The words used on this site, defined plainly. Injectable treatments are described with a lot of overlapping terminology, much of it marketing rather than medicine, and a clear definition is often the fastest way to work out whether two clinics are quoting you for the same thing.
Also known as: Polynucleotides, PN.
A chain of nucleotides, which are the units that make up DNA. In this context it means purified DNA fragments, derived from salmon or trout, injected into the skin to prompt it to improve its own texture and hydration. Polynucleotides add no volume, which is the single most useful thing to know about them.
Source: www.nhs.uk
Also known as: Polydeoxyribonucleotide.
Polydeoxyribonucleotide, a specific and shorter class of polynucleotide fragment. The terms are used interchangeably in clinic marketing, and for a patient the practical difference is small. If a quote names one and a competing quote names the other, you are broadly comparing the same category of treatment.
The cell in the dermis that manufactures collagen and elastin. Almost every regenerative skin treatment works by provoking fibroblasts into activity, which is why results appear over weeks rather than on the day. The fibroblast is doing the work, not the injected material.
The structural protein that gives skin its firmness and thickness. Production falls steadily from the mid-twenties, and the loss shows first where the skin is thinnest. Treatments that claim to add collagen are really claiming to stimulate the cells that make it.
The protein that lets skin stretch and return. It is made mostly in youth and is poorly replaced once damaged, particularly by sun exposure. Loss of elastin is why skin that has lost recoil rarely regains it fully, whatever a treatment promises.
The groove running from the inner corner of the eye down across the top of the cheek. A hollow tear trough and thin, poor-quality under-eye skin look similar in a mirror and cause the same tired appearance, but they need different treatments. Distinguishing between them is the main job of an under-eye consultation.
An injectable gel, usually hyaluronic acid, that adds volume and changes shape on the day it is placed. It is a different category of product from a polynucleotide, which adds no volume. Fillers are CE-marked medical devices rather than prescription-only medicines.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A loose category covering injectables that improve hydration and quality rather than adding structural volume. Polynucleotides are sometimes grouped here, and sometimes sold as a category of their own. Because the label is marketing rather than regulation, always ask what the actual product class is.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A marketing term for injectables intended to improve the quality and behaviour of skin over time rather than change its shape. It has no fixed regulatory meaning, so two clinics using the word may be offering quite different products at quite different prices.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A technique rather than a product: many small superficial injections spread across an area. Various substances are delivered this way, including polynucleotides. If a price list offers mesotherapy without saying what is being injected, that is the question to ask.
Source: www.nhs.uk
A flexible blunt-tipped tube used instead of a sharp needle for some injections. It parts tissue rather than piercing it, which lowers the chance of bruising and of hitting a vessel. It is often preferred around the eyes for exactly that reason.
Numbing cream applied to the skin before treatment and left for twenty to thirty minutes. It is optional for most areas and commonly used for the under-eye. It numbs the surface only, so a deep injection is still felt as pressure.
The period after a treatment during which its effects are visible to other people. For polynucleotides this is usually 24 to 72 hours of small raised bumps at each injection point, plus possible bruising. Downtime is not the same as recovery: the skin is not injured, it is holding product.
A planned series of sessions treated as one treatment. Polynucleotides are given as a course, typically three sessions two to three weeks apart. A single session is not a course, and a price quoted per session is not comparable to a price quoted per course.
A professional legally able to prescribe medicines: a doctor, dentist, or a nurse or pharmacist with prescribing qualifications. Not every injectable requires one, but a clinic with a prescriber on site is a clinic able to manage a complication properly.
Source: www.jccp.org.uk
Also known as: UKCA mark.
A conformity mark indicating a product meets the relevant safety standards for sale as a medical device. It is not the same as a licensed medicine, and it is not evidence that a particular cosmetic claim about the product has been substantiated.
Source: www.gov.uk
Skin that has become thin and finely wrinkled, like crumpled tissue paper, usually from a combination of age and sun exposure. It differs from a wrinkle caused by muscle movement, and it responds to treatments that improve tissue quality rather than to those that relax muscle.
Also known as: PIH.
Darkened patches left behind after inflammation such as acne or a skin injury. It is the pigment response to the inflammation rather than a scar, and it fades on its own over months, which makes it easy for a treatment given during that period to take credit for the improvement.
The upper chest and the area between the neck and the bust. It ages visibly, takes a great deal of sun, and is frequently left out of a skincare routine, so it often looks older than the face above it.
The service that takes an enquiry from this site and arranges an assessment with a registered practitioner. It is operated by the UNTIL group, which owns this site. Nobody on this site treats anybody, and there is no per-enquiry payment behind the introduction.