“Filler” is often used as a catch-all, but three quite different families of injectable sit under it, and they solve different problems. Hyaluronic acid fillers replace lost volume straight away with a gel that can be shaped and, importantly, dissolved. Biostimulators take a slower route, prompting your own skin to make new collagen so the result builds over months. Skin boosters, sometimes called bio-remodellers, improve the quality of the skin itself — its hydration, elasticity and firmness.
Getting the right one for the right job matters more than any brand name. Dr Garara uses HA fillers from the Revanesse and Juvederm Vycross ranges, the calcium hydroxylapatite biostimulators Radiesse and HarmonyCa, and the skin boosters Profhilo, Profhilo Structura and Sunekos.
Volume that needs to be precise and adjustable points to an HA filler; diffuse firming points to a biostimulator; tired, crepey or dull skin points to a booster. Many faces benefit from a combination, sequenced over time, and results depend far more on assessment and technique than on which brand is chosen.
This page covers
Three families of injectable: HA fillers, biostimulators and skin boosters
HA fillers
Revanesse, Juvederm Vycross — replace volume now
Biostimulators
Radiesse, HarmonyCa — rebuild your own collagen
Skin boosters
Profhilo, Profhilo Structura, Sunekos 1200 & Performa — remodel and hydrate the skin
Key difference
Filling vs collagen-building vs skin-quality remodelling
Reversibility
HA-based products can be dissolved; calcium hydroxylapatite cannot
Onset
Fillers immediate; biostimulators and boosters build over weeks to months
Downtime
Usually mild swelling or bruising for a few days
Skin types
Injectable, so suitable for all skin tones with careful technique
HA fillers (Revanesse, Juvederm Vycross): a cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel that restores volume and shape immediately, draws in water, integrates with tissue, and can be dissolved with an enzyme if adjustment is needed.
Biostimulators (Radiesse, HarmonyCa): calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres in a gel that give some immediate support but mainly stimulate fibroblasts to lay down new collagen over months. HarmonyCa is a hybrid combining CaHA with hyaluronic acid.
Skin boosters and bio-remodellers (Profhilo, Profhilo Structura, Sunekos): these improve the skin itself rather than adding structural volume. Profhilo is a stabilised, non-cross-linked HA; Profhilo Structura restores natural volume in the superficial fat; Sunekos pairs HA with a six-amino-acid blend that stimulates collagen and elastin.
Choosing between them: precise, adjustable volume points to an HA filler; diffuse firming to a biostimulator; tired, crepey or dull skin to a booster — often a combination, sequenced over time.
Immediate volume in cheeks, lips and around the mouth on the day.
Precise contouring of the jawline, chin and midface.
Adjustable and reversible — can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, adding a margin of safety.
Rebuilds your own collagen for gradual firming that looks like better skin, not added product.
Diffuse firming over larger areas such as the jawline, cheeks, neck and hands.
Lift plus collagen with HarmonyCa — an immediate lift alongside longer-term collagen building.
Improves skin quality — better hydration, elasticity and a healthier-looking surface.
Treats laxity without filling; Profhilo remodels mild laxity and crepiness.
Targeted options: Sunekos Performa for skin quality, Sunekos 1200 for deeper support, Profhilo Structura for natural midface volume without a cross-linked filler.
Before
Consultation, facial assessment and a plan matched to your goals. Most products contain anaesthetic; numbing cream may also be used.
During
The product is injected with a needle or cannula. A filler session is usually quick; boosters and biostimulators over larger areas take a little longer.
Immediately after
Swelling, tenderness and sometimes bruising. Boosters such as Profhilo may leave small raised bumps that settle within a day.
Downtime
Usually a few days of mild swelling or bruising.
Results
Filler volume is visible immediately and settles over two weeks; biostimulator and booster results build over weeks to months.
Course
Fillers are topped up as they break down; boosters are usually a short initial course then maintenance; biostimulators are often a short series.
Individual results vary and depend on assessment at consultation. Manufacturer figures are attributed as such.
UHai analyses your skin across multiple dimensions — tone, texture, pigmentation, hydration and more — and generates a personalised clinical report in minutes. No appointment needed.
Find answers to common questions about Injectables.
A hyaluronic acid filler replaces volume immediately and can be dissolved. A biostimulator, such as calcium hydroxylapatite, prompts your own skin to build collagen over months and is not reversible. A skin booster improves the quality of the skin itself — its hydration and elasticity — rather than adding structural volume.
No. Profhilo is a skin booster, or bio-remodeller: a stabilised hyaluronic acid that spreads through the skin to hydrate and remodel mild laxity, rather than adding shape or volume in one place. Profhilo Structura is a related product that does restore some natural volume in the deeper fat layer.
It depends on the goal. Precise, adjustable volume points to an HA filler; diffuse firming points to a biostimulator; tired, dull or crepey skin points to a booster. Many people benefit from a combination, planned at consultation.
Biostimulator results, being collagen, tend to last longest. HA fillers typically last six to eighteen months, and skin boosters around six months before maintenance. Longevity varies by product, area and individual.
Hyaluronic acid products, including HA fillers and HA-based boosters, can be dissolved with an enzyme. Calcium hydroxylapatite biostimulators cannot, which is why planning and placement matter.
Sunekos pairs hyaluronic acid with a six-amino-acid blend that stimulates fibroblasts to make collagen and elastin. Sunekos Performa targets overall skin quality, hydration and fine lines across the face, eyes, neck, decolletage and hands; Sunekos 1200 supports deeper or more lax skin, often used as a base alongside Performa.
Yes. They use no heat or light, so the main consideration is the small chance of pigment marking from injection trauma in richer skin tones, which careful technique and aftercare reduce.
Tell us a little about what you're looking for and we'll match you with the right consultation — at the clinic or virtually.
