Polynucleotides Explained: A Honest View on the Skin Treatment My Patients From Teddington Keep Asking About
By Dr Natalie Geary, Medical Director, Light Touch Clinic
Hardly a week goes by without a patient sitting down in a consultation and asking, “I keep reading about polynucleotides, what do you actually think of them?” Over the past six months, the rate of these conversations has climbed, especially with women travelling to my clinic from Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond and Kingston areas.
The treatment deserves the attention. It also deserves an honest, clinically informed context, because a lot of what’s circulating online is either oversimplified or misleading. Here is what I tell patients when they ask.
What polynucleotides actually are
Polynucleotides are short chains of DNA fragments, in most clinical formulations derived from purified salmon or trout DNA. When injected into the skin, they don’t add volume in the way a dermal filler does. Instead, they act as what we call a “bioregenerator”: they signal to your skin to repair and regenerate at a cellular level, stimulating fibroblast activity, improving hydration, and supporting the collagen and elastin scaffolding that gives skin its bounce and resilience.
The closest comparison most people are probably familiar with is Profhilo, which works through a similar regenerative pathway but via a different mechanism. Polynucleotides go further into the regenerative space. They’re especially effective on skin quality, fine lines, and the thin, crepey areas where filler simply isn’t appropriate, like the under-eye region.
Why demand has exploded
Three things have combined. The first is the Korean and Italian skincare influence: polynucleotides have been used clinically in those markets for years before becoming mainstream here in the UK. The second is the broader cultural shift away from overdone, volumised faces. Most of the women who book a consultation at our Weybridge skin clinic, often from across SW London including Teddington, Twickenham and Hampton, are explicitly asking for “less treatment that does more,” which is exactly what polynucleotides can deliver when used appropriately.
The third factor is that polynucleotides cover a previously underserved gap in the treatment menu. Patients in their 30s often aren’t ready for filler or want to avoid it entirely, but their skin is starting to show the early signs of ageing that good skincare alone can’t fully address. Polynucleotides slot neatly into that space.
Who they’re genuinely suited to
In my clinic, the patient who responds most to polynucleotides is typically a woman in her late 30s to late 40s with reasonably good skin quality, no significant volume loss, and concerns that centre around dullness, fine texture issues, mild laxity, or under-eye tiredness that isn’t structural. I also see good results in slightly older patients combining polynucleotides with other treatments as part of a longer-term skin strategy.
Where I’m more cautious is with patients who have significant volume loss or deep structural lines. Polynucleotides won’t replace what gravity and time have removed; they’re not a substitute for filler when filler is genuinely indicated. The other group I gently steer away from are patients hoping for instant, dramatic transformation. Polynucleotides work slowly and cumulatively. Expectations matter.
What to actually expect from treatment
A typical treatment plan involves two to three sessions spaced two to four weeks apart, with results building progressively over the following months. The treatment itself takes around twenty to thirty minutes. We use a very fine needle and most patients describe the sensation as small pinpricks rather than anything painful, though under-eye treatment can feel more sensitive.
You should expect some small bumps at the injection sites for a few hours, occasional bruising depending on your skin, and a noticeable improvement in skin glow and hydration within one to two weeks. The real changes, the textural refinement and the firmer, plumper quality, build over six to twelve weeks as your own skin biology responds to the signals.
For most patients I recommend a maintenance session every six to nine months once the initial course is complete. This is not a one-and-done treatment.
How they fit into a longer skin strategy
One of the questions I’m asked most often is whether polynucleotides replace other treatments or sit alongside them. The honest answer is that they work best as part of a considered plan, not as a standalone fix. In our clinic, I typically combine polynucleotides with treatments that address different aspects of the skin: HydraFacial or a course of medical facials for surface clarity, microneedling or targeted laser for textural concerns and pigmentation, Profhilo for whole-face hydration when the indication is right, and where appropriate, modest filler placement for structural support.
What polynucleotides bring to that combination is the regenerative foundation: the underlying skin quality that makes every other treatment look better and last longer. Patients who commit to that layered approach over six to twelve months tend to be far happier with their results than those chasing single-treatment transformations.
The red flags to watch for
Because polynucleotides are trending, every aesthetic clinic and beauty salon in the country is racing to add them to their menu. Not all are doing it well. This is regulated medical territory, and the qualifications of the person injecting matter enormously, both for your safety and for the result.
When you’re considering polynucleotide treatment near Teddington or elsewhere, ask three questions. First, who is actually injecting you, and are they a medically qualified prescriber? Second, which product are they using, and is it from a reputable, properly regulated source? There are good products on the UK market and there are cheap imports that should not be going anywhere near anyone’s face. Third, what is the consultation process? A clinician who books you in for treatment without a proper face-to-face assessment is not someone you want injecting your skin.
The honest takeaway
Polynucleotides are one of the most genuinely exciting developments in aesthetic medicine I’ve seen in the past decade, and the patients I treat with them, including the growing number who travel to us from Teddington, Richmond and the surrounding SW London area, are some of my happiest. Like any aesthetic treatment, they work best when they’re chosen for the right person, for the right reason, by the right hands.
If you’re considering them, do your reading, ask the right questions, and don’t rush. Skin that’s worth treating well is worth treating thoughtfully.