THE SKIN EDIT · TREATMENT FOCUS
Polynucleotides, Profhilo and Sunekos: What Each One Actually Does
Three treatments, all injected into the skin, all talked about as though they’re versions of the same thing. Patients arrive asking for one because a friend had it, and the honest answer is often that a different one would have suited them better.
None of them is a dermal filler. None adds volume or changes the shape of anything. They’re all aimed at the quality of the skin itself rather than at its structure, which is why they get lumped together, and they go about it in genuinely different ways.
Firstly, some terminology, because the category name causes most of the confusion.
What is a skin booster?
Skin booster is an umbrella term rather than a product. It covers injectable treatments aimed at hydration and skin quality rather than at volume or structure, which is why three treatments that work in completely different ways all end up under the same heading.
You’ll also see injectable moisturiser, bio-remodelling and bio-stimulation used for the same group, sometimes interchangeably and not always accurately. None of those terms tells you what’s actually in the syringe, which is the only thing that matters when you’re choosing.
What are polynucleotides?
Chains of purified DNA fragments, usually derived from salmon or trout, injected into the skin. The premise is that they support the skin’s own repair processes and improve tissue quality, particularly in thin or fragile skin.
They’re used most often around the eyes and in areas where the skin is thin, crepey or has lost resilience. Several brands are available in the UK and they aren’t identical to each other, which is one more reason the category gets confusing.
Because the source material is fish-derived, they aren’t suitable for anyone with a fish allergy. That’s worth saying up front rather than burying it at the bottom of a consent form.
What is Profhilo, and how is it different from filler?
A very high concentration of stabilised hyaluronic acid that is designed to spread through the tissue rather than stay where it is placed. Filler is designed to do the opposite: hold its shape and create structure.
That difference is the whole point. Filler is placed to add volume or definition in a specific spot. Profhilo disperses, and it’s aimed at hydration and overall skin quality across an area rather than at changing a contour.
It’s used on the face, and also on the neck, décolletage, hands and upper arms, which are areas where filler would rarely be appropriate. The standard approach is two sessions about four weeks apart, then maintenance depending on the person.
What is Sunekos?
Hyaluronic acid combined with a patented blend of six amino acids. The premise is that the amino acids give the skin the raw materials to support its own extracellular matrix, rather than the treatment doing the work directly.
It’s used frequently around the eyes and for skin that looks thin or tired rather than lined, and it’s typically given as a course of sessions spaced a week to ten days apart rather than as a single treatment.
So what is the actual difference between them?
Broadly: Profhilo works primarily through hydration and spread, Sunekos through supplying building blocks, and polynucleotides through supporting repair in thin or compromised skin. They overlap, and the choice is made on the skin rather than on the brand.
- Profhilo. Best thought of as a treatment for overall skin quality and hydration across an area, including areas beyond the face.
- Sunekos. Aimed at skin that has thinned or lost density rather than skin that is primarily dehydrated.
- Polynucleotides. Most often chosen where the skin is thin, fragile or slow to recover, and used particularly around the eyes.
- None of the three. Sometimes the honest answer, if the concern is volume, structure or pigment, because none of these treats any of those.
What none of them do is worth stating plainly. They don’t lift, they don’t fill, and they won’t remove lines that are driven by muscle movement. Anyone selling them as a substitute for those things is overselling.
Which one suits the under-eye area?
Polynucleotides are used around the eyes most often, because that is where skin is thinnest and where the treatment is best suited. Sunekos is also used there. Profhilo is generally used across wider areas rather than in the tear trough.
A caution that matters more than the choice itself. The under-eye area is unforgiving, and a treatment that suits one presentation can look wrong on another. If the darkness is a hollow, or pigment, or thin skin showing the vessels underneath, the answer differs completely, and none of these three is right for all of them.
That assessment comes first. The product comes second.
How many sessions are usually needed?
All three are courses rather than single treatments. Profhilo is typically two sessions about four weeks apart. Polynucleotides and Sunekos are usually courses of three or four sessions, spaced a week to a few weeks apart depending on the product.
Those are typical protocols rather than promises, and they get adjusted to the person. Results build over the weeks after a course rather than appearing immediately, and maintenance is part of the picture with all three. Anyone who tells you one session will do it is describing a different treatment.
Worth being straight about the commitment too. These are courses, they need repeating, and the cost is the course rather than the appointment. If the budget only stretches to a single session, it’s better spent elsewhere.
Does it hurt, and what is the downtime?
All three involve multiple small injections and most people describe them as uncomfortable rather than painful. Downtime is short: small raised areas at the injection points that settle within hours to a day, and the possibility of bruising.
