Profhilo is an injectable anti-ageing treatment made from hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in the skin. It is a new remodelling agent that stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, helping to rejuvenate and tighten the skin. Profhilo also attracts water which helps to hydrate the skin.

Profhilo can be used in the following areas: • Face • Neck

You will require 2 mls spread over 10 injection points. At the start, you will need two induction sessions one month apart then one session every 4 - 6 months for maintenance.

The injections sting briefly, but patients generally report only mild discomfort. After the treatment, you may experience some tenderness for the first 24 - 72 hours.

Bruising can be avoided if an experienced practitioner performs the injection. Bruising happens when the injector hit a vein. Therefore we always make sure to identify the veins before injecting. Nevertheless bruising is always a possibility but is not that common.

Profhilo takes 4 to 6 weeks to work as the product needs time to spread and stimulate your own collagen and elastin.

The length of the procedure is 15 mins.

At the start, you will need two induction sessions one month apart then one session every six months for maintenance.

Occasionally some redness, swelling and tenderness can occur immediately in the injection site, lasting for few hours.

Dermal fillers are safe products, however, there are few people who need to avoid it: • Allergy to Hyaluronic Acid. • Patients with bleeding and blood disorders/leukaemia/lymphoma. (You need clearance from your haematologist before proceeding, as the risk of infection is higher) • Patient on chemotherapy or immunosuppressant. (You need clearance from your haematologist/oncologist before proceeding, as the risk of infection is higher) • Sensitivity to gram-positive bacteria proteins. • Active infection or inflammation in the skin area to be injected. • Patient with on-going other facial treatments as chemical peels, laser treatment or microderm abrasion. • Patients at risk of Keloids (hypertrophic scarring). • Patient with active cold sore. • Pregnant and breastfeeding women (best to be avoided despite no real evidence) • Patients planning to have facial surgery in the next 12 months. Patient on blood thinning agents (for example Aspirin, Clopidogrel, NSAIDS, Warfarin and Apixaban) can have dermal fillers. However the risk of bruising is higher.

• It is normal for the skin to be red around the area of injection but also white around the area where the anaesthetic cream/injection was applied. This should only last a few hours. • Lumps can occasionally occur when the dermal filler absorbs water from the body and swells. For the first 24 hours after treatment these lumps can easily be massaged away (between finger and thumb). Don’t massage lumps that you cannot see as this will only displace your filler. • Rarely numbness and/or tingling over the site of injection may occur for a few days. • Bruising is the most common complication of treatment. You can reduce bruising by applying ice; it is ok to cover up bruising with concealer/makeup the next day. • Avoid applying makeup over the injection sites for 12 hours. This is to reduce the already small risk of skin infection. • Often superficial lines in the face are ‘highlighted’ in pink or red following treatment. This effect will settle within a few days. • Until the initial swelling and redness have resolved, do not expose the treated area to intense heat (i.e. solarium, sauna or sunbathing). • If you have previously suffered from facial cold sores, there is a risk that the needle punctures could contribute to another eruption of cold sores. This question is on the consent form. • If you are using aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin or similar medication, be aware that these may increase the bruising or bleeding at the injection site

If the area injected become white and/or very painful following Profhilo injection you need to get in touch with us. Fortunately, this would be extremely rare to happen (1 in 1 million). Otherwise, we expect patients to have a mild irritation to the injected skin lasting a few hours when the numbness wears off.