418
injection
facials
the new
A
quick shot
or two of
Botox be-
tween the
brows is
one thing,
but endur-
ing hundreds of superficial
pricks—allowing a cocktail of
supposed complexion perfecters
to seep into your skin—is another.
Yet believers rave about the youth-
enhancing benefts of having
syringes of vitamins and anti-
oxidants injected in their face.
Let’s be clear: The concept behind micro-
needling, which makes tiny punctures beneath
the skin’s surface that initiate a
natural repair process and boost
collagen production, is not new.
Creating micro-traumas below
the skin is also the basis for
proven collagen-boosting and sun-damage-erasing
antiaging lasers like the revered heat-emitting
Fraxel. And mesotherapy—injecting a cocktail
of vitamins and cafeine into areas of cellulite—is not new
either. But combine the two and focus on the face, and
you’ve got the antiaging treatment du jour.
Shirley Madhère, a plastic surgeon in New York who
takes a holistic approach in her practice (all of her patients
undergo a detox before any surgical procedure), calls her
vitamin-needle treatment VitaGlow. She uses a serum-flled
needle and manually controls the speed and depth of each
puncture. Madhère’s skin-perfecting formula contains vita-
mins A 1 , B 2 , B 4 , B 12 , C, D, and E as well as hyaluronic acid
and minerals (zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium). “My
hand pressure determines the rate at which the droplets
come out of the needle,” explains Madhère, who recommends
a series of four VitaGlow treatments two weeks apart, then
transitioning to every few months as needed.
Ami Shah, 38, a fnancial services executive, “VitaGlows” every
three months and considers it “nutrition for my skin,” she says.
And while treatment can be costly (Madhère charges $900 for the
face, $1,250 for both the face and neck), “it replaces the expensive
creams that my friends are using,” Shah says. “My skin is in better shape
than it was when I was in my 20s. And when I wear makeup, it’s to
enhance my skin, not to cover anything.”New York plastic surgeon
Matthew Schulman is touting
his EscarGlow treatment, a mix
of micro-needling, which uses
a penlike device packed with
11 needles set to a specifc fre-
quency and depth, combined with
a snail-secretion extract that’s
applied to the skin. The extract
contains stellar skin healers,
including antioxidants, peptides,
and collagen growth factors,
along with mega-hydrating hyal-
uronic acid. Having three monthly
$350 treatments, then maintenance
sessions every few months, is standard and can
“lessen fne lines, wrinkles, pore size, and irregu-
lar pigmentation,” claims Schul-
man. Viviane Giangola, 45, a yoga
instructor, has just completed her
sixth EscarGlow session. “I’ve
seen such an improvement in the
brightness and tone of my skin, plus it looks frmer
and fne lines have smoothed out,” she says.
Not surprisingly, there are experts who ques-
tion the safety of injection facials. “It’s not the vitamins
that are a concern but the vehicle they’re dissolved in,” says
New York dermatologist Neal Schultz. “It could have 20,
even 30, diferent substances that have not been tested for
toxicity, infectiousness, or the potential for causing allergic
reactions when injected into the skin.” A report published
last year in JAMA Dermatology cited several cases of women
who had solutions with high amounts of vitamin C or
hyaluronic acid applied to their face before micro-needling
and then experienced extreme allergic reactions: pufness,
redness, and swelling. The report also noted that some of
what’s injected may be implanted into the skin cells like a
tattoo. “It could stay in your skin for life,” says Schultz, adding
that until research proves otherwise, he’s not on board. “This is
a completely uncontrolled situation where it’s like the Wild, Wild
West of skin care, where anything you put on your skin can get into
your body,” he says. “And it’s crazy if people think it’s harmless.”
But getting into the skin is precisely why Madhère swears by VitaGlow.
“I feed my skin by eating well, staying hydrated, and taking supple-
ments,” she says. “So, yes, I believe there is an added beneft to direct
application that goes beyond the superfcial top layer. Many times, creams
may not be efective because they won’t get to where they need to.” nNeedles
pumping
vitamins into
your face
are the latest
anti-agers.
By Nicole
Catanese
florian sommet/folio-id.com