By INGEBORG VAN LOTRINGEN, COLUMNIST & BEAUTY WRITER, INSPIRE MAGAZINE
Every woman of a certain age has been there - that glance in the mirror (usually under the unforgiving glare of bathroom lighting) when the effects of sun damage, stress and time really start to show - think dullness and a loss of the bounce that we took for granted in our youth.
It's why 58-year-old Ulrika Jonsson's recent appearance has caused such a stir.
The presenter proudly shared before and after pictures of her notably fresher, glowing complexion after a six-month programme of skin treatment designed to reverse years of sun damage.
Among her cocktail of procedures? The collagen-stimulating injectable Julaine.
While traditional dermal fillers add volume or contour to the face to correct laxity and hollowing, Julaine is a biostimulator injection, which means it works at a cellular level to stimulate our natural collagen production.
Julaine is a saline solution that relies on 'next-generation' poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) to do its densifying, firming graft.
The ingredient has been around for decades in bio-stimulating fillers used to restore volume loss, but this iteration of PLLA is understood to give a smoother, subtler and more controlled result.
It is injected under the skin with a cannula; not exactly comfortable but, thanks to a numbing agent, not painful either.
Dr Sarah Tonks of The Lovely Clinic in Belgravia, Central London
'I can dilute Julaine to the point where I can use it all over the face and neck to firm and compact skin, and even treat fine lines around the eyes and forehead,' says Dr Sarah Tonks of The Lovely Clinic in Belgravia, Central London.
Over time it leaves skin naturally better hydrated, she says, and while it's not primarily meant to fill out facial areas, 'when less diluted and injected deeply, it's excellent for volume and lifting'. Julaine remains at work inside the skin, improving its quality and plumpness for up to two years.
Ulrika isn't alone in favouring the treatment - the country's top cosmetic doctors have been treating patients with Julaine for a while now.
Dr Tonks says she has treated 700 patients since 2024 and Dr Wassim Taktouk of the celebrity-magnet Taktouk Clinic in Knightsbridge, West London whispers that 'everyone's doing them' of the jabs, which would explain the super-juiced glow of London's it-crowd.
And I'm among them. I finished my course of treatments with Dr Tonks in November so the full results have been visible since last month (any collagen-boosting procedure takes three months to establish itself).
Verdict
'These jabs effectively prevent signs of ageing and hydrate skin, rather than making my complexion noticeably more youthful,' says the writer
I've tried skin boosters, such as polynucleotides and Profhilo, and honestly, their cost-to-visible-result ratio (you have to have regular top-ups every three to six months) has always left me a little disappointed.
These jabs effectively prevent signs of ageing and hydrate skin, rather than making my complexion noticeably more youthful.
Julaine, on the other hand, left my skin clearly looking and feeling denser after three recommended treatments.
I have never received so many compliments on my 55-year-old skin - a friend couldn't resist pinching my cheeks because they 'look like a baby's' (a stretch, admittedly, but I'll take it!)
A caveat is the price. Dr Tonks charges from £3,995 for three sessions (spaced one month apart).
However, you'll get about two years of rejuvenation before the product naturally breaks down, which I'd say makes it a cost-effective investment.