Polynucleotides, Explained: The Skin Booster Behind the "Salmon Sperm Facial" Trend

If you've spent any time on TikTok recently, you've probably seen someone call t the "salmon sperm facial" and wondered whether that's a joke. It isn't, it's just a nickname for polynucleotides, a treatment that's now searched thousands of times a month by people who've seen the results but don't actually know what's being injected or why. That gap between "I've seen this trend" and "I understand this treatment" is exactly where bad decisions get made.

Polynucleotides aren't a dermal filler, and they don't work the way most people assume. Understanding what they actually do, and what they can't do, is the difference between booking the right treatment for your skin and booking the one that's trending this month.

What Are Polynucleotides?

Polynucleotides are fragments of DNA, most commonly derived from salmon (hence the nickname), used in a purified, medical-grade form as an injectable skin treatment. Rather than adding volume like a dermal filler, they work by supporting the skin's own repair processes, encouraging hydration, supporting collagen production, and improving the overall quality and resilience of the skin over a course of sessions.

This puts them in the "biostimulator" category alongside treatments like Profhilo, rather than alongside lip or cheek filler.

How They Actually Work

Once injected into the skin, polynucleotide fragments are recognised by the body as material to repair and rebuild around, rather than as a foreign substance to wall off. This triggers what's often called a "biostimulation" response: fibroblasts (the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin) become more active, hydration within the skin improves, and the extracellular matrix – the structural scaffolding that keeps skin firm and supple, gets a genuine repair signal rather than a temporary plump.

That's the key difference from a same-day "quick fix" treatment. The visible change comes from the skin doing more of its own repair work over the following weeks, not from a substance sitting under the surface adding bulk. It's a slower story than filler, but it's addressing a different problem entirely, skin quality and resilience, not lost volume or structure.

What Happens During Treatment

Polynucleotides are typically administered as a series of small injections across the treatment area, delivered close to the surface of the skin rather than deep into tissue. Most clinics recommend a short course of sessions spaced a few weeks apart, followed by less frequent maintenance, though the exact protocol varies by product, treatment area and individual skin condition.

Downtime is generally minimal, some redness, small bumps at injection sites, or mild swelling in the first day or two is normal, though individual reactions vary. This is a treatment most patients can have and return to normal activities the same day, but it's still a medical procedure, which is exactly why a proper consultation (not a same-day walk-in booking) matters.

Polynucleotides vs Dermal Filler vs Other Skin Boosters – What's Actually Different

This is the part most trending videos skip, and it's the part that matters most before you book.

‍Dermal filler adds volume, it plumps a specific area to restore lost structure. Polynucleotides don't add volume in the same way. Instead, they work on skin quality: texture, hydration, tone, and the skin's ability to repair itself. If your concern is volume loss, polynucleotides alone won't solve it. If your concern is thin, tired, crepey or dehydrated-looking skin, they're addressing a different problem to filler entirely, and one that filler is not designed to fix.

Compared to other skin boosters, polynucleotides are often discussed for their regenerative, repair-focused action rather than pure hydration, which is why they've become popular for delicate, thin-skinned areas like under the eyes, where volume isn't always the issue.

Where Polynucleotides Are Used (And Why "Under Eyes" Gets Searched So Often)

A large share of people searching for polynucleotides are searching specifically for the under-eye area, and it's easy to see why. The skin under the eyes is thin, prone to showing fine lines and a tired, hollow appearance, and not every case of under-eye ageing is caused by volume loss that filler can fix. For some people, tear trough filler is the right answer. For others, particularly where the concern is skin quality and fine lines rather than lost volume, polynucleotides may be the more appropriate, and the less risky option, because they're not adding bulk to an area that's already delicate.

This is precisely why a proper assessment matters more than picking a treatment because it's trending. The same "tired eyes" complaint can have different causes, hollowing, pigmentation, thin skin, or simple dehydration and the right treatment depends on which one actually applies to you, not on which one has the most views this week.

Beyond the under-eye area, polynucleotides are also used more broadly across the face, and sometimes the neck and hands, wherever the concern is general skin quality, tone, texture and hydration rather than a specific area of volume loss.

Is It Right for You? What a Proper Consultation Should Cover

A trend-driven booking skips the one step that actually determines whether a treatment will work for you: assessment. At Facial Perfection, consultations are doctor-led, which means the conversation starts with what your skin actually needs, not with what treatment you searched for.

A proper consultation should cover:

• Whether your concern is genuinely a skin-quality issue polynucleotides can address, or a volume issue that needs a different treatment
• How many sessions are typically needed to see a change, and what a realistic timeline looks like (this is a course of treatment, not a single session fix)
• Any contraindications or reasons the treatment might not be suitable for you
• What results you can realistically expect, without over-promising what a biostimulator can deliver

If a clinic agrees to book you in for a specific trending treatment without asking any of this first, that's worth noticing.

Who Polynucleotides Aren't Right For

As with any injectable treatment, polynucleotides won't be suitable for everyone. Pregnancy and breastfeeding, active skin infections in the treatment area, known allergies to the product's ingredients, and certain autoimmune conditions are the kind of factors a proper consultation should screen for before treatment goes ahead. This is a general guide, not a substitute for a medical assessment, it's precisely the sort of thing your consultation exists to check against your own history.

Polynucleotides FAQs

‍What are polynucleotides?

Purified DNA fragments, commonly derived from salmon, used as an injectable skin treatment that supports the skin's own repair and hydration processes rather than adding volume.

‍Do polynucleotides work?

They're used to support skin quality, hydration and repair over a course of \ treatment – they aren't a same-session, one-off fix, and results build gradually rather than appearing instantly.

‍Are polynucleotides safe?

As with any injectable treatment, safety depends on using a purified, medical grade product administered by a suitably qualified, medically-led practitioner following a proper assessment – which is why the consultation step matters as much as the treatment itself.

‍What's the difference between polynucleotides and a dermal filler?

Dermal filler adds volume to a specific area. Polynucleotides work on the skin's own repair processes to improve quality, hydration and resilience, they address a different concern to filler, and the two are sometimes used together as part of a wider treatment plan.

‍What does the treatment itself involve?

A series of small injections placed close to the surface of the skin across the treatment area, usually delivered as part of a short course of sessions rather than a single visit. Your practitioner will talk you through exactly what to expect for your specific treatment plan during your consultation.

‍Is there any downtime?

Most patients see some mild redness, small bumps or slight swelling immediately after treatment, which typically settles within a day or two. It's generally not a treatment that stops you returning to normal activities, but individual reactions vary, which is another reason a proper consultation matters.

‍Can polynucleotides be combined with other treatments?

Often, yes, they're frequently used alongside treatments like Profhilo or microneedling as part of a wider skin-quality plan, rather than in isolation. Whether that's the right approach for you is something your consultation should cover.

Book a Consultation That Starts With Your Skin, Not the Trend

Polynucleotides can be a genuinely useful treatment, but only when they're the right answer to what your skin actually needs, not just the treatment that's trending this week. A doctor-led consultation is where that gets worked out properly, before any needle comes near your skin.

‍Book a consultation at Facial Perfection in Derby or Burton on Trent to find out whether polynucleotides – or something else entirely, are the right fit for you.