The right device. The right hands. The right result.
Written by Kerri Lewis, Clinic co-founder | Medically reviewed by Nurse Natalia Ostrowska RGN, INP | July 2026
Biostimulator treatments have arguably become the most significant shift in aesthetic medicine in years. Where some older approaches added volume, biostimulators do something interesting: they work at a cellular level to rebuild what your skin has gradually lost. Collagen production declines as the skin ages, and these treatments are designed to reverse that. Polynucleotides, Radiesse, Sculptra and Sunekos each take a different route to the same result: skin that looks and behaves as though it has remembered how to regenerate. All four are available at The Skin to Love Clinic in St. Albans and we’re going to tell you what we’d want our patients to know.
What Is In This Blog:
A biostimulator is an injectable aesthetic treatment that stimulates the body's own production of collagen and elastin, rather than adding volume directly. Unlike dermal fillers, biostimulators trigger a biological response within the skin that encourages natural tissue regeneration over weeks to months. The main biostimulators used in aesthetic medicine are polynucleotides, Radiesse (calcium hydroxylapatite), Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) and Sunekos (hyaluronic acid combined with amino acids). Most work by stimulating fibroblast activity within the skin; Sunekos takes a different approach, supplying the amino acid building blocks that fibroblasts need to produce collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid from within. All with results developing gradually over weeks to months. The Skin to Love Clinic in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, offers all four treatments for the face, eyes and body.
Nurse Jane Lewis tells us that “In my experience, patients are often surprised by how natural the results feel. Because biostimulators work with your own biology, the improvement looks just like you, restored.”
The easiest way to understand biostimulators is to compare them with fillers. A filler just replaces volume, temporarily, where your anatomy has lost it. “Fillers can be especially helpful in areas like the cheeks, the temples, the lips, and along the jawline, for example, to help do the job that your fat pads and, or, bone would have ordinarily done before they changed with age or weight fluctuations” says Nurse Jane. A biostimulator restores skin quality by stimulating your skin's ability to make collagen and elastin.
Both have genuine value, but they operate on a different logic. Fillers deliver an immediate result. Biostimulators deliver a progressive one; the skin produces new collagen and elastin in response to the treatment, with results that build over weeks and continue improving for months. The outcome tends to look entirely natural. That is because it is: it’s your own biology, doing what it used to do.
The results clients notice first are not dramatic. They are better than that... they’re you. Skin that was dull starts to look alive again. Fine lines soften. Texture improves. The overall quality of the skin changes, not just its surface.
Polynucleotides are DNA-derived molecules, most commonly sourced from salmon, that work by stimulating the skin's own fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin. A polynucleotides treatment encourages these cells to regenerate and function more effectively, improving skin hydration, density and quality from within.
“This makes polynucleotides injections particularly well-suited to concerns that some other treatments can find difficult to address: crepiness, dullness, loss of firmness and that general flatness that can settle into skin over time.” explains Nurse Jane.
Research supports both the safety and the effectiveness of polynucleotide treatments, placing them as an evidence-backed option within regenerative aesthetics. Those looking at polynucleotides before and after results should expect a gradual improvement over several weeks, with most clients seeing the best outcome after a course rather than after their first session.
At The Skin to Love Clinic we use the PolyPhil brand of polynucleotides (formally known as PhilArt); it is especially well loved around the eyes where we use a formulation developed just for this area.
Polynucleotides are a biostimulator derived from purified salmon or trout DNA. Injected into the skin, they stimulate fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin and support the skin's own hydration from within. Results develop gradually over several weeks, making them well suited to clients seeking long-term skin quality improvement rather than an immediate change.
Radiesse is one of the most versatile biostimulators available, and the reason lies in how it can be used.
At full concentration, Radiesse delivers immediate structural support to the face while simultaneously triggering elastin and collagen production through its active ingredient, calcium hydroxylapatite. The result is subtle lift and definition now, with skin quality continuing to improve over the months that follow. It is particularly effective for the mid and lower face, as well as the hands, where volume loss and laxity tend to show first.
Used in a more diluted form, known as a ‘Radiesse wash’ or hyperdilute Radiesse, the approach shifts entirely. The thinner product is distributed across a larger surface area to stimulate new collagen and elastin without adding significant volume, making it well suited to the face, neck and décolletage where skin laxity and crepiness are the primary concern rather than volume loss.
“The two techniques can also be combined during a single treatment session, addressing both structural concerns and overall skin quality at once. This flexibility is what makes Radiesse genuinely useful across a wide range of presentations.” explains Nurse Jane.
Results typically last between 12 and 18 months. At The Skin to Love Clinic we assess each client individually and choose the approach, or the combination of approaches, that suits their anatomy and goals.
