Skinbooster refers to an injectable treatment involving
- Multiple minute punctures on the skin
- Delivery of injectable into the superficial skin
- Intended purpose of improving skin texture, complexion, hydration amongst others
The term skinbooster was probably coined from Restylane’s Vital Light, which is a pure HA product and one of the early skinbooster products available. Over the years, the injectable content of skinbooster type treatments has expanded from being purely HA to PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) (as exemplified by Rejuran) as the key component. Many doctors prefer the term skinbooster only when the injectable component is exclusively HA, although we use the term skinbooster to refer to both HA as well as PDRN based treatments as they are essentially administered in the same way.
By classification, skinboosters are considered dermal fillers, although they do not have any filling effect per se. The HA used in skinboosters are also different from the HA used in dermal fillers:
- typically non-crosslinked or minimally crosslinked
- very small particle sized (typically 1/30 the particle size of a dermal filler), with gel consistency being fluid.
- lower degree of structural modification
Hence the HA in a skinbooster is structurally more similar to our naturally occurring HA than to the HA in a dermal filler. It also biodegrades much faster. Filler Induced Vascular Occlusions (FIVO) have not been characterized with skinbooster injections probably because of the very small particle size as well the superficial layer injected.
We offer two main skinbooster products at our clinic, being Teosyal RD-I and Rejuran Healer. Both can be combined for use if there is a requirement. A typical skinbooster regime consists of a series of three sessions spaced one monthly, and to be repeated annually.
It is important to assess what specifically is bothering you about your skin prior to just jumping into a series of skinbooster treatment to “try and improve complexion and glow”.
Skin conditions are very common and ought to be screened for prior to starting skinbooster treatments, as skin conditions benefit from specific treatment which many a times does not involve injections.
From experience, we can divide skin issues into two broad categories:
Inflammation
Complaints here include excessive oil production, frequent pimples, easy flushing and redness, “sensitive” skin.
For middle aged women, many have underlying rosacea, which requires topical treatment with anti-inflammatory creams.
Skinboosters if performed only have a supportive role. The mainstay of treatment is topical treatment.
Pigmentation
A frequent reason for seeking skinbooster treatment is to get rid of pigmentation, although skinbooster treatment is not the primary treatment for any type of pigmentation.
Melasma is a common pigmentation disorder in middle aged women, the mainstay of treatment is topical creams with/without oral tranexamic acid. Other types of pigmentation disorder may require repeated sessions of laser treatments.
Skinboosters when performed in this context is again supportive in nature and is incapable of replacing the main treatment.
Prior to a skinbooster injection, makeup must be thoroughly removed and topical numbing cream applied for at least an hour. This is to ensure sterility and adequate numbing as multiple injections will need to be performed throughout the face.
Most doctors perform skinbooster injections using a hypodermic needle directly (“hand injection”). The typical reason cited is that injection device is inevitably associated with leakage of the injectable.
However, at YVL Medical Aesthetics, we only perform skinboosters using a suction multi-injection device and do not use hand injection technique because of the following:
- A good injection device is much less painful than hand injection
- Each jab of the injection device delivers 9 injections at precise depths and spacing in a split second (perceived by the body as a single jab), whereas hand injection by the best injectors will still vary in spacing and depth
- A typical hand injection will distribute the product over several hundred injection points. This inherently limits the amount of product that can be administered
- An injection device can distribute the product over 3,000 to 6,000 injection points (9 injections each time). The same quantity of product is now a lot more evenly distributed throughout the face. At 3,000 to 6,000 punctures to the face, we believe there may be an independent effect akin to a fractional laser treatment
Teosyal RD-I is a non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid based skinbooster, and as with HA based skinboosters, the primary effect is to improve skin hydration and complexion (“glow”).
Teosyal RD-I has the following added components:
- Vit B6
- Minerals (Copper and Zinc)
- Amino acids
- Antioxidants (Glutathione, NAC, Alphalipoic acid)
With the possible benefits of supporting skin cell turnover and new skin production, as well as reducing melanin production.
Rejuran Healer contains polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), which is basically a substrate for DNA synthesis and cellular growth/regeneration. PDRN also has anti-inflammatory effects, reduces melanin production and improves angiogenesis (blood vessel formation).
When injected to the face, it promotes the turnover of the skin. New skin that forms has better texture and complexion, although it does not help with hydration or glow per se. It may be beneficial for middle aged skin with signs of UV damage.