Do polynucleotide injections hurt? An honest answer

Almost everyone who books polynucleotides asks the same question before they ask anything about results. They ask whether it is going to hurt. It is a fair question and it deserves a straight answer rather than a reassuring one, so here is what the treatment actually involves, what the published pain scores look like, and what we do to make it more bearable.

Why the technique decides the sensation

Polynucleotides are long chains of purified DNA fragments, usually derived from salmon or trout. They are placed into the dermis, the living layer of skin under the surface, where they act as a hydrating scaffold and appear to prompt fibroblasts, the cells that build collagen, to work more actively. Because the effect depends on spreading that scaffold evenly through an area rather than filling a single point, the product has to be delivered across many small injection sites.

In practice that means somewhere between ten and forty entry points across a treatment area, each one delivering a fraction of a millilitre. So the honest version of the question is not whether one injection hurts. It is what twenty small injections into thin skin feel like, one after another. If you want the wider picture of how this sits alongside other injectable skin treatments, our skin boosters and bioremodelling page explains the differences.

What the published pain scores show

A randomised, patient blinded, split face study published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2025 measured this directly. Fifteen participants had polynucleotide injections on both sides of the face, sixty procedures in total, all delivered through a 34 gauge needle. The conventional formulation scored an average of 5.04 out of 10 on a visual analogue pain scale, with a standard deviation of 2.19. A reformulated, ionisation adjusted version scored 3.39.

Two things are worth taking from that. The first is the middle number. Around five out of ten is a real, noticeable sensation, not a scratch, and any clinic telling you otherwise is selling rather than informing. The second is the spread. A standard deviation above two means some people in that study rated the identical procedure at around three and others at around seven. Your experience will depend at least as much on you as on the product.

It is also a study of fifteen people. That is a reasonable signal about the range of experience, not a settled fact.

What it feels like, moment to moment

Most people describe two distinct sensations at each point. First a brief sharp sting as the needle passes through the surface. Then a short stinging or stretching feeling as the gel enters the dermis, lasting a second or two, and then it stops. The needle is out before the discomfort has fully registered, and the pause between points is usually where people find their breath.

Sensitivity is not even across the face. The area under the eyes, the upper lip and the skin either side of the nose are consistently reported as the most uncomfortable, because the skin is thin and richly supplied with nerves. Cheeks, jawline, neck and the backs of the hands are generally easier.

What makes it better or worse

Several things genuinely change the experience, and most of them are within our control or yours:

• Topical anaesthetic cream, applied to clean skin and left on for twenty to thirty minutes before we start. This takes the edge off the surface sting. It does not numb the deeper layer, so you will still feel the product going in.

• Needle gauge. Fine needles in the 30 to 34 gauge range are standard for this treatment, and finer is more comfortable.

• A blunt tipped cannula in some areas, which allows several passes from one entry point rather than many separate punctures. It trades sharp stings for a duller feeling of pressure, which some people much prefer and others do not.

• Injection speed. Delivering the product slowly is noticeably more comfortable than delivering it quickly.

• Your own state on the day. Being cold, tired, anxious, dehydrated or heavily caffeinated all tend to make injections feel worse. Many patients also report more sensitivity in the days before a period, though the evidence for that in aesthetics specifically is thin, so we treat it as a scheduling preference rather than a rule.

The hours and days afterwards

Expect small raised bumps at each injection point immediately afterwards, which is the product sitting in the dermis before it disperses. These usually settle within a few hours and sometimes take overnight. Redness and mild swelling are common and typically ease within twenty four to forty eight hours, which matches what is reported for periorbital polynucleotide injections in the clinical literature. The area often feels tender, like a light bruise, for a day or two.

Bruising is fairly common under the eyes, where small vessels sit close to the surface, and less common elsewhere. Most people return to normal activity the same day, but we would not describe any injectable as being free of recovery time, and we would not book you the day before a wedding or a job interview.

Who this treatment does not suit

Polynucleotides are not right for everyone, and pain tolerance is only one reason. We would not proceed if any of the following apply:

• Allergy to fish or shellfish, since the product is derived from salmon or trout DNA.

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding, where there is not enough safety evidence to justify treating.

• Active infection, an inflamed acne breakout or a cold sore in or near the treatment area.

• A bleeding disorder, or anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication, which raises the risk of significant bruising and needs a proper conversation first.

• Certain autoimmune conditions, including lupus and scleroderma.

• A genuine needle phobia. This is not something to apologise for, but a treatment built around twenty separate injections is a poor fit, and there are other routes worth discussing.

• A concern that is actually about volume or facial structure. Polynucleotides improve skin quality. They will not restore lost volume, and we will tell you if that is what you are really asking for.

What we do about it

Our clinical team takes a full medication and allergy history before anything is drawn up, because that is what decides whether the treatment is appropriate at all. We apply topical anaesthetic, use fine needles, work slowly, and tell you before we start each new area so nothing arrives as a surprise. If at any point you want to stop, we stop.

If you are weighing this up against other regenerative options, our PRP and PRF page covers a treatment with a similar honest answer to the same question.

Talk it through first

If the needle question is the thing holding you back, come and ask it in person. We offer a free 30 minute consultation where we assess your skin, go through your medical history, explain exactly how many injection points your treatment plan would involve and what we can do to make it more comfortable, and tell you honestly if polynucleotides are not the right answer for what is bothering you. You can book a free consultation online.

Nova Beauty Clinic