Profhilo vs Profhilo Structura: Why They Are Not the Same Treatment
By Dr Amber Halliday, MRCGP MBBS BSc (Hons) | Blue Bird Aesthetics, Worthing
✓ Medically reviewed by Dr Amber Halliday, MRCGP MBBS BSc (Hons)
- Profhilo Structura is a different product from standard Profhilo, designed for the deeper fat compartments rather than the dermis.
- It targets laxity and the early loss of facial support — not surface hydration and not volume replacement.
- It is not a filler. It does not project or contour; it improves the quality and firmness of the tissue it sits within.
- A course of two sessions, four weeks apart, with results developing over three months.
- Profhilo Structura at Blue Bird Aesthetics is £650 for the course of two. Consultations are free.
Standard Profhilo has its own treatment page, or see all skin booster options.
Structura is not stronger Profhilo
This is the most common misunderstanding I correct in consultation. Profhilo Structura shares a name and a manufacturer with standard Profhilo, but it is a distinct product working at a different depth, on different tissue, for a different problem.
Standard Profhilo is placed in the dermis. It is a high-concentration hyaluronic acid that spreads through the skin layer, drawing in water and stimulating collagen and elastin. It improves hydration, radiance and skin quality. It does not lift and it does not add structure.
Profhilo Structura is placed deeper, into the subcutaneous layer, and is designed to interact with the fat compartments and the fibrous framework that supports them. Its aim is to improve the firmness and resilience of that supporting tissue as it begins to thin and lose organisation with age.
They are complementary rather than interchangeable. Some patients benefit from both. More on standard Profhilo and skin boosters, or view the standard Profhilo treatment page.
The problem it is designed for
Facial ageing is not only a surface event and not only a volume one. Between the skin and the bone sits a layer of compartmentalised fat, held in place by a network of fibrous septa. With age that framework loosens, the compartments deflate unevenly and descend, and the face begins to lose its defined boundaries — the jawline softens, the cheek boundary blurs, the mid-face flattens.
This is the early stage of laxity, and it is the stage where people most often reach for filler and get a disappointing result. Filler placed into descending tissue adds weight to a structure that is already struggling to hold itself up. Structura takes a different approach: rather than adding projection, it aims to improve the quality of the supporting tissue itself.
Who it suits
- Early to moderate laxity, typically from the late thirties onwards
- Softening of the jawline boundary without significant jowling yet
- A face that looks less defined than it did, without obvious hollowing
- Patients who want improvement in firmness without any change to their facial proportions
- Patients who have been told they need filler but do not want to look fuller
- Perimenopausal patients where oestrogen decline is accelerating structural change
Who it does not suit
- Significant volume loss. If your cheeks are genuinely deflated, Structura will not replace what has gone. That is a filler conversation.
- Advanced laxity or established jowling. Beyond a certain point non-surgical treatment cannot deliver a result worth the cost, and I will tell you that plainly.
- Surface concerns. Texture, pores, fine lines and dullness are dermal problems. Structura works below that layer.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding, and active infection or inflammation in the treatment area.
Volume or skin quality? is worth reading if you are unsure which category your concern falls into — it is the distinction that determines whether Structura is the right tool. The concern pages for skin laxity and sagging, jawline and lower face and volume loss set out which treatments suit each.
What the treatment involves
Structura is administered through a small number of injection points per side, placed at a deeper plane than standard skin boosters. Topical numbing is available. The treatment takes around 45 minutes.
Small raised bumps at the injection points are expected and settle within a few hours as the product disperses. Mild swelling or tenderness for a day or two is normal. Most people return to normal activities immediately, though I would avoid strenuous exercise and alcohol for 24 hours, saunas, steam rooms and swimming for 5 days, and massaging the area.
The course is two sessions, four weeks apart. A single session is not the treatment; the protocol depends on both. Results develop gradually and are typically assessed properly at around three months.
Structura produces a change in firmness and definition, not a lift. If you are comparing it mentally against a surgical result, it will disappoint you. If you are comparing it against doing nothing, or against filler that would have made you look fuller rather than firmer, it is frequently the better answer. Results last around nine to twelve months.
How it fits alongside other treatments
Structura sits in the middle of what I think of as the regenerative ladder. Below it are the dermal treatments — standard Profhilo, Sunekos, Plinest and Newest — which improve skin quality. Above it sits NeoGen plasma, which remodels at depth and is the stronger intervention for established laxity.
Where a patient needs both quality and structural support, a sensible sequence is often skin boosters first, Structura alongside or after, and NeoGen reserved for where the tissue change is beyond what regenerative injectables can reach. The Blue Bird treatment ladder explains how these tiers relate to one another and to cost.
Common questions
How is this different from a filler?
Filler creates projection — it sits where it is placed and pushes tissue outward to restore or add volume. Structura does not project. It disperses through the subcutaneous layer and works on the quality and firmness of the tissue it occupies. You should not see a change in your facial proportions, only in how firm and defined the area looks.
Do I need standard Profhilo as well?
Not necessarily. They address different layers, so it depends on whether your concern is skin quality, structural support, or both. Plenty of patients have one and not the other.
When will I see results?
Some firmness is noticeable within a few weeks of the second session, but the meaningful assessment point is around three months, once the tissue response has developed fully.
How long does it last?
Typically nine to twelve months. Most patients who like the result repeat the course annually.
Can it be dissolved?
Yes — it is a hyaluronic acid product, so hyaluronidase will break it down if needed. In practice this is rarely required, because Structura does not create projection that could look wrong in the way overfilled areas can.
Is it painful?
Mild. The injection points are few and topical numbing is available. Most people describe it as more comfortable than filler.
Ready to look at pricing and book? The Profhilo Structura treatment page has the full protocol and pricing.
Related reading: Profhilo Structura — treatment page · Profhilo and Skin Boosters: What They Really Do · Volume or Skin Quality? · Skin Boosters vs Polynucleotides vs Microneedling · The Blue Bird Treatment Ladder · Perimenopause vs Menopause and Your Skin
Consultations at Blue Bird Aesthetics are free. Glowday takes a £75 card authorisation when you book — this is not charged, and applies only to late cancellations or non-attendance. Treatment prices are confirmed at consultation and paid in clinic afterwards.
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This article is for information only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual suitability can only be assessed in person. All treatments at Blue Bird Aesthetics are subject to medical consultation and go ahead only when clinically appropriate.
