Polynucleotides: The Science Behind The Buzzy New Injectable
Touted as the hottest new ‘glow-cedure’ for looking well rather than ‘done’, especially around the eyes, here’s everything you need to know about this new-gen game-changer
Wellness used to be something that simply happened when you switched to a Mediterranean diet or put extra hours in at the gym. Now revealing skin so smooth and juicy it gleams is the ultimate in health-signalling. And this is precisely where polynucleotides are making great strides.
The buzzy new injectable allows you to hack your skin’s response to ageing by giving less-than-enthusiastic cells the tools they need to regenerate themselves. In other words, your skin starts to behave younger.
The Science Behind Polynucleotides
Injectables are nothing new, but polynucleotides have taken rejuvenation to new heights. In fact, they are so good at tuning up your complexion, the perennially youthful looking Jennifer Aniston recently revealed she’s a fan of the treatment.
“Polynucleotides are an injectable bio-stimulator made up of stretchy molecules from fragments of fish DNA, which closely resemble human DNA,” says Dr. Tijion Esho, who practices at The Nova Clinic when in Dubai and performs many polynucleotide treatments every week. Specifically, polynucleotides are extracted from salmon or trout sperm and, while this may sound like a bizarre new TikTok fad, the treatment is actually underpinned by credible science.
Cast your minds back to school biology class, and you may remember that DNA is made up of nucleotides; ergo, a polynucleotide is made up of several nucleotides bonded together.
“Polynucleotides are like food or medicine for the cells to make them work better,” Dr Esho explains. And herein lies the difference between polynucleotides and other injectables on the market. Unlike Botox, they are not a toxin and don’t change our expressions. Nor, despite their skin-transforming bells and whistles, are polynucleotides a filler. Their sole goal isn’t to boost hydration, either, as Profhilo and other injectable moisturisers do (though there is that, and rightly so, as polynucleotides can improve the skin’s ability to retain water).
Rather, the draw of polynucleotides is that they “stimulate your fibroblasts – cells in the skin that produce elastin and collagen,” says plastic surgeon and founder of 111Skin, Dr Yannis Alexandrides, which, if you imagine your skin as a mattress, are the springs and stuffing respectively that reduce the appearance of fine lines and give it its snap back. Not to mention polynucleotides are anti-inflammatory, too, which is good news for rosacea and acne sufferers who often find few corners of solace in the skincare world.
Polynucleotides can be injected into the face, neck, hands and décolletage, as well as into stretch marks and scars to make them less noticeable. But what aesthetic doctors are most excited about is being able to use them in the tear trough, a notoriously tricky area to treat under the eye and above the cheek.
“Polynucleotides are particularly good for rejuvenating tired, hollowed eyes and sagging skin in this region,” says Dr Esho, who prefers two or three treatments, three weeks apart, with a single maintenance treatment every nine months. “You start to see the results after 90 days,” he adds.
Dr Alexandrides is also a fan of using polynucleotides for the tear trough as “they don’t have the side effects of filler, which can make the area look puffy. I would say that polynucleotides are safer because they don’t create lumps and morning swelling in the same way that fillers do.” This is especially crucial given the treatment cannot be reversed like dermal filler can.
The only caveats? Anyone with a fish allergy should skip this procedure and, as it’s an animal product, it’s not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. As with other injectables, polynucleotides may cause bruising and swelling, and should not be administered during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Otherwise, polynucleotide treatments can be performed alone as well as in combination with other high-tech treatments. “The brilliant thing about polynucleotides is that they can be combined with microneedling or laser resurfacing because the anti-inflammatory properties help with skin recovery and healing,” says Dr Esho, who namechecks the ‘E Shot’ protocol as his most popular treatment, where microneedling is combined with polynucleotide injections under the eyes to plump up the hollows. “The results are always natural, enhancing both quality and volume in the skin,” says Dr Esho. “I love that polynucleotides are actually improving your own natural tissue for long-term, not just short-term, results.”
Photography by Fernando Gomez
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s October 2023 issue