In this post:

Skin booster is a revolutionary injectable treatment that enhances hydration and elasticity, going beyond traditional fillers to rejuvenate the skin.
Learn why we choose the flat blanching technique over other popular injection methods like the BAP, fanning, and grid techniques.
Explore the expectations for skin booster results and how many appointments patients need.
When and why you should inject skin boosters and Botox in combination.

Skin boosters have taken the aesthetics industry by storm in the past few years, and its popularity is showing no signs of slowing down. Our Smileworks Liverpool patients can’t get enough of the treatment. And it’s no wonder why patients are flocking to it. These injectables offer an unparalleled approach to skin hydration and elasticity.

Unlike traditional dermal fillers, skin boosters don’t just fill wrinkles. With its deep hydration, this injectable treatment has a massive effect to the overall health and quality of the skin. It also stimulates elastin and collagen production, giving the skin a glowier, more youthful appearance.

But how are these stunning results achieved? It’s all in the technique. Read on for a deep dive into the different types of skin booster injection techniques and what injection points provide the best results. By the end of our comprehensive guide, you’ll be ready to incorporate skin boosters into your practice.

What are Skin Boosters?

Skin boosters are a soft and flowable type of dermal filler designed to enhance the skin’s overall hydration, elasticity, and firmness. Skin boosters differ from normal fillers because of its ability to improve the skin’s internal condition rather than just its outward appearance. They are made of hyaluronic acid and other revitalising compounds like amino acid.

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that already naturally occurs in our bodies. This acid retains moisture and adds volume to the skin. We see a reduction in hyaluronic acid as we age. Skin boosters are a way to re-introduce this compound. By addressing dehydration, fine lines, and loss of elasticity, skin boosters offer patients a more refreshed and younger-looking complexion.

Skin boosters are used to treat areas of the skin where signs of ageing are most visible: the face, neck, hands, and décolletage.

Profhilo
Teoxane Redensity 1
Belotero Revive
Seventy Hyal

All of these products have low viscosity and will look runny like water.

The Flat Blanching Technique

Due to the versatility of skin boosters, there are many different technique options. Our preferred method is the flat blanching technique with a 30G needle. With this technique, you’ll inject skin booster into the superficial layers of skin to improve and support hydration. The flat blanching technique is best for improving elasticity in shallow, diffuse lines. We use it for patients with crepey lines around the mouth, on the sides of the face, around the eyes, and between the brows.

Before you start treatment, be sure to prepare the skin with hypochlorous acid to ensure it’s well-cleaned. This is to avoid contamination since a needle will be entering the patient’s skin multiple times.

Now onto the actual technique. Angle your needle bevel down and introduce it intradermally. You’ll want to aim for the superficial reticular dermis. Don’t inject too deep or else you’ll waste your product. The target depth is only 0.2mm, and the angle of the syringe is very shallow – less than 10°. This means you are holding the needle and syringe almost parallel to the skin.

The bevel length is facing down in the tissue, but you can also inject with it pointing up. This is a matter of personal preference.

You’ll need a good amount of pressure to place the product since you’re treating a dense layer of skin. When you place the product, you will place around 0.02-0.05ml per increment. If you’ve placed correctly, the skin will blanch. This blanching is superficial and will resolve within minutes of the injection.

When you move onto each new injection point, you may notice a little product escape. This is okay, but you may want to space your injection points further apart. If you notice skin booster is escaping through the pores in the skin, that’s a sign you may need to inject a bit deeper.

How Long do Skin Boosters Last?

Skin booster results are immediate, with a gradual improvement during the first month after treatment. Expect results to last between 4-6 months. You should make patients aware it will likely take 2-3 sessions to achieve their desired results. Once this is achieved, we recommend our patients book top-up appointments at least every 6 months to maintain their results.

Immediately after treatment, it’s not uncommon for patients to experience bruising. This will be mild and will resolve over a few days. In some patients, the intradermal blebs take 24-48 hours to disappear as they integrate within the skin. Be sure to warn your patients of both of these risks.

It’s important to make your patients aware that this is not filler or Botox. Their expectations need to be managed. Make it clear that skin boosters offer hydration, not filling. While lines will see significant improvement, not all of them will disappear.

Other Popular Skin Booster Injection Techniques

Skin booster injection techniques are not limited to the flat blanching technique. There are other popular techniques that you should familiarise yourself with since each has its own uses.

BAP Technique

The Bio Aesthetics Points (BAP) technique is one of the most popular method for skin booster injections. This technique involves injecting the product into five strategic points on each side of the face, covering the malar and sub-malar areas.

These points are:

Zygomatic protrusion
Nasal base
Inferior margin of the tragus
Labial commissure/chin

Jawline

This technique ensures even distribution of product and minimal discomfort, making it a favourite for both practitioners and patients. The BAP technique is particularly beneficial for mature skin, providing a quick and comfortable treatment with reduced risk of bruising and injection site irritation.

Fanning Technique

The fanning technique is a great choice for areas other than the face. It involves inserting the needle at a specific site and then moving it in a fan-like motion to distribute the skin booster evenly. This approach is preferred for covering large areas, such as the neck and hands.

Grid Technique

Ideal for larger facial surfaces like the cheeks, the grid technique uses a micro-puncture approach where the treatment area is divided into a grid, with each section being about 1cm². Small amounts of products are injected into each square, ensuring thorough and uniform coverage. This method is particularly effective in improving skin texture and volume in broader areas, though it is less suitable for delicate regions like the nasolabial folds.

Skin Booster vs Botox

Many patients and practitioners alike turn to botulinum toxin to fill their lines and wrinkles. And there are many cases where this might work. Botox does relax muscles. But we have to think about why we have these lines in the first place.

It’s simply due to lack of skin support.

Ageing skin is like scrunched up paper. We can wrinkle it, but when we smooth it back out, it often still has wrinkles in it. What we’re trying to achieve with skin boosters is skin support, rather than muscle relaxing.

You can use skin boosters and Botox in combination. Chances are you’ve had patients where Botox has worked to a certain degree, but their lines are still visible. This is a particular issue in the area of the glabella. Patients will ask for more Botox, but you know it won’t work.

It is these scenarios where a combined approach of Botox and skin booster could be useful. Botox will only work on the middle muscle layer, and the smoothing effect is just by reduction of muscle action. Poor quality skin will stay poor quality. With skin boosters, you can remedy this issue.

Learn From The Best In The Industry!

We’re proud to introduce the Smileworks Aesthetic Training HUB – an esteemed aesthetic training centre based in the UK. We pride ourselves on our wide range of online and hands-on courses tailored for every skill level.

If you’re after more in-depth training in skin boosters, book a one-to-one mentoring session with our lead instructor and co-founder Dr Rowland-Warmann. She’ll guide you through the flat blanching technique and prepare you to treat real patients.

Maybe you’re still taking your first steps into the world of Botox and fillers, or you’re an advanced injector aiming to master facial ultrasound techniques. Regardless of your experience, we have the expertise and courses to suit your needs.

It’s time to embrace the prospering world of aesthetic medicine. The HUB provides you with all the right training and guidance you need to succeed. Take control of your professional journey and step into a future filled with endless potential and opportunities.

Join us at the HUB. Let’s shape the future of aesthetic medicine together and ensure safe, effective, and transformative results for every patient.

Want to try out our courses before committing? Take advantage of our free trial for a taste of what learning at the HUB is like.

Related blog posts:

Do Lips Get Thinner with Age? A Deep Dive into the Ageing Lip
Forehead Fillers Gone Wrong? How to Identify & Fix It
How to Become an Aesthetic Practitioner in the UK
Manage Filler Complications with Ultrasound