Anti-Wrinkle Treatment, Dermal Filler or PROFHILO®: Understanding the Difference

If you've ever looked at a treatment menu and wondered which one you actually need, you're certainly not alone.

Anti-wrinkle treatment, dermal filler and skin boosters such as PROFHILO® are often grouped together, because they can all form part of an approach to facial ageing. But they work in very different ways.

One way I explain it is to think about a mattress. Anti-wrinkle treatment reduces the force that keeps pressing down on it. Dermal filler replaces filling that has been lost. PROFHILO® is about the condition of the mattress itself. None of them is better than the others. They simply do different jobs.

Why are they so often confused?

Part of the confusion comes from the way aesthetic treatments are marketed. All three are often promoted as a way to reduce fine lines, which makes them sound interchangeable.

So when someone tells me they'd like to soften their wrinkles or look fresher, the right treatment depends entirely on what's actually causing the concern. Sometimes it's repeated muscle movement. Sometimes it's loss of volume and structural support. Sometimes the skin itself has become thinner, drier or less resilient.

Those are different problems, and they need different approaches. It's why I don't think aesthetic treatment should be a matter of choosing something from a menu. A proper consultation comes first, so the plan is built around your face and what you're hoping for.

Anti-wrinkle treatment: relaxing movement

Anti-wrinkle treatment, using botulinum toxin, works by temporarily reducing the strength of specific muscle contractions.

Back to the mattress. If it keeps being compressed in the same place, reducing the force causing that compression helps prevent the indentation from becoming as pronounced. In the face, repeated muscle movement contributes to dynamic lines such as frown lines, forehead lines and crow's feet. This treatment is therefore particularly suited to movement related lines.

What it doesn't do is replace lost volume. It won't fill a hollow cheek, add fullness to a thin lip or provide structural support where volume has been lost. It also isn't intended to improve skin quality.

And reducing movement doesn't have to mean eliminating expression. Treatment should always be planned around your individual anatomy, your movement and your desired outcome.

Dermal filler: adding volume and structure

Dermal filler works differently. Rather than relaxing muscle, filler adds volume and provides support in specific areas.

Imagine a mattress that has become compressed because some of the filling has been lost. Adding material back into it returns some of its shape and support. In the face, this becomes relevant where there has been volume loss, or where additional structural support may improve balance and proportion.

Depending on the product and where it's placed, dermal filler may be used to replace lost facial volume, support areas of reduced definition, enhance or balance certain features, soften folds or depressions, and improve facial proportions.

PROFHILO®: supporting skin quality

PROFHILO® is different again. Rather than targeting muscle movement or replacing structural volume, it's designed to support skin quality using a highly concentrated hyaluronic acid formulation.

Think of the mattress once more. This time it isn't about reducing the force compressing it, and it isn't about adding a new layer of filling. It's about the condition and quality of the mattress itself.

PROFHILO® is often considered when the concern is skin that looks crepey, dehydrated, dull or lacking in elasticity.

The aim isn't to create significant facial volume or change your facial shape. It's about supporting the quality and appearance of the skin. And because it isn't a traditional volumising filler, it shouldn't be thought of as a substitute for dermal filler when structural support is what's actually needed.

So which one do you need?

This is where it becomes individual. Two people can walk into a clinic with exactly the same concern, both saying their face looks tired, and need completely different approaches. One may have strong muscle movement creating prominent lines. Another may have experienced volume loss. Plenty of people have a combination of all three.

That's why a thorough consultation matters. I assess your facial structure, movement, skin quality and proportions, and I want to understand what you're actually hoping for before anything is decided.

The aim isn't to do as much as possible. It's to identify what your face actually needs, and what will give you the most natural and worthwhile outcome. Sometimes that means combining treatments. Often it means starting with one and seeing how you feel.

Working out what suits you

If you're weighing up which of these might be right for you, that's exactly what a consultation is for. Consultations at Studio Aesthetics are free, and nothing needs to be decided on the day.

I'll assess your face properly, talk you through what I'm seeing in plain language, and give you an honest view, including if I think the right answer is to wait or to do nothing at all.

If this feels right for you, you're always welcome to book a consultation.