PDRN CareDermal Fillers
Dr. Sarah Chen
PhD, Molecular Biology
Dermal fillers are injectable medical devices used to restore lost volume, smooth wrinkles and folds, enhance facial contours, and correct soft tissue deficits [1].
Definition
Dermal fillers are injectable medical devices used to restore lost volume, smooth wrinkles and folds, enhance facial contours, and correct soft tissue deficits [1]. They work primarily through mechanical volumization β physically occupying space beneath the skin surface to lift, plump, and smooth the tissue above [1][2]. The global dermal filler market includes several material categories, each with distinct properties regarding longevity, rheology, and tissue interaction. Unlike PDRN, which stimulates biological regeneration, most fillers achieve their effects through physical displacement and hydration rather than cellular stimulation [4].
Types of Dermal Fillers
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Fillers
HA fillers are the most widely used category, accounting for the majority of filler procedures worldwide [1][2]. Made from cross-linked hyaluronic acid (a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan), these fillers attract and bind water to provide volume and hydration. Key advantages include reversibility with hyaluronidase enzyme, predictable behavior, and a well-established safety profile [1]. Brands vary in cross-linking density, particle size, and HA concentration, allowing practitioners to choose products optimized for different facial zones and indications [2].
Calcium Hydroxylapatite (CaHA) Fillers
CaHA fillers consist of calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres suspended in a carboxymethylcellulose gel carrier [2]. They provide immediate volumization from the gel carrier plus longer-term biostimulatory effects, as the microspheres stimulate neocollagenesis around the implanted particles before being gradually absorbed.
Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) Fillers
PLLA is a biostimulatory filler that works primarily by inducing collagen synthesis rather than volumizing directly [2]. Injected PLLA microparticles trigger a controlled foreign body response that stimulates fibroblasts to produce new collagen over several months.
Polynucleotide-Based Fillers
A newer category combines polynucleotide (PN) or PDRN with hyaluronic acid in hybrid formulations designed to provide both volumization and biological regeneration [3][5]. These PN-HA complex fillers offer mechanical filling effects alongside the tissue-regenerative properties of polynucleotides, representing a convergence of traditional filler technology with biostimulatory science.
How PDRN Complements Filler Treatments
PDRN and dermal fillers address different but complementary aspects of facial aging, making them effective partners in comprehensive treatment protocols [3][4][5]:
Improving Intrinsic Skin Quality
Fillers restore volume but do not change the quality of the overlying skin [1]. PDRN treatments improve skin texture, hydration, elasticity, and thickness by stimulating fibroblast activity and collagen synthesis [4]. When the skin envelope itself is healthier, filler results appear more natural and aesthetically refined.
Extending Filler Longevity
Healthier, better-vascularized tissue maintains filler materials more effectively [4][5]. PDRN's promotion of angiogenesis and tissue hydration creates an optimal tissue environment that may slow the enzymatic degradation of HA fillers and prolong their visible effects.
Accelerating Post-Injection Recovery
Filler injections cause transient inflammation, bruising, and edema at the injection site [1]. PDRN's anti-inflammatory action through A2A receptor activation can help reduce post-procedure swelling and bruising when administered before or shortly after filler placement [4].
Addressing the Skin-Volume Gap
Volume loss and skin quality decline are concurrent but independent aging processes. Patients who receive fillers alone may achieve volume restoration but still exhibit textural signs of aging β fine lines, roughness, dullness, and laxity [2]. Adding PDRN to the treatment plan addresses the skin quality dimension that fillers cannot.
Treatment Sequencing
Practitioners typically use several approaches to combine fillers with PDRN [3][5]:
- Sequential protocol β PDRN skin booster sessions (2 to 3 treatments at monthly intervals) to improve skin quality, followed by filler placement in optimized tissue
- Simultaneous protocol β Filler injected into deep tissue planes for volumization, with PDRN delivered into the superficial dermis during the same visit
- Maintenance protocol β Periodic PDRN sessions between filler treatments to sustain skin quality and potentially extend filler longevity
- Hybrid products β PN-HA complex fillers that deliver both volumization and regeneration in a single injection [3]
References
- [1]Rohrich RJ, Ghavami A, Crosby MA. The role of hyaluronic acid fillers (Restylane) in facial cosmetic surgery: review and technical considerations. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007;120(6S):41S-54S. doi:10.1097/01.prs.0000248794.63898.0f
- [2]Fallacara A, Manfredini S, Durini E, Vertuani S. Hyaluronic acid fillers in soft tissue regeneration. Facial Plast Surg. 2017;33(1):87-96. doi:10.1055/s-0036-1597685
- [3]Kim JH, Kwon TR, Lee SE, et al.. Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of novel hyaluronic acid-polynucleotide complex dermal filler. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):5127. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61919-9
- [4]Squadrito F, Bitto A, Irrera N, et al.. Pharmacological Activity and Clinical Use of PDRN. Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(27):3948-3957. doi:10.2174/1381612823666170516153716
- [5]Cavallini M, Papagni M. Long-term follow-up of polynucleotide-based dermal filler in aesthetic medicine. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021;20(5):1518-1525.