Polynucleotides vs Profhilo: What’s the Difference and Which Is Right for You? – by Dr Anjali Mahto, London Dermatologist
Injectables are no longer just about volume. In recent years, a quiet revolution has taken place in aesthetic medicine, one that prioritises skin health over facial modification. Increasingly, patients are seeking treatments that improve how their skin behaves: smoother texture, better hydration, more resilience. At Self London, these are the requests we hear most often. But the language around such treatments is often vague.
Two injectable treatments regularly asked for by name are polynucleotides and Profhilo. Both are sometimes described as injectable skincare or skin boosters. Both are said to improve skin quality. But they work in entirely different ways and understanding the distinction is essential if you want results that are worth your time and money.
Understanding Skin-Enhancing Injectables
Not all injectables are designed to add volume. Some, like polynucleotides and Profhilo, are selected for their ability to support the function and quality of skin tissue. This is particularly relevant in patients who are noticing early changes in elasticity or hydration, but who do not require structural correction.
Although these treatments are sometimes grouped together in marketing, they are not interchangeable. Profhilo is a stabilised injectable hyaluronic acid that improves hydration and elasticity. Polynucleotides, by contrast, are biostimulatory molecules, long chains of purified DNA fragments, designed to support regeneration and improve the extracellular environment of the skin.
What Are Polynucleotides?
Polynucleotides are long, purified strands of DNA that, when injected into the skin, appear to support key cellular processes linked to collagen production, antioxidant activity, and dermal repair. They are thought to stimulate fibroblasts, the skin cells responsible for producing collagen, and help regulate inflammation through complex biochemical signalling.
Unlike fillers or hydrating injectables, polynucleotides do not work by adding volume or pulling water into the skin. Their effects are slower, more structural, and in some patients, more foundational. They are frequently used in protocols designed to support skin regeneration, particularly in combination with laser or energy-based treatments.
At Self London, we often recommend polynucleotides in patients with post-inflammatory change, redness, or fragile skin. They are commonly used as preparation for resurfacing lasers, particularly UltraClear or erbium, and in the under-eye area, where the skin is thin and filler may be inappropriate but dark circles are an issue. In acne scarring, where improving tissue quality can enhance the response to energy-based treatment, they are often a foundational part of the strategy. This is not a cosmetic treatment in the traditional sense. There is no immediate glow. Results are gradual and cumulative, the sort of improvement you might only recognise looking back over photographs or follow-up imaging. But in the right patient, the difference can be profound.
What Is Profhilo?
Profhilo is an injectable made from a unique formulation of high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid. Unlike traditional fillers, it is not cross-linked and does not create volume or shape. Instead, it spreads through the mid-dermis, improving hydration, skin density, and elasticity.
It is best thought of as hydration at depth, ideal for skin that has lost its bounce or softness, but does not need structural change. It works particularly well in the lower face, neck, and décolletage, where it can soften the early signs of laxity or textural change.
At Self London, we use Profhilo in patients in their thirties to sixties noticing dullness, dryness, or early sagging. It is frequently used between seasons, or around key life events, where skin needs a subtle boost. It also forms part of a long-term maintenance protocol, often alongside laser, BBL, or biostimulatory injectables.
The treatment involves two sessions spaced four weeks apart, with results typically visible by the second session. Maintenance is often recommended every six months.
Why Language Matters
Much of the confusion surrounding these treatments comes from how they are described. The phrase skin booster is often used to cover a wide variety of injectables, some hydrating, some regenerative, some stimulatory, without distinction. As a result, patients may request a treatment based on what they have seen online, without knowing what it actually does.
At Self London, we believe that clarity is part of good clinical care. Polynucleotides and Profhilo are not variations on a theme. They are different interventions, designed to address different problems.
Profhilo is best suited to patients with mild skin laxity, superficial textural concerns, or dehydration. Polynucleotides are more appropriate when the skin shows signs of post-acne change, inflammation, laser preparation needs, or requires support in delicate areas such as the under-eye.
Anchoring These Treatments in a Wider Plan
At Self London, these injectables are never offered in isolation. They are assessed within the wider context of your skin’s behaviour, laser history, hormone status, barrier function, and future goals. This is not about choosing a product. It is about designing the right protocol, one that uses the fewest interventions for the greatest long-term effect.
How We Work at Self London
We do not sell single treatments. Our role is to diagnose what your skin needs, and then build a strategy that delivers.
If you book a consultation hoping for a quick skin booster before a holiday, we will listen, but also examine. We may recommend Profhilo. We may recommend polynucleotides. We may suggest a different intervention entirely, or none at all.
What we will not do is inject without context.
Sometimes both treatments are used in the same long-term plan, but they are never given together or randomly alternated. In a patient with past scarring or inflammation, we might begin with polynucleotides to support dermal quality, then introduce Profhilo once the skin is calmer and stronger. In other patients, the order may be reversed.
Protocols are not built from products. They are built from tissue behaviour, clinical history, and long-term goals.
The Cost of Cheap Treatment
While pricing can vary across clinics, what matters more is the expertise behind the needle. Injectables like polynucleotides and Profhilo only work when placed correctly, in the right tissue plane, and for the right reason. At Self London, we are not just delivering a treatment. We are thinking long-term: how will this affect barrier health, laser response, lymphatic function, and future interventions? That level of thinking is not available everywhere.
What to Expect
Polynucleotide treatments are typically given as a course of three to five sessions, spaced two to four weeks apart. Results develop gradually, and patients may notice improved firmness, more even tone, or simply skin that reacts less — a quiet shift in function, not just appearance.
Profhilo is delivered in two sessions, with a follow-up at six months. Results are most noticeable by four weeks after the second session, with skin appearing better hydrated, more elastic, and subtly lifted.
In both cases, downtime is minimal — usually limited to transient swelling or small injection marks. At Self London, all injectable treatments are carried out under the supervision of our consultant dermatologist or senior team using refined, protocol-driven techniques.
The Final Word
Skin responds to intelligent intervention, not trends, not hype, and not the latest injectable-of-the-moment. At Self London, both Profhilo and polynucleotides are part of a broader treatment philosophy: one that values long-term skin health, not short-term fixes.
These treatments are never chosen in isolation. They are integrated into structured, clinically informed protocols that respect your skin’s biology, treatment history, and future goals. In some patients, that means using Profhilo to support elasticity and hydration. In others, it means layering polynucleotides with UltraClear or laser coring to build better skin from the inside out.
The difference is not the product. It is the thinking behind it.
You do not need to decide which treatment is right for you. That is our responsibility, to assess, guide, and treat with clarity, precision, and care. Because great skin is not an accident. It is the result of expert planning.
