Is this new injectable treatment the ultimate hack?

If your desert island beauty pick is a highlighter, you may want to listen up. The way a good highlighting make-up product can lift the face, add light-reflecting particles and mimic healthy skin, is unrivalled, so when a new treatment proclaims itself to be an ‘injectable highlighter,’ it’s certainly a bold statement.

That’s exactly what the new BabyGLOW procedure has done, and it seems serious about its ability to deliver unbeatable natural glow. However, although the premise sounds impressive, it also begs the following question: how exactly does it achieve this, and is it really any different from other injectable skin boosters we’ve come to know and love?

What is babyGLOW and how does it work?

The injectable treatment uses Teoxane’s lightweight Redensity 1 (a skin booster which contains hyaluronic acid, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants) and targets the natural high planes of the face to create a soft, diffused contouring effect that mimics natural highlighter.

As Cosmetic Doctor Dr Emmaline Ashley explains however, this is not about a new product per se, but a new way to use said product. In other words, it’s all in the technique.

“What's clever about BabyGLOW is the mapping: the product is placed through eight defined points just beneath the surface of the skin, in areas chosen to catch and bounce light. Because the gel is so fluid, it spreads evenly under the skin instead of sitting in one spot, so you get a smooth, all-over freshness and lit-from-within ‘glow.’”

This skin booster not only delivers instant gratification (giving that ‘natural highlight’ effect), but also long-term skin health: it supports collagen and elastin stimulation and promises to improve hydration levels, as well as overall skin quality and texture. 

For this reason—and the fact it’s becoming known as an ‘injectable highlighter’ treatment—it could easily be viewed as the ultimate ‘expensive to be inexpensive’ hack. Essentially, it’s something you pay a little more for initially, but then means you don’t have to ‘work’ as hard in daily life to achieve glowing skin with make-up and skincare.

This, in theory, saves you time, money and energy. “Patients tell me they reach for less make-up, feel comfortable leaving the house bare-faced, and stop buying quite so many ‘glow’ products that promise the same thing,” says Ashley. “Yes, there's an upfront cost, but the pay-off is how little you then have to do day-to-day.”

How is it different from other skin boosters?

Skin boosters have boomed in popularity in recent years, mostly in response to the increasing cultural demand for them (more on this later). But with so many to choose from now, why opt for this one over another? According to Ashley, what sets this treatment apart is the specific technique.

“A lot of classic booster protocols involve peppering the whole face with lots of little injections, which can leave temporary bumps and slightly hit-and-miss results. This uses fewer, anatomically chosen points and places the product a touch deeper in the immediate subdermis, so diffusion is even, bumps are far less likely, and the outcome is more predictable. It's quality over quantity.”

The approach also differs from the likes of Profhilo due to two key factors. First, Profhilo uses pure hyaluronic acid rather than a cocktail of hyaluronic, vitamins, amino acids and more. It’s injected using a specific multi-point technique, but usually one that’s a little different to BabyGLOW as its goals are different—the treatment is most often used to treat a loss of firmness and concentrates on tightening.

The before and after pictures have certainly been impressive, and so far, the brand has said that it has a 99 per cent overall patient satisfaction rating, suggesting it’s a new favourite that truly works.

Who is the ‘ideal’ patient?

According to Dr Ashley, the appeal is “beautifully broad,” meaning it can be a good option for a range of patients. Generally, though, “the classic candidate is anyone whose skin looks a little tired, dull or ‘flat.’ Patients might notice that the light isn't bouncing off it the way it used to.” She adds that it’s a solid choice for pre-event appointments, too.

It’s also appealing to anyone who’s interested in exploring longevity as a concept, and is open to regenerative procedures that improve skin quality over time; its cultural appeal has certainly risen in line with the demand for a ‘less is more’ aesthetic that focuses on health rather than simply appearance.

“We've come out of the era of very obvious, high-volume work and into ‘skinimalism,’ – people want to look expensive and effortless rather than treated,” Ashley adds.

“There’s also a real appetite for lower-maintenance beauty: we're time-poor, a bit fatigued by 10-step routines, and drawn to anything that quietly does the work in the background. BabyGLOW sits right in the middle of all of that.”

Those who should avoid the treatment include anyone with an active skin infection or active acne, those pregnant or breastfeeding, and “anyone whose actual concern is volume loss,” says Ashley. “That's a filler conversation, and I'd always steer them there instead.”

Need to know 

Lasting around six months, this is a good ‘lunchtime treatment’ as it requires no downtime (only minimal redness and bumps may occur) and offers instant plumping and luminosity. Any major discomfort is uncommon; in fact, this is a fairly painless procedure for most.

“The product contains lidocaine (a local anaesthetic) and I use a fine needle with numbing cream beforehand, so most patients describe it as more of a quick scratch than anything uncomfortable,” notes Ashley.

As well as that instant smooth glow, you’ll also notice results building over time, mostly in terms of skin quality. Dr Ashley recommends two to three sessions for best results, usually spaced three to four weeks apart.