Radiesse is a biostimulator made from calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres suspended in a gel carrier. It works in two ways: providing immediate structural support on injection, whilst stimulating the skin to produce new collagen and elastin over time. It can be used at full concentration for areas needing volume and definition, or heavily diluted as a treatment wash across larger areas of skin laxity. Both approaches can be used in combination during the same treatment, if required.
Sculptra is for clients who have decided against chasing quick fixes and started thinking about their skin differently.
Poly-L-lactic acid, the active ingredient in Sculptra, works by triggering a controlled response within the skin that activates fibroblasts to produce new collagen. The process is gradual and deliberate. Results build over weeks and months rather than appearing immediately, which is precisely why they tend to look so natural. The skin is not being altered from the outside. It is rebuilding from within.
Research has shown that the effects of a Sculptra treatment can be sustained for up to 25 months, making it one of the longest-lasting biostimulators available. It suits clients who are thinking about their skin in the longer term rather than seeking an immediate result.
“Sculptra is a biostimulator that translates as effectively to the body as to the face. Studies support its use for skin laxity in areas including the abdomen, upper arms, knees and neck, which is why it is often our preferred choice at our CQC regulated skin clinic when clients come to us with body concerns, not just facial ones.” says Nurse Jane.
At our clinic in St. Albans, Sculptra is a treatment we might recommend as the foundation of a longer-term skin strategy for those visiting us from across Hertfordshire and beyond.
Sculptra contains poly-L-lactic acid, a compound that stimulates fibroblasts to produce new collagen within the skin. Results build gradually over several months and are amongst the longest-lasting of any biostimulator available. It is used on both the face and body, and suits clients who are thinking about their skin in the longer term.
Sunekos works differently from every other biostimulator in this post. Rather than triggering a healing cascade, it supplies the skin with the precise raw materials it needs to rebuild itself: low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid combined with six specific amino acids (glycine, L-proline, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-valine, and L-alanine). These are the building blocks of collagen and elastin. When delivered into the dermis, they prompt fibroblasts to produce more of both, as well as the skin's own natural hyaluronic acid.
The result is not a change in shape or structure. It is a change in skin quality: more hydrated, more even, more like the skin you had ten years ago.
Sunekos addresses the concerns that sit outside what a filler or toxin can reach. The subtle dullness, the crepe-like texture, the fine lines that come from the skin thinning rather than the muscle moving. It suits clients in their thirties and forties who want to maintain what they have, and those further along who want to help restore it. The forehead is a particular area where it offers something that traditional injectables do not. Rather than blocking muscle movement, it works within the skin itself to improve texture and reduce the appearance of surface lines. "It is a great option for patients who have regular muscle relaxing injections in their forehead but also require further improvement to the skin in that area, to take their results to the next level," explains Nurse Jane.
The skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the face and often the first to show fatigue, dehydration, and age. It is also one of the most difficult areas to treat well. A clinical study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology evaluated the hyaluronic acid and amino acid formula specifically in the periorbital (eye) region across 23 participants, measuring improvements in both fine lines and dark circles. The findings support what we see in practice: the eye area responds well to Sunekos, and the improvements feel genuine. At The Skin to Love Clinic we use a Sunekos formulation developed specifically for the delicacy of this area.
Sunekos combines low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid with six specific amino acids to give the skin the building blocks it needs to produce its own collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. It improves the quality, texture, and hydration of the skin from within, and is effective on the face, forehead, and around the eyes.
What sets it apart: works by supplying raw materials for skin renewal rather than triggering a tissue response; for the right patient, it could also be a considered alternative to tear trough filler, improving the under-eye area subtly.
No blog post can make this decision for you, and any that claims to should be read with caution. The indications for these treatments overlap in ways that matter clinically, and the right choice will depend on your anatomy, your skin quality, your medical history, your timeline, and what you want to achieve. That assessment requires trained, experienced eyes and a conversation, not a comparison chart.
What the published evidence does allow us to say is this.
If skin quality, hydration, and fine lines are your main concern, both polynucleotides and Sunekos have clinical support for improving skin from within rather than altering its structure.
If you have noticed a loss of volume or definition, particularly in the mid-face, jawline, or neck, calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) has well-documented evidence for stimulating new collagen and elastin while providing structural support.
If you are thinking about your skin as a long-term investment rather than a single treatment, Sculptra's clinical data supports results that can be sustained for up to 25 months.
If the area around your eyes is your primary concern, both PolyPhil polynucleotides and Sunekos have formulations developed specifically for the periorbital region, with published clinical evidence supporting their use there.
But, these categories blur quickly in practice.
