Mesotherapy, biorevitalisation, skin boosters, polynucleotides and PRP: what the names mean

The names, side by side

• Mesotherapy: a way of injecting, many small, shallow injections into the skin; what is injected varies, so the name alone tells you little.
• Skin boosters (biorevitalisation): un-crosslinked hyaluronic acid, usually with amino acids, vitamins or antioxidants, placed by mesotherapy for hydration and radiance.
• Polynucleotides ("salmon DNA"): purified DNA fragments from salmon or trout, injected into the skin to calm inflammation and support repair.
• PDRN: a related preparation of fish DNA; the two names are often used loosely for similar products.
• PRP (plasma lifting): platelet-rich plasma, made fresh from a little of your own blood and injected into the skin or scalp.

What is mesotherapy, and is it the same as a skin booster?

Mesotherapy is the technique: a very fine needle places tiny amounts of a product into the upper layers of the skin, point by point. A skin booster is one thing that can be injected that way. So when a clinic says "mesotherapy", the useful question is what exactly goes in, who injects it, and whether it is a registered medical product. Contaminated mesotherapy injections have caused slow, hard-to-treat skin infections, which is why sterile, traceable products and a doctor matter more than the name.

Skin boosters: hydration rather than volume

Hyaluronic acid is the water-binding molecule your skin already makes. In a skin booster it is not cross-linked into a firm gel as in filler, so it stays fluid, spreads through the skin and is used up faster. The usual plan is two or three sessions a few weeks apart, then a refresh roughly every six months. In a placebo-controlled study, three sessions improved hydration and radiance more than saline did; a 2025 meta-analysis found clear gains in hydration and radiance, but no clear change in elasticity or pigment. Dr. Daria Banina is among the doctors who do them at CREAMÉ.

Polynucleotides, PDRN and "salmon DNA": what they are used for

Polynucleotides are long chains of purified DNA fragments from salmon or trout. They are not living cells: they are thought to act as a signal, calming inflammation and supporting the skin's own repair and collagen. They are used for thin, crepey skin, often under the eyes, fine lines and rough texture, over a course of two to four sessions. Are they good or bad? The studies so far are few, small and of low to moderate quality, with gradual, partial improvements and no serious complication reported. People allergic to fish should not have them.

PRP versus mesotherapy, or plasma lifting versus biorevitalisation

PRP starts with a blood draw from your arm; the blood is spun to concentrate the platelets and the growth factors they carry, and the plasma is injected into the skin or scalp in the same session. Because it comes from your own blood, there is no allergy to the product itself, but it cannot be dissolved, and infection control is essential: a US public-health investigation linked HIV infections to PRP facials given without it. PRP has been studied for skin and for some kinds of hair loss more than polynucleotides have, but most studies are still small. Mesotherapy with a skin booster supplies hyaluronic acid; PRP signals with your own platelets. Which fits depends on your skin, your health and what you want to change.

Mesotherapy or microneedling?

Microneedling makes many tiny punctures to prompt the skin to repair, without injecting a product; radiofrequency microneedling, such as Sylfirm X, adds energy delivered beneath the surface. Mesotherapy places a product into the skin through each injection. They answer different questions: microneedling works on texture, scars and pores through the skin's response to the needles, while a booster or polynucleotides work through what is injected.

What none of them do

• Fill: for lost volume or a deep fold, filler or a biostimulator is the question.
• Lift: for loose skin, a lifting device such as focused ultrasound or radiofrequency is the question.
• Relax lines that come from movement: that is anti-wrinkle injections.
• Work in one visit: each is a course, with the change building over weeks to months.

Who should wait

All of these wait during pregnancy and breastfeeding. A doctor checks for infection or inflamed skin in the area, a bleeding disorder or blood thinners, allergies, and, for PRP, anaemia, a low platelet count and some cancers. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own; the doctor plans around it.