and that anatomical grounding shapes how he plans and places every injectable. We match the product to the skin, not to a promotion, and we will tell you if the honest answer is a different treatment or no treatment at all.

Because we are an integrative clinic, we would add one thing many aesthetic pages leave out. A skin booster supports the skin from within, but how skin looks over the years owes a great deal to sleep, sun protection, hydration and nutrition. Where it is helpful, our nutritional therapist can sit alongside the aesthetic plan.

The clinic is at 222 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 3AP, two minutes from Essex Road station and a short ride from Angel, Highbury, Canonbury, Hackney and Stoke Newington. The 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 buses stop on Essex Road. Many patients cycle or use a Lime or Forest e-bike. We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm, by appointment.

Clinically reviewed by Dr Vishal Patel · BDS · MSc Aesthetic & Restorative Dentistry · GDC 103127. Last reviewed 1 October 2026.

Skin boosters: more in this group

• Polynucleotides for hair loss
• Plinest

Related: dermal fillers.