Bruising is more likely around the eyes than elsewhere, and more likely if you’re on anything that thins the blood. If you’ve got an event coming up, leave a fortnight rather than a weekend.
Who are they not suitable for?
This gets skipped in most descriptions and it shouldn’t be.
- Anyone with a fish allergy, in the case of polynucleotides, since the source material is fish-derived.
- Anyone with an active skin infection or inflammation at the treatment site, until it has settled.
- Anyone with a known allergy to any component, which is part of what the consultation is for.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, where these treatments are generally avoided.
- Anyone whose actual concern is volume, structure, pigment or movement-driven lines, where a different conversation is needed.
Autoimmune conditions, a history of keloid scarring and current medication are all worth raising at consultation. None of them is automatically a barrier, but they change the discussion.
How to think about choosing
Not by brand. The most common way people end up disappointed with any of these three is arriving having already decided which one they want, based on a friend’s result on completely different skin, and being treated accordingly.
The more useful order is: what is the concern, is it skin quality or something else, and if it is skin quality, what specifically has changed. Hydration, density, resilience and texture are different problems with different answers. Sometimes the answer is one of these three. Sometimes it’s a topical routine that hasn’t had a fair run yet, which costs considerably less and is where I’d rather start.
If you’d like to know which of these suits your skin, or whether any of them does, arrange a consultation and we’ll start with the assessment rather than with the product.
The three at a glance
| Profhilo | Sunekos | Polynucleotides | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Stabilised hyaluronic acid, very high concentration | Hyaluronic acid with a blend of six amino acids | Purified DNA fragments, usually fish-derived |
| Aimed at | Hydration and skin quality across an area | Skin that has thinned or lost density | Thin, fragile or slow-to-recover skin |
| Common areas | Face, neck, décolletage, hands, upper arms | Face, particularly around the eyes | Face, particularly around the eyes |
| Typical course | Two sessions, around four weeks apart | Usually three to four sessions, a week to ten days apart | Usually three to four sessions, a few weeks apart |
| Not suitable if | Known allergy to any component | Known allergy to any component | Fish allergy |
Typical protocols rather than promises. Which one suits you, and whether any of them does, is decided at consultation.
As with any medical treatment, individual results and experiences vary, and suitability, risks and alternatives are discussed fully at consultation.
New patient offer
New patients can currently arrange an initial consultation with Dr Nabil at 50% off. A consultation is the starting point for any treatment: it is where your skin is assessed, your options are explained, and a plan is agreed around what is genuinely right for you. Offer availability depends on diary space at the clinic.
Where to find us
The clinic is at 120 Pall Mall, St James’s, central London SW1Y 5EA, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Charing Cross.
We see patients from across central London and the surrounding areas. Appointments for these treatments are short, so where the diary allows they can usually be arranged around a working day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Profhilo and polynucleotides?
Profhilo is a high concentration of stabilised hyaluronic acid designed to spread through the tissue and improve hydration and skin quality across an area. Polynucleotides are chains of purified DNA fragments, usually fish-derived, aimed at supporting the skin’s own repair processes, and are used most often in thin or fragile skin such as around the eyes.
Are skin boosters the same as dermal filler?
No. Dermal filler is designed to hold its shape and add volume or definition in a specific place. Skin boosters such as Profhilo, Sunekos and polynucleotides are aimed at the quality of the skin itself and do not add volume or change contour.
How many sessions of Profhilo do you need?
Typically two sessions about four weeks apart, followed by maintenance depending on the individual. That is a typical protocol rather than a promise, and it is adjusted at consultation.
Which treatment is best for under-eye skin?
Polynucleotides are used around the eyes most often, and Sunekos is also used there. The more important point is that under-eye concerns have different causes, including hollowing, pigment and thin skin showing the vessels beneath, and none of these treatments is the right answer for all of them.
Can you have these treatments if you have a fish allergy?
Polynucleotides are usually derived from salmon or trout, so they are not suitable for anyone with a fish allergy. Profhilo and Sunekos are not fish-derived, but any known allergy should be raised at consultation.
Where is Dr Nabil Jetha’s clinic?
The clinic is at 120 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5EA, in central London. It is a short walk from Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Charing Cross, and easily reached from across the West End and the City.
If you would like to know which of these suits your skin, or whether any of them does, the next step is an assessment rather than a product.
Written and edited by Dr Nabil Jetha and his clinic team. Dr Nabil Jetha, MBBS, BSc (Hons), PGDip (Aesthetics), GMC 7751313, central London. For educational purposes only; individual results vary and any treatment depends on personal assessment.