Most clients have more than one concern, but even those who do come in with a single concern, benefit from a broader assessment. Skin and anatomy changes rarely happen in isolation, so our medical practitioners never assess your concern in isolation. A hollow under the eye, a line on the forehead, a loss of definition along the jaw: each is usually the visible result of shifts happening across the whole area and amongst different tissue types. Understanding why a change has appeared, and what is driving it, requires an assessment of the surrounding anatomy and skin quality too. That cannot be done online. It’s done in a consultation room, with clinical expertise, a full medical history, and eyes on your skin.
If you are looking for guidance on biostimulators in St. Albans, Harpenden or across Hertfordshire, the best next step is a conversation.
The treatments in this post represent some of the most exciting developments in aesthetic medicine, but reading about them is only the starting point. The real conversation happens in person.
At The Skin to Love Clinic in St. Albans, we offer a dedicated Skin Ageing Consultation designed to do exactly what a blog post cannot: look at your skin, understand your concerns, take a full history, and give you an honest, clinical view of which treatment (or combination of treatments) is most likely to make a difference for you.
There is no pressure, no one-size-fits-all recommendation, and no obligation, from a medical practitioner who works without commission. Just a conversation with someone who is qualified and experienced this field and who will take the time to understand what you want to achieve.
If you are based in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, or the surrounding area and you would like to explore what biostimulators could do for your skin, we would love to welcome you.
Polynucleotides have a strong safety record in the published clinical literature. They are derived from highly purified salmon DNA and as a result carry an extremely low risk of allergic reaction. Polynucleotides have a strong safety record in the published clinical literature. They are derived from highly purified salmon DNA and carry an extremely low risk of allergic reaction. A real-world clinical assessment of injectable polynucleotides reported no serious adverse events across 66 patients, with patient satisfaction ranging from 97 to 100%.
Yes, with clinical evidence to support it. A real-world assessment of injectable polynucleotides in skin rejuvenation found clinician-reported visible improvement in 100% of facial treatments, with more than half rated as marked or excellent. The mechanism is well understood; polynucleotides stimulate fibroblasts to produce new collagen and elastin, improving skin elasticity, hydration, and texture over time.
Dermal fillers add physical volume to the targeted area, most commonly using hyaluronic acid, and results are visible immediately. Biostimulators work differently. They do not add volume but trigger the skin's own processes to produce new collagen and elastin. A split-face histological study comparing a calcium hydroxylapatite biostimulator with a hyaluronic acid filler found significantly greater collagen production with the biostimulator at four months. The results from biostimulators tend to be more gradual, look very natural, and often last longer. Radiesse is the exception worth noting: used at full concentration, it provides an element of immediate structural support alongside its collagen-stimulating effect should that be chosen; it can also be hyperdiluted to act in the same way as other biostimulators and offer no structural volume. This is why it can sometimes bridge the gap between a traditional filler and a biostimulator depending on how it is used.
It varies by treatment. Sculptra's clinical data supports results lasting up to 25 months, making it the longest-lasting biostimulator currently available. Radiesse has documented evidence for results lasting approximately 12 to 18 months as new collagen and elastin continues to build after the initial treatment. For polynucleotides and Sunekos, results develop over a course of sessions and can maintained with periodic top-ups, perhaps once or twice a year thereafter, with the interval varying between individuals. A medical aesthetic practitioner can advise on the right maintenance schedule for your skin.
No. Each biostimulator works through a different mechanism and suits different concerns, medical history, skin types, timelines, and treatment areas. What makes Sculptra the right choice for one client may be entirely the wrong approach for someone who needs skin quality improvement around the eyes rather than structural change. In our experience, the right biostimulator is rarely obvious from a description alone. It is identified in a consultation, with clinical expertise and eyes on you as an individual.
Disclaimer: This blog is not to be used for diagnostic purposes. We are all unique which means that our results, recovery and suitability for any type of treatment will vary. Always seek the advice of a professional should you have any health or cosmetic concerns or to discuss treatments specifically for you.
Written by Kerri Lewis, Co-founder | Medically reviewed by Nurse Natalia Ostrowska RGN and INP, The Skin to Love Clinic, St. Albans | CQC regulated | Save Face accredited | Published August 2026. You’ve slept properly. Eight hours, maybe more. No wine last night, no late one. And yet the mirror has other ideas: hollows […]
18 Aug 2026
Written by Nurse Jane Lewis, RN and Clinic Founder | The Skin to Love Clinic, St. Albans | CQC regulated | Save Face accredited | British Association of Medical Aesthetic Nurses (BAMAN) | Published August 2026 You notice a small, bright red dot on your chest or your arm that definitely wasn’t there last summer, […]
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