By Victor Amorim | Amorim Aesthetics Clinic, London
If you’ve been paying attention to the aesthetics world over the last year or two, you’ve probably started hearing the word polynucleotides come up more and more. In clinics, on skincare forums, in conversations between people who take their skin seriously.
And yet for most people, the name alone is enough to make them switch off. It sounds complicated. Scientific. Like something that belongs in a research paper rather than a conversation about your skin.
So let me break it down properly — what polynucleotides actually are, what they do, who they work best for, and why they’ve quietly become one of the most talked-about treatments in professional aesthetics right now.
What Are Polynucleotides?
Polynucleotides — often shortened to PDRN or PN — are long chains of DNA fragments. In aesthetic medicine, they’re derived from highly purified salmon or trout DNA, which has a molecular structure remarkably similar to human DNA. This similarity is what makes them so well tolerated by the body and so effective at working with the skin’s own repair processes.
When injected into the skin, polynucleotides don’t add volume and they don’t freeze anything. They work at a cellular level — binding to receptors in the skin tissue and triggering a process called tissue biorevitalisation. In plain terms, they stimulate the skin to repair and regenerate itself from the inside out.
The results aren’t about changing a feature or filling a line. They’re about improving the fundamental quality of the skin — its hydration, its elasticity, its ability to produce collagen, and its overall health.
Why Are They Trending Right Now?
Polynucleotides aren’t entirely new — they’ve been used in sports medicine and wound healing for decades. But their arrival in mainstream aesthetics is relatively recent, and the reason they’ve gained so much momentum is straightforward.
People are moving away from the heavily filled, visibly altered look that dominated aesthetics for years. The conversation has shifted. Clients now want their skin to look genuinely healthy — not treated. They want results that people notice without being able to explain why. They want the version of themselves that looks well-rested, refreshed, and full of life — not a different person.
Polynucleotides sit right at the centre of that shift. They improve what’s already there rather than adding something new. And in 2026, that approach to aesthetics is exactly what most people are looking for.
What Do Polynucleotides Actually Treat?
This is where polynucleotides genuinely earn their reputation. The range of concerns they address is broad.
Skin Quality and Hydration
One of the most immediate effects is a deep improvement in hydration — not surface-level moisture that wears off by the end of the day, but hydration at a cellular level that changes the way the skin looks and feels over time. Skin that was dull, flat, or persistently dry starts to take on a softness and luminosity that’s difficult to achieve with topical products alone.
Fine Lines and Skin Laxity
By stimulating collagen and elastin production, polynucleotides gradually improve the skin’s structure. Fine lines soften. Skin that had started to feel loose or thin becomes firmer and more resilient. The results are subtle and progressive — which is exactly what makes them look natural.
Under-Eye Rejuvenation
The under-eye area is one of the most requested treatment zones for polynucleotides — and for good reason. The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the face, which makes it one of the first areas to show signs of ageing, dehydration, and fatigue. Dark circles, hollowness, and fine lines in this area are notoriously difficult to treat.
Polynucleotides — particularly the Lumi Eyes formulation — are specifically designed for this zone. They improve skin thickness, reduce discolouration caused by poor circulation, and restore a brightness to the under-eye area that makes the whole face look more awake and rested. For clients who have tried everything for their under-eye concerns and found nothing that works, this is often the treatment that finally makes a difference.
Skin Repair and Recovery
For skin that has been through significant stress — sun damage, post-acne scarring, post-procedure recovery, or chronic dehydration — polynucleotides have a genuine reparative effect. They support the skin’s natural healing processes and help restore tissue that has been compromised over time.
Hair and Scalp
Polynucleotides aren’t limited to the face. When injected into the scalp, they improve blood flow to the hair follicles, extend the active growth phase of the hair cycle, and have shown meaningful results for clients dealing with hair thinning or early-stage hair loss.
What is Lumi Eyes?
Lumi Eyes is a specific polynucleotide formulation developed exclusively for the under-eye area. It contains a highly concentrated form of PDRN that’s been specifically designed for the delicate skin beneath the eyes — thinner, more precise, and optimised for that particular zone.
It’s one of the most requested treatments at the clinic, and the results speak for themselves. After a course of treatment, clients consistently report that their eyes look brighter, the hollowness is reduced, and the fine lines that bothered them are noticeably softer. More importantly, people start commenting that they look well-rested — without knowing why.
How is the Treatment Done?
The treatment begins with a consultation and skin analysis. Once we’ve established that polynucleotides are the right fit for your concerns, the skin is cleansed and a numbing cream is applied to the treatment area.
The injections themselves are made using very fine needles at multiple points across the area being treated. The technique varies slightly depending on the zone — the face, under-eye, or scalp each require a slightly different approach. The session typically takes between 30 and 45 minutes from start to finish.
There’s minimal downtime. Some clients experience a small amount of redness or minor swelling at the injection sites, which usually settles within a few hours. Most people go about their normal day immediately after.
How Many Sessions Do You Need?
Polynucleotides work progressively. The results build over a course of treatment rather than appearing all at once after a single session — and this is actually a sign that the treatment is doing something meaningful. It’s stimulating a biological process, not applying a surface fix.
For most clients, a course of three sessions spaced two to four weeks apart is the starting recommendation. By the end of the course, the improvement in skin quality is typically clear and lasting.
Maintenance sessions every six to twelve months help sustain the results and continue the improvement over time.
Polynucleotides as an Add-On
One of the things that makes polynucleotides particularly versatile is how well they work alongside other treatments.
Adding polynucleotides to a microneedling session — available for an additional £100 — is one of the most effective combinations available. The micro-channels created by the needling allow the polynucleotides to penetrate far deeper into the skin than they could through injection alone, amplifying the results of both treatments significantly.
They also combine well with Profhilo®, anti-wrinkle injections, and dermal fillers as part of a wider treatment plan. If you’re already having injectable treatments and want to focus on improving the overall quality of your skin at the same time, polynucleotides are a logical and complementary addition.
Are They Safe?
Yes — and this is one of the reasons they’ve gained such strong momentum in professional aesthetics.
Because polynucleotides are derived from natural biological material and are highly biocompatible with human tissue, the risk of allergic reaction or adverse response is very low. They don’t contain any synthetic compounds. There’s no foreign substance being introduced — just a highly purified biological molecule that works with the skin’s own systems.
As always, the safety and quality of the result depends on the practitioner. Polynucleotides need to be injected at the correct depth, in the correct amounts, with a proper understanding of the anatomy of the area being treated. In the right hands, they’re one of the safest and most effective treatments available.
Who is the Ideal Candidate?
The honest answer is — a wide range of people.
Polynucleotides are suitable for most adults who want to improve their skin quality. They’re particularly well suited to:
- Anyone in their late twenties or older noticing the first signs of skin ageing — loss of radiance, dehydration, the start of fine lines
- Clients who’ve had fillers or anti-wrinkle injections and want to complement those results with improved skin quality
- Anyone dealing with persistent under-eye concerns that haven’t responded to other treatments
- Clients with sun-damaged, stressed, or depleted skin that needs repair rather than volumisation
- Anyone who wants natural-looking results and a genuinely healthier skin rather than a treated appearance
The one group where extra care is taken is clients with active skin infections or inflammation in the treatment area, or those on certain medications. A proper consultation will always establish this before any treatment goes ahead.
The Bigger Picture
What makes polynucleotides genuinely interesting is that they represent where aesthetics is heading. Less about dramatic intervention, more about working intelligently with the skin’s own biology. Less about changing how someone looks, more about restoring how their skin actually functions.
For clients who want results that feel authentic — who want to look like the best version of themselves rather than a different person — that approach makes a lot of sense.
If you’ve been curious about polynucleotides and want to know whether they’d be the right fit for your skin, a consultation is the best starting point. We’ll take a proper look, talk through your concerns honestly, and give you a clear picture of what to expect.
Book a Consultation
📞 +44 7946 570179 📧 info@amorimclinic.co.uk 📍 Fitzrovia, London W1T 4PS
Victor Amorim is the founder and lead practitioner at Amorim Aesthetics Clinic, London. Fully qualified with VTCT Levels 2, 3 and 4, certified in advanced injectables, and fully insured.