Plain definitions of the words that come up when you read about Profhilo or compare two clinics’ quotes. Injectable skin treatments share a lot of overlapping vocabulary, and knowing exactly what a term means is often the quickest way to tell whether two prices are for the same thing.
Also known as: Profilo, Profhilo injections, Profhilo skin booster.
An injectable made of hyaluronic acid that spreads under the skin and is used to improve hydration, firmness and texture without changing the shape of the face. A standard 2 ml syringe holds 64 mg of hyaluronic acid. It is a registered trade mark of IBSA Institut Biochimique SA. Profhilo treatment in London covers the course in full.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: HA, Hyaluronan, Sodium hyaluronate.
A sugar molecule the body makes itself, found throughout the skin, where it binds water. Most dermal fillers and skin boosters are built on it. Injected forms differ mainly in how the molecules are processed, which decides whether a product holds a shape or spreads.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: HCC, NAHYCO Hybrid Technology.
The maker’s name for the way Profhilo is produced: long and short hyaluronic acid chains are heated together so they bond into a stable gel without a chemical cross-linker. That is why the product flows out from each injection point instead of sitting where it is placed.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: H-HA, L-HA.
Hyaluronic acid comes in long chains (high molecular weight) and short chains (low molecular weight), which behave differently in the skin. A 2 ml Profhilo syringe contains 32 mg of each, according to the maker’s declaration of conformity.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: Bio-remodelling, Bioremodeller.
A marketing and clinical label for treatments meant to improve the quality of the skin itself, its laxity, hydration and elasticity, as opposed to adding volume. Profhilo is described as a bioremodeller by its maker and by many clinics.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: Bio Aesthetic Points, Profhilo injection points, 5-point technique.
The maker’s injection pattern for the face: five points on each side, ten in all, with 0.2 ml placed at each. The points are chosen to let the product spread evenly and to keep clear of the larger vessels and nerves. A separate ten-point pattern is used on the neck. How a Profhilo session works walks through it.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Also known as: Injectable moisturiser, Skin quality injectable.
A loose umbrella term for injectables that aim to improve skin quality rather than shape. Most are hyaluronic acid; some are other materials altogether. Because the term covers products that work in different ways, ask which product a quote is for.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: Filler, Cross-linked filler.
A gel, usually cross-linked hyaluronic acid, placed to add volume or structure to one spot: the lips, the cheeks or the tear trough, for example. It is built to hold its shape. Profhilo is not a filler, although both are hyaluronic acid.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A larger presentation of the same material for areas such as the inner arms and abdomen: 3 ml holding 96 mg of hyaluronic acid, according to the maker’s declaration of conformity. It follows the same course of two sessions about a month apart.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
A newer product in the same range, placed deeper, in the fat layer of the lateral cheek, which the maker describes as restoring adipose tissue. It is a different treatment from standard Profhilo and is not among the treatments the practices at UNTIL clubs publish.
Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The main structural protein of the skin, made by cells called fibroblasts. Production slows with age and sun exposure, which shows as thinner, less firm skin. Many skin treatments, Profhilo included, aim to prompt the skin to make more.
Source: www.nhs.uk
The protein that lets skin stretch and spring back. Like collagen it declines with age, and its loss is part of why older skin creases and sags. Studies of Profhilo measure elasticity as one of their main outcomes.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: Loose skin, Crepey skin.
Skin that has lost firmness and recoil, so it creases finely or hangs a little looser, most often on the lower face, neck, inner arms and above the knees. Mild laxity is what Profhilo is used for; marked sagging usually needs a different treatment.
Also known as: CE-marked device.
The highest-risk class of medical device under UK and EU rules, which covers injectable hyaluronic acid products. Profhilo is classed as a Class III device, which means it is regulated as a device and is not a prescription-only medicine.
Source: www.gov.uk
Also known as: Top-up, Booster session.
A single session after the first course, given to keep the result going. The maker allows for maintenance as often as every two to three months; practitioners at UNTIL clubs more often plan it at around six months.
Also known as: Chest, Neckline.
The upper chest below the neck. Its skin is thin and often more sun-damaged than the face, so it shows fine creasing early, and it is one of the areas practitioners treat with Profhilo alongside the face and neck.
Also known as: Fitzpatrick I to VI.
A six-point scale for how skin responds to sun, from type I, which always burns, to type VI, which rarely does. It matters most for lasers and peels. Practices at UNTIL clubs that publish Profhilo describe it as suitable for every type from I to VI.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: JCCP register.
A voluntary UK register for practitioners who give non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Doctors and nurses are also on their own professional registers, the GMC and NMC, which you can search online before an appointment.
Source: www.jccp.org.uk
Also known as: NMC public register, Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s online list of every nurse and midwife registered to work in the UK. A nurse who gives aesthetic injections should appear on it; searching by name or PIN is free and takes a minute.
Source: www.nmc.org.uk