An Honest Review of Polynucleotides

Reviewed by Aesthetic Dr. Hala Mahfoud, Md, MRCOG, DipGum, MFSRH

Written by Ali Rislan, BSc.

Is polynucleotide treatment a skincare breakthrough or just an expensive trend? And more importantly, is it the right choice for your skin goals?

People often ask us whether polynucleotides are worth investing in for their skin. They boost skin health, build collagen, and improve skin tone. But so do a lot of other skin treatments, so what makes them so popular?

Here’s our honest review of polynucleotide skin treatment, based on research and what we’ve seen in clinic. By the end you'll have our perspective on this skin booster, and you'll know if it is a good fit for you.

Polynucleotide Review Summary

• Polynucleotide treatment has received a lot of attention lately, largely with good reason.

• Polynucleotides are great for anti-aging as they boost your skin's collagen and elastin production. They also help hydrate your skin and keep it healthy, as well as brightening dark circles and hyperpigmentation.

• We believe polynucleotides are not best used by themself, and are instead better as part of a wider treatment plan. They are excellent skin primers, helping you get more out of other treatments.

• Polynucleotides are not a good fit for small skincare budgets.

• In most cases, polynucleotides are a luxury rather than a core part of a treatment plan.

What Polynucleotides Do Well

Polynucleotides truly are impressive skin-boosting treatments. They’re made from purified DNA fragments, and help with a wide range of skin concerns:

Boost Collagen and Elastin Production

You naturally start losing collagen and elastin as part of the aging process, yearly after around your mid-20s. This loss of collagen and elastin is what drives signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles. The most straightforward way to prevent or reverse this?

Increasing your collagen and elastin production.

That's one of the things that polynucleotides do, making them a great anti-aging treatment option. It does this by activating your fibroblasts. These are skin cells that make collagen and elastin. So, activating them helps to keep skin tight, elastic, and youthful.

Whilst reducing wrinkles and lines you will also notice a skin plumping effect.

Brighten Hyperpigmentation

Dark patches of hyperpigmentation can have many different causes. Sun damage, inflammation, skin dryness and dehydration, hormones, and genetics. However, they can also have many different solutions. One of them is polynucleotide hyperpigmentation treatment.

Polynucleotide uneven skin tone treatment is quite interesting actually, because it works in 3 ways.

1. Reducing melanin production from your melanocytes, the cells that make melanin.

2. Helping to fade existing dark patches of hyperpigmentation.

3. Preventing future patches of hyperpigmentation from forming.

We believe that polynucleotide is a great option for treating dark spots of skin, and scientific research supports this.

Dark Circle Treatment

Polynucleotides can also be a great injectable treatment for dark circles. The caveat however is that they aren't suitable for all types of dark circles.

Those caused by poor blood circulation, genetics, or minor loss of volume are suitable for polynucleotide treatment.

This is because the increase in collagen and elastin production after treatment will help to thicken the skin. This restores volume and makes the dark blood vessels under the eyes less visible. Combined with reduced melanin production in your skin, you'll notice brighter undereyes.

But they're not the best option for advanced loss volume, and we'll come back to this later on in this article.

Improve Skin Hydration

Unlike many skin hydrating treatments, polynucleotides actually work indirectly at the cellular level.

By increasing collagen and elastin production, your skin is actually better able to hold onto hydration. This leads to less water loss through the surface layers of the skin. Studies have even shown an improvement of over 14% in skin hydration after polynucleotide treatment.

Even more support for polynucleotide as part of a wider treatment plan! You'll notice an improved and longer-term result from hydrating treatments in future.

Priming Skin

When people think of polynucleotides, they usually think of them as a standalone treatment. That's understandable, they've gotten a lot of attention lately and everyone is talking about them.

But we believe that misses their key benefit.

Polynucleotide treatment is amazing for "priming" your skin". In short, this means preparing your skin for other treatments. This skin booster treatment significantly improves your overall skin health. The result of that is an improved result from other treatments, like laser or needling.

This harmony is what makes it a great addition to a wider skin treatment plan.

Where Polynucleotides Fall Short

From what we've seen, polynucleotides are an amazing treatment with great results. So actually, the biggest issue is not with the treatment itself, but who it's right for budget-wise.

Most effective when part of a wider skin plan, it typically requires multiple sessions. So unless you have a larger budget for your skin (think £1,000+), polynucleotides may not be your best option.

A limited budget is better spent on more active, results-driven treatments like laser, microneedling, or targeted skin peels. These will have a more noticeable impact on key skin concerns, or general skin rejuvenation.

Undereye Loss of Volume

We always love to explore treatment plans that don't rely on dermal fillers. That's because we'd rather utilise more active treatments that rejuvenate the skin.

But in the case of significant undereye loss of volume, or tear troughs, dermal fillers are still the best option.

Whilst the anti-aging and skin thickening benefits of polynucleotide are great, they have limitations. They're simply not enough for deep tear troughs or significant loss of volume.

Acne Scarring

Sometimes marketed as an acne scarring treatment, we honestly think polynucleotide is not the best option by itself.

As standalone treatments for ace scarring we would always sooner recommend:

• Resurfacing laser treatments

• Chemical peels

• Microneedling

  
  

But, adding polynucleotide treatment alongside these is a fantastic idea.

So, Who Should Consider Polynucleotide Treatment?

• Clients with a strong commitment and large budget to invest into their skin

• Anyone already on, or interested in, a multi-treatment plan looking to amplify results

• Anyone who prefers injectable treatments for specific concerns

• Clients who want an overall boost to skin health and quality, rather than improving a specific concern or condition.

Final Verdict: A Fantastic Non-Essential Luxury

Polynucleotides are excellent but not essential. If you’re all-in on transforming your skin and want to enhance the results of other treatments, it’s a smart addition. But if your budget is limited, we recommend prioritising more targeted active treatments first.

Think of polynucleotide as a luxury addition to your current skin treatment plan, rather than an essential priority.

Still unsure if polynucleotides are right for your skin, or where to start? Click the button below to book your free skin consultation or ask us any questions about your skin!