Skin that's lost its glow — looks flat, tight, lacklustre, like the light's gone out of it. It's not a surface problem you can fix with enough moisturiser. It's a hydration and collagen problem, and there's a treatment that addresses it from within.
Dehydrated skin lacks water, not oil. You can have oily skin that's still dehydrated, and you can moisturise constantly and still look dull. That's because the hydration that makes skin look plump and lit-from-within isn't on the surface — it's in the dermis, the deeper layer, where hyaluronic acid holds water like a sponge.
From your mid-thirties, the skin's natural hyaluronic acid depletes. At the same time, collagen and elastin production slows. The combined effect is skin that looks flat and dull, feels tight, and has lost the bounce and luminosity it had at 25. It's not damage — it's depletion.
It can also be seasonal (central heating in winter), lifestyle-related (not enough water, too much caffeine), or hormonal. But when skin has been dull for months and creams aren't fixing it, the cause is usually deeper than the surface.
The hydration that makes skin look luminous isn't on the surface — it's in the dermis. Moisturiser sits on top and creates a temporary barrier, which helps, but it can't replace the hyaluronic acid that's been lost underneath. If the deeper layers are dehydrated, the surface looks dull no matter how much you moisturise. You're hydrating the wrong layer.
How we treat it
Hyaluronic acid injected into the skin to hydrate from within and stimulate collagen — not adding volume, but improving skin quality. Profhilo is the most popular. From £275. Two sessions, 4 weeks apart.
Dull, dehydrated skin is a hydration-and-collagen problem, so the treatment has to deliver hydration and collagen stimulation into the skin, not onto it. Skin boosters do this directly: hyaluronic acid — the same molecule your skin uses to hold water — is injected into the dermis where it hydrates from within and triggers collagen and elastin production. The skin becomes plumper, smoother, and more luminous because it's genuinely hydrated at the level that matters.
This is different from filler, which adds volume and lifts. Skin boosters don't change the shape of your face — they improve the quality of the skin itself. Same molecule, different purpose.
A consultation first. Anne or Georgie will assess your skin, check that dullness isn't masking something else (like pigmentation or sun damage), and recommend the right approach. Profhilo treatment involves a series of small injections at specific points (the BAP technique) — it takes about 30 minutes. Two sessions, 4 weeks apart, give the best result. There may be small bumps at the injection sites for 24 hours.
Skin boosters are suitable for most people, including during breastfeeding (unlike fillers and anti-wrinkle) — but the consultation confirms this.
Skin boosters improve skin quality genuinely — more hydration, more collagen, more luminosity. The effect builds over the weeks following treatment as collagen production increases. For maintenance, most clients repeat every 6–9 months. What they won't do is correct pigmentation, lift sagging, or fill lines — those are different concerns with different treatments. If dullness is your only concern, skin boosters are the most direct answer.
Skin boosters like Profhilo hydrate the skin from within, restoring the moisture and elasticity that no cream can fully deliver. The result is skin that looks lit-up rather than flat.
Dry skin lacks oil; dehydrated skin lacks water. You can have oily skin that's still dehydrated. Dehydration is the more common concern — it's what makes skin look dull, tight, and lacklustre regardless of how much moisturiser you apply.
Profhilo is a hyaluronic acid skin booster that's injected into the skin in specific points (BAP technique). It hydrates and stimulates collagen without adding volume. It's the most popular skin booster treatment for all-over skin quality.
Filler adds volume and lifts. Skin boosters don't — they improve skin quality, hydration, and collagen. Same molecule (hyaluronic acid), different concentration and placement, different purpose.
Book a free consultation. We'll look at your skin, tell you honestly what will and won't help, and give you a plan — not a sales pitch.
Book a free consultation