Plinest and Rejuran both use purified fish DNA fragments to support skin quality. Dr Sin Yong at IN Eternity Clinic on Orchard Road explains what is genuinely different and what is mostly branding.
WhatsApp to Enquire →Key facts ↓Plinest and Rejuran are both polynucleotide (PN) injectables made from purified fish DNA. Plinest, from Italy, is derived from trout; Rejuran, from Korea, from salmon. They work in the same broad way, supporting skin repair and hydration. They differ in formulation, range and feel, so the area and goal matter more than the brand.
Polynucleotides are long chains of nucleotides, the units that make up DNA. For aesthetic use they are extracted from fish sperm cells, purified to remove proteins that could trigger reactions, and formulated into a sterile gel. The shorter fragments are often called PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide); the longer chains are called PN. In practice, both terms are used loosely in marketing.
Laboratory and clinical studies suggest that PDRN acts on adenosine A2A receptors involved in tissue repair, and that PN gels can support fibroblast activity, hydration and the skin’s repair environment. Clinical evidence in aesthetics is growing but still modest in size, so expectations should be realistic: these are skin-quality treatments, not lifting or volumising ones.
Plinest is made by Mastelli, an Italian company that has worked with polynucleotides for decades. It is derived from trout and marketed under the name PN-HPT (polynucleotides highly purified technology). The range includes a face product, a version formulated for the eye area, a scalp product, and a line that combines polynucleotides with hyaluronic acid.
Clinicians often describe Plinest as a relatively fluid gel that spreads evenly. A published consensus from Italian practitioners sets out suggested indications and techniques for these products across the face, neck, eye area and scalp.
“Patients ask whether trout or salmon is better. The more useful question is which area, at what depth, and in what kind of skin.”
Rejuran is made by PharmaResearch in Korea from salmon-derived polynucleotides. The range has expanded beyond the original Rejuran Healer to include Rejuran I for the eye area, Rejuran S for atrophic scars, and versions combined with other ingredients. It is widely used across Asia, where it is often discussed by its original name, salmon DNA injection.
Clinicians often find Rejuran Healer a slightly thicker gel that raises small bumps along the injection lines for a few hours to a day. At IN Eternity Clinic, Rejuran is given by the doctor as a series of fine, superficial injections after numbing cream.
| Plinest | Rejuran | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker and origin | Mastelli, Italy | PharmaResearch, Korea |
| Source | Trout | Salmon |
| Active | Polynucleotides (PN-HPT) | Polynucleotides |
| Range examples | Face, eye, scalp, PN plus HA | Healer, eye (Rejuran I), scars (Rejuran S) |
| Typical use | Course, then maintenance | Course, then maintenance |
Formulations, ranges and local registration change over time, so product availability is confirmed at consultation.
For most people, the area and goal matter more than the brand. Thin, crepey under-eye skin calls for a product formulated for the eye area, whichever range it comes from. Post-acne texture and shallow scars may suit a scar-oriented formulation, often alongside resurfacing. General dullness, fine lines and dehydrated skin can be addressed with either face product. Thinning hair is a different indication with its own products and evidence.
Practical factors also count: how a gel spreads in a given area, the number of injection points needed, how much bumpiness you can accept on the day, and which products are registered and available. Dr Sin Yong will tell you at assessment which option he recommends and why, and whether a different booster such as hyaluronic acid or a PDLLA-based product would suit your goal better.
Polynucleotides are one of several skin-booster families, and they are not always the right one. Hyaluronic acid boosters, including high-concentration products such as Profhilo, mainly hydrate and can improve mild laxity through their water-binding and spreading behaviour. PDLLA-based boosters such as Juvelook stimulate collagen gradually through a controlled tissue response. Polynucleotides are aimed at skin quality and repair: texture, fine crepiness, thin skin and recovering skin after acne or procedures.
Some plans use more than one family over time, for example polynucleotides for texture and thin skin with a hyaluronic acid booster for hydration. Others combine a booster with energy-based treatments. The sequence, spacing and total amount injected are planned together so that the skin is supported rather than overloaded, and every product chosen is registered for use in Singapore.
Polynucleotides are often used around other treatments rather than instead of them. After fractional resurfacing or RF microneedling for acne scars, a polynucleotide course may be scheduled to support the skin as it remodels. Before or after under-eye filler, an eye-area formulation can improve the quality of the skin over the corrected hollow. With lifting treatments such as monopolar RF or HIFU, a booster can address surface texture that lifting does not change.
Timing matters. Injecting into skin that is still inflamed from a laser session is not ideal, so the interval between treatments is set at assessment and adjusted to how your skin responded last time.
Numbing cream is applied for twenty to thirty minutes. The injections feel like brief stings across the area. Small bumps settle over hours to a day or two, and bruising is possible, so it is wise to plan treatment away from important events. A course is usually two to four sessions a few weeks apart, followed by maintenance. Change is gradual and varies between people, and is reviewed across the course rather than after one session.
Afterwards, avoid make-up for the rest of the day, and avoid saunas, strenuous exercise and facial massage for a day or two. Sun protection supports any skin treatment. If you are having lasers or RF microneedling in the same period, the order and spacing are planned so the skin is not overloaded.
People with fish allergy, active skin infection or inflammation in the area, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not have polynucleotide injections. Those with autoimmune conditions or on blood thinners are assessed individually. As with any injectable, the product should be HSA-registered, opened in front of you, and injected by a doctor.
Neither is better in general. Both are polynucleotide injectables that work in broadly similar ways. The choice depends on the area, the goal, how the gel behaves in that area and which products are registered and available. Dr Sin Yong recommends a specific product after assessing your skin.
Both come from purified DNA fragments. PDRN usually refers to shorter fragments and PN to longer chains that form a more viscous gel. Marketing uses the terms loosely, so it is more helpful to ask which product is being used and why.
IN Eternity Clinic offers Rejuran and other skin boosters. Whether Plinest or another product is the right choice for you, and whether it is available at the time, is discussed at consultation. Dr Sin Yong will tell you which option he recommends and why.
A course is usually two to four sessions a few weeks apart, followed by maintenance at intervals. The exact number depends on the area, your skin and your goals, and progress is reviewed through the course with photographs taken in consistent lighting so that gradual change can be judged fairly.
Yes, there are formulations designed for the eye area, including Rejuran I and an eye-area Plinest product. They support thin, crepey skin but do not fill hollows. Where a hollow is the main problem, filler or a combined plan may be advised instead.
It depends on the product, the area, the amount used per session and the number of sessions. A written estimate is given after assessment so you can see what a full course, including any maintenance sessions, involves before deciding. Combining products or treatments changes the plan, and this is explained clearly.
Small raised bumps along the injection lines are common for a few hours to a day or two, and bruising is possible. Most people return to normal activities the next day, but it is sensible not to schedule treatment just before an important event.
IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210. By appointment with Medical Director Dr Sin Yong. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm. WhatsApp or call +65 8815 3008.
These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.