'I had 1,000 needles of hyaluronic acid injected into my face. Here's what it was like.'

I know, I’m vain and shallow. Let’s get that part out of the way right at the very start.

But more specifically, I’m 38 and as such, my cells and collagen have started to betray me by not being as plump as they were in my, say, mid 20s. Rude. 

Couple that with a baby under the age of one and a pretty rough 2020 (has ANYONE had a good year so far?!) and I felt like I needed to call in the big guns to help reduce the deep hollows under my eyes and overall make my face look a little fresher.

Watch: Leigh shares her three steps to glowing skin. Post continues below. 

So, I had heaps of needles injected into my face in the name of beauty. It’s a treatment called Beauty Boost and I asked the expert who did it for me, Dr Jeremy Cumpston, to talk us through it. 

A few weeks ago you injected a thousand or so needles in my face. Exactly what was it, and why?

"I used the device ‘V2 injector’ to deliver a product called Redensity 1," Dr Jeremy told me.

"Redensity 1 consists of a water-drawing sugar molecule (Hyaluronic Acid) + 10 amino acids and antioxidants including the skin brightening compound, glutathione. It’s unique in that it provides hydration to the skin, giving the skin a plump look whilst at the same time providing essential building blocks to create new collagen and elastin." 

Sounds like it’s exactly what I needed. But you didn't do it one needle at a time (thank goodness!), you used a handy device. What was that?

"The V2 injector is unique in that it delivers, via 9 hypodermic needles, an exact dose of Redensity 1 at the exact depth. This allows the treating doctor or nurse to appropriately treat each area depending on the skin thickness.

"For instance, we deliver a higher dose at a deeper level (up to 2.5mm) over cheekbone area and use a significantly lower dose at a shallow depth (around 0.6mm) when treating the delicate under-eye area. Redensity, above all fillers, is perfectly suited for the eye area," Dr Jeremy said. 

Okay so it sounds a lot like needling. How is it different? 

"Needling uses the concept of fractionally stressing (AKA lightly damaging) the skin, which in turn initiates a skin healing response whereby collagen and elastin is created within the skin to repair the damage from the procedure," Dr Jeremy explained. 

"Needling has been used particularly in Europe for well over 30 years and has been proven in multiple clinical reports to increase collagen and elastin within the skin. Collagen and elastin are two essential proteins within the skin that draw water and give skin its plump, healthy and youthful look. 

"As we age collagen and elastin is destroyed by UV damage and oxidative stress. This is the reason why 18-year-old skin (which is full of collagen, elastin), looks plump and glows. 

"By the age of 40 the loss of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, means the water draw from these molecules is significantly reduced, the skin is thinner and appears dull in comparison.” 

Yeah I know, I can speak from experience. Get to the point. 

"The Beauty Boost treatment, using Redensity (sugar molecules with antioxidants and amino acids) causes the same fractional damage as needling, but additionally inject into the skin the very building blocks required to maximise the water drawing collagen, elastin and HA that gives skin its youthful glow. In a sense the Redensity with V2 injector can be likened to skin needling on steroids," Dr Jeremy said.  

Listen to You Beauty, the twice-weekly podcast for your face. Post continues below.

Praise be. So remind me, who is this treatment good for?

"This treatment is good for anyone who has dark circles or sunken look under the eyes. Unlike other fillers that are cross-linked, it doesn’t cause unsightly bulges or puffiness under the eyes and works to lighten the skin," Dr Jeremy explained.

"Most importantly, Redensity 1 should be used by any person who wants to keep their skin healthy and vibrant. Of all the treatments I do, it delivers the most natural and aesthetically pleasing result. 

"Ideally it should be done six to 12 weeks apart for a maximum of three treatments in the first year followed by two treatments a year thereafter."

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So that’s the lowdown on what it is and how it works. I had numbing cream applied an hour beforehand so while it still stung a fair bit, I wouldn't say it was really painful.

I had it done on a Saturday and looked pretty scary right after. I had bruising and a teeny bit of swelling the next few days, with the worst bruise spots taking about a week to fade.

I’ve only had the one treatment so far and will have a second in about a month’s time then reassess if I feel I need a third. The circles under my eyes have definitely softened (though are still there) and I feel overall a little more plump and well rested-looking.

You can read more about Beauty Boost here. 

Feature Image: Instagram/@ageless.clinics