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Among the strange trends that promise plumped skin, that of injections based on salmon sperm, adopted by Jennifer Aniston among others, raises questions. Is there any real benefit in this treatment?
Creams, collagen or even hyaluronic acid injections… to care for your skin and avoid wrinkles, the arsenal is constantly growing. But according to a British aesthetic doctor, the future lies in a slightly more complex and surprising product: salmon sperm injections.
An astonishing ingredient that brings joy to those who dare
Supporting photo, Dr Jane Leonard did her own advertising on a TV channel and on Dailymail to demonstrate the benefits of this strange cure. The injections would not only have fought against her dry skin and eczema, and would be perfect for passing into fragile areas not recommended for Botox. The 40-year-old, who runs a cosmetic clinic in London, said she was “delighted” with the results from just one treatment. “This is the ideal solution to help improve the quality of my skin!” she enthuses.
Dr. Leonard admits, however, that she doesn’t know how scientists discovered such an unusual ingredient. But no matter: she says it shows how “amazing” the cosmetics industry is. She is not the only one to be so enthusiastic: Jennifer Aniston would not hesitate to pay the minimum 450 euros that an injection costs to take care of her skin.
But how can you inject salmon sperm? By doing some research, we can note that the determination is not necessarily exact. The product developed by the South Korean aesthetic sector a decade ago instead relies on DNA molecules extracted from fish sperm. These purified and sterilized DNA molecules are thus called polynucleotides. However, when polynucleotides are injected into human skin, this activates the fibroblasts of extensible molecules present in the skin which help to maintain the structure of the tissues. These same fibroblasts that we naturally lose with age. So, when the polynucleotides are injected under the eyes, in the cