Skin Boosters Are an Injectable That Don’t Make You Look Like You’ve Had Fillers

Restylane Skinboosters, which are one of the most popular cosmetic injectables in Asia, finally got approved last June for use in Canada. “We knew there was a need for it,” says Dr. Lisa Kellett, a Toronto-based dermatologist. “It fills the need of a specific niche of patients who don’t want volume.”

Instead, the hyaluronic acid in Skinboosters creates smoothness because the product is much thinner than traditional filler. Kellett uses it most often in two types of patients: older ones who have done everything else and just want to improve fine lines and younger ones who don’t need a heavy filler and/or have indented acne scars. It’s approved for use on the backs of hands, the neck and the lower face. And, says Kellett, “it would also be good for around the eyes because you don’t want to put a lot of volume there.”

The other difference between Skinboosters and other fillers is that it requires a specific technique: Rather than targeting one specific area and inflating it, micro-droplets of the product are administered a centimetre apart. Kellett uses a cannula so that only one pinprick needs to be made, and then she diffuses the product outward. “So you’re treating the entire surface,” she explains. “That means you get a global improvement.” After the first treatment, the procedure is repeated at two months, followed by a touch-up at six months, with the results lasting about a year.