Skin Boosters Explained
Skin boosters and polynucleotides aim to improve the quality of your skin rather than change the shape of your face. They can help, but the changes are modest, so it pays to understand what each one does before you commit to a course.
What's the Difference Between Skin Boosters and Polynucleotides?
Skin boosters are injections of hyaluronic acid that improve hydration and texture, while polynucleotides are purified DNA fragments injected to support the skin's own repair; neither adds volume like filler or relaxes muscles like anti-wrinkle injections. At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, Dr Miranda Paterson offers both to adults over 18 after a face-to-face consultation, usually as a course of two or three sessions. Results are gradual and subtle, and your fee is explained at the consultation.
Skin Boosters and Polynucleotides: The Short Version
Both are injectable treatments aimed at the quality of your skin: its hydration, texture, fine lines and general condition. They work in different ways.
- Skin boosters deliver a thin, runny form of hyaluronic acid into the skin, where it attracts and holds water. The aim is better-hydrated, smoother-looking skin.
- Polynucleotides are purified fragments of DNA, usually taken from salmon or trout. They are thought to support the skin's own repair processes, and are often used for thin, crepey skin, including under the eyes.
Neither adds volume, lifts sagging skin or stops you frowning. Those jobs belong to filler and anti-wrinkle injections, which we compare below. At Comely Bank Dental in Edinburgh, Dr Miranda Paterson offers both treatments to adults over 18, and only after a face-to-face consultation.
How Do Skin Boosters Work?
Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in your skin and helps it hold moisture. We lose some of it with age, and sun exposure, smoking and dry indoor air don't help, so skin can start to look dull, dry and finely lined.
A skin booster replaces some of that hyaluronic acid. Unlike filler, which is a thicker gel designed to hold its shape in one place, a skin booster is soft and spreads through the skin after it is injected. It is placed as a series of tiny injections across the area being treated.
Where they're used: most often the cheeks and lower face, the neck, the chest and the backs of the hands.
What people tend to notice: skin that feels more hydrated and looks smoother, with fine, crepey lines a little softer. The change is gradual and builds over the weeks after each session.
Would Your Skin Benefit?
Book a face-to-face consultation with Dr Miranda Paterson. She'll look at your skin, explain which option, if any, is likely to help and what results to expect.
How Do Polynucleotides Work?
Polynucleotides are long chains of DNA building blocks. The products used in aesthetics are highly purified fragments, usually derived from fish DNA. Once injected, they are thought to support the cells in your skin that produce collagen and to help the tissue repair itself, and they also hold some water.
Where they're used: commonly under the eyes, where the skin is thin and crepey, and also on the face, neck and backs of the hands.
What the evidence says: early studies are encouraging, particularly for skin texture and fine lines, but the research is smaller and newer than for hyaluronic acid treatments. We think it is fair to describe polynucleotides as a promising option with modest, gradual results, not a guaranteed fix. Some people see a clear improvement; others notice very little.
Compared with Filler and Anti-Wrinkle Injections
These four treatments are often grouped together, but they do quite different jobs.
| Treatment | What it is | What it does | What it doesn't do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin boosters | Soft hyaluronic acid that spreads through the skin | Improves hydration and texture | Add volume or shape |
| Polynucleotides | Purified DNA fragments | Supports skin quality and repair | Add volume or relax muscles |
| Dermal filler | Firmer hyaluronic acid gel placed precisely | Restores volume, shape and definition | Improve skin texture in general |
| Anti-wrinkle injections | A prescription-only medicine | Relaxes chosen muscles to soften expression lines | Hydrate skin or replace volume |
Anti-wrinkle injections are a prescription-only medicine, so they can only be prescribed by a registered clinician after a face-to-face assessment. Dr Paterson carries out that assessment herself.
In practice these treatments are sometimes combined. Someone with frown lines and dull, dry skin might benefit from anti-wrinkle injections for the lines and a skin booster for the skin itself. We'll only suggest a combination if each part has a clear purpose.
What Can You Realistically Expect?
It is worth being clear about this before you start.
They may help with: dehydrated or dull-looking skin, fine crepey lines, rough texture, thin skin under the eyes, and the general quality of skin on the neck, chest and hands.
They won't: lift sagging skin, fill hollows, remove deep folds, stop expression lines forming, or replace good skincare and sun protection.
Results are subtle by design. Friends are more likely to say you look well than to spot that you've had something done. How much difference you see depends on your skin, your age, your lifestyle and the product used, so results vary, and some people find the change smaller than they hoped. If your main concern is something these treatments can't address, we'll say so at your consultation.
What Does a Course of Treatment Involve?
The consultation. Dr Paterson will ask about your medical history, medicines, allergies, skincare and previous treatments, look at your skin and talk through what you would like to change. She'll recommend one treatment, both, or neither, and explain the likely number of sessions.
The sessions. Numbing cream is usually applied first. The injections themselves take around 15 to 30 minutes, and the whole appointment is usually under an hour.
How many? A typical course is two or three sessions a few weeks apart:
- skin boosters are often given as two sessions around four weeks apart
- polynucleotides are often given as two or three sessions, two to four weeks apart
Maintenance. Results build for several weeks after the course and then fade gradually. Many people choose a single maintenance session every six months or so, though some prefer to wait and see. There's no obligation to continue.
Downtime and Side Effects
Most people go back to normal activities the same day, but plan for a little visible evidence of treatment.
Common and short-lived:
- small raised bumps at each injection point, which usually settle within a day or two
- redness, mild swelling and tenderness
- pinprick bruises, which can take a week or so to fade, particularly under the eyes
- puffiness under the eyes for a few days after polynucleotides
Less common: prolonged swelling, small lumps, infection, a flare of cold sores, or an allergic reaction. Serious complications are rare. Because skin boosters contain hyaluronic acid, the rare risk of a blood vessel being affected applies to them too, which is one reason Dr Paterson works with careful technique and has the means to manage complications at the practice.
Aftercare for the first day: keep the skin clean, avoid make-up for 12 hours or so, and skip alcohol, saunas and strenuous exercise for 24 hours. Use sun protection every day. If you have a significant event coming up, leave at least two weeks after a session.
Who Suits These Treatments, and Who Doesn't?
You may be a good candidate if you are an adult in good general health, your main concern is the condition of your skin rather than its shape, and you're happy with gradual, subtle change.
We won't treat you, or will suggest waiting, if:
- you're under 18
- you're pregnant or breastfeeding
- you have an infection, active acne, a cold sore or broken skin in the area
- you're allergic to any ingredient, including fish or fish proteins in the case of polynucleotides
- you have an autoimmune condition, bleeding disorder or other medical history we need to understand better first
- you've recently had a peel, laser treatment or other injections in the same area
Polynucleotides are derived from fish, so they may not be right for you if you prefer to avoid animal-derived products. The hyaluronic acid in skin boosters is made by bacterial fermentation rather than from animals. Tell us at your consultation and we'll talk through the alternatives.
Skin Treatments at Comely Bank Dental
Dr Paterson provides skin boosters, polynucleotides and other facial aesthetics at 3 Comely Bank, near Stockbridge, for patients from across Edinburgh, including Inverleith, Fettes and the New Town. She is a dentist registered with the General Dental Council (GDC 270584) with an interest in facial aesthetics, and you can read more about her on our team page. If you're also considering lip treatment, our lip filler guide explains what that involves.
Facial aesthetics fees aren't on our standard price list. Dr Paterson explains your fee at the consultation, once she knows what is planned, and it is agreed before any treatment. You can book online or call 0131 332 3971, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.