Most people who ask me about polynucleotides under the eyes have already tried the concealer, the eye cream and the early night. The skin under the eye still looks thin, a bit crepey, and darker than the rest of the face. That is the exact problem this treatment is for. It is also a treatment that gets sold for problems it cannot touch, so this post covers both: what it does under the eyes, what it doesn’t, how many sessions it takes and what every one of them costs at my clinic in Southsea.
The short version. Three of the six polynucleotide treatments I offer in Portsmouth are made for the under-eye area: Dermis Glow Eyes at £135 a session, Vitaran Eyes at £150 and Lumi Eyes at £150. A course is usually three to six sessions, three to four weeks apart. They improve the quality of the skin. They add no volume, and they will not fill a hollow or shift an eye bag.
Is polynucleotide good for under eyes?
For the right problem, yes. Polynucleotides are injectables made from purified fish DNA (the products I use are derived from salmon trout). They are placed in tiny amounts into the skin itself, and the job they do is on the quality of that skin rather than its shape.
The under-eye is where that matters most. The skin there is the thinnest on the face, it has very little cushioning underneath, and it shows everything: late nights, dehydration, ageing, and the blood vessels and muscle sitting just below it. When someone tells me their eyes look tired even when they aren’t, it is very often the skin I am looking at, not the structure.
So polynucleotides are a good fit when the complaint is thin, crepey, papery skin, fine lines just under the lash line, or a darkness that comes from seeing through the skin to what is beneath it. They are a poor fit for anything that is really about volume or fat, and I will say so at the appointment rather than sell you a course.
What polynucleotides can and can’t do under the eyes
This is the part that decides whether you spend your money well.
What they are used for:
- Thin, crepey skin under the eye that creases when you smile and looks papery up close.
- Fine lines sitting just below the lower lashes.
- Darkness where the skin is thin enough to show the vessels and muscle underneath.
- Skin that simply looks tired and flat compared with the cheek below it.
What they will not do:
- Fill a hollow. A tear trough groove that casts a shadow is a volume problem, and polynucleotides add no volume at all.
- Remove an eye bag. A true bag is fat pushing forward from behind the lower lid. No injection removes that; it is a surgical question.
- Change pigment you were born with. Darkness that runs in your family and sits in the skin itself may soften a little as the skin improves, but I would not promise it.
- Replace sleep, sunscreen or treating hay fever. If rubbing and puffiness are driving the darkness, those come first.
If you are not sure which of these is yours, look in a mirror with light coming from above. A groove that throws a shadow is structure. Skin that wrinkles like tissue paper when you push your cheek up gently is skin quality. Many people have a bit of both, and that is exactly what I assess at the start of the appointment. I have written more about telling the two apart in my guide to under eye treatment and the different routes for tired eyes.
How much does a polynucleotide treatment under the eye cost in the UK?
Here, every under-eye option is priced per session, and the price below is what you pay. Every price is published, where most Portsmouth clinics quote only after a consultation.
| Under-eye polynucleotide treatment | Per session |
|---|---|
| Dermis Glow Eyes, 40 minutes | £135 |
| Vitaran Eyes, 45 minutes | £150 |
| Lumi Eyes (listed on Fresha as Lumi Eyes and Lumi Pro Eyes), 45 minutes | £150 |
Dermis Glow Eyes is the newest of the three and the lowest priced. All three are formulated for the under-eye area. You don’t need to work out which one is right before you book: pick one, and at the start of the appointment I will tell you whether it’s the one I would use for your skin, or whether I’d switch.
What a full course comes to
Because a course is several sessions, the per-session price is only half the answer. This is what three and six sessions add up to for each product:
| Treatment | 3 sessions | 6 sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Dermis Glow Eyes | £405 | £810 |
| Vitaran Eyes | £450 | £900 |
| Lumi Eyes | £450 | £900 |
There is no package to buy up front. Each session is booked and paid for on its own, so if your skin has done what you wanted after three, you stop at three. Klarna is available on treatments over three monthly payments, which works out at £45 a month for a Dermis Glow Eyes session and £50 a month for Vitaran Eyes or Lumi Eyes.
What happens at the appointment
You don’t need a separate consultation before any of the under-eye treatments. You book the treatment you want on Fresha, and the assessment happens at the start of that appointment with no separate fee. If you would rather talk it through before committing, a standalone consultation is £15 on Fresha and it is deducted from your treatment if you go ahead.
On the day it takes 40 to 45 minutes, most of which is not injecting:
- I go through your medical history, including allergies and anything you are taking.
- I look at the under-eye in good light and tell you honestly whether this is the right treatment for what is bothering you.
- The area is cleaned and numbing cream goes on. Under the eyes this is the step that matters most, and it is given time to work.
- The product goes in as a series of very small points along the under-eye. The injecting itself takes a few minutes.
The numbing cream takes the edge off. You will feel the small points going in, and it is over in a few minutes. Afterwards you will see small raised points where the product went in, and they are the reason to book it on a day with nothing planned that evening.
How many polynucleotide sessions are needed?
A course is usually three to six sessions, three to four weeks apart. The skin keeps changing for a few weeks after each session, so the spacing isn’t arbitrary: it gives the previous one time to show before the next goes in.
Where you sit in that range depends on where you start. Skin that is mildly tired may need three. Skin that is very thin and crepey usually needs more. I will tell you at your first appointment how many I think you need, and I would rather say three and be right than say six to fill a diary.
One thing to be ready for: this is not a treatment you walk out of looking different. The change comes gradually across the course, which is why I would not book your first session a week before an event and expect it to be the fix.
How long does polynucleotide under the eye last?
Once a course is finished, most clients find the result holds for around six to nine months. After that, a top-up session keeps the skin where you want it, and whether you need one at six months or later is something I judge on the day by looking at your skin, not by a calendar.
I won’t give you a longer number than that. You will see longer figures quoted online. Six to nine months is the honest range to plan and budget around.
Can anything go wrong with polynucleotides?
Serious problems are uncommon, but this is an injection into delicate skin, so it is worth knowing what is normal and what isn’t.
Normal, and expected: the small raised points along the under-eye, which usually settle within 24 to 48 hours. Some redness and mild swelling. A small bruise is possible with any injection under the eye, where the skin is thin and the blood vessels are close to the surface.
Who shouldn’t have it:
- Anyone with a fish allergy, unless you have talked it through with me first. These products are derived from salmon trout DNA. Tell me before you book, not on the day.
- Anyone with an active infection, cold sore or breakout in the area. I wait until it has cleared.
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. Injectable treatments aren’t offered then. Come back afterwards and I’ll pick it up with you.
- Anyone under 18. Every treatment here is for adults only.
Aftercare is simple: no heavy exercise, saunas or steam for 24 hours, and leave the area alone. Most people go straight back to work. If anything feels wrong after you leave, message me on WhatsApp rather than wait.
Is polynucleotide treatment better than anti-wrinkle injections?
Neither is better, because they do different jobs. Polynucleotides work on the quality of the skin under the eye. Anti-wrinkle injections relax the muscle that creases the skin at the side of the eye when you smile, which is what causes crow’s feet.
If what bothers you is the fan of lines at the outer corner when you laugh, that is a muscle problem, and anti-wrinkle injections for crow’s feet are the treatment for it: £170 for one area, £210 for two and £250 for three. Anti-wrinkle injections are a prescription-only medicine, so a first treatment needs a £25 prescriber consultation, paid once per prescription period, and a 14-day review is included.
If what bothers you is thin, crepey skin directly under the eye that is there whether you are smiling or not, that is the skin, and that is where polynucleotides come in. Plenty of people have both and treat both, at separate appointments.
Polynucleotides or a skin booster under the eyes?
Hyaluronic acid skin boosters such as Profhilo and Seventy Hyal are mainly about hydration, and they are priced for the face rather than the under-eye (Profhilo £185 face and neck, Seventy Hyal 2000 £165 on my skin boosters page). The three eye polynucleotides are the treatments on my menu made specifically for the under-eye, so that is where I start when the under-eye is the concern. There is a fuller comparison in my post on how polynucleotide skin boosters work.
When I’d tell you not to book it
I would rather lose a booking than sell you three sessions that can’t answer your question. I will steer you away from polynucleotides if:
- the darkness is really a shadow from a hollow, because this treatment adds no volume and the hollow will still be there at the end of the course;
- the concern is a puffy bag that is there every morning, because that is fat, not skin;
- you need a visible change by a date that is less than a couple of months away.
If hollowing is the main issue, my post on sunken eyes treatment explains why it is a different problem from skin quality.
Booking polynucleotides under the eyes in Portsmouth
Everything is done by me, Natasha, at House of Glam HQ, 1A Auckland Road East, Southsea, PO5 2HA. I’ve been injecting for more than seven years, and every session in your course is with me.
| Book directly on Fresha | Per session |
|---|---|
| Dermis Glow Eyes | £135 |
| Vitaran Eyes | £150 |
| Lumi Eyes | £150 |
Book the treatment you want and the assessment happens at the start of the appointment, with no separate fee. Or book a standalone consultation on Fresha for £15, deducted from your treatment if you go ahead. Klarna is available on treatments over three monthly payments.
Not sure whether it’s your skin or a hollow? Send me a message on WhatsApp or call 07831 846273, tell me what is bothering you, and I will tell you straight whether polynucleotides are the right answer. All six options, including the three face treatments, are on my polynucleotides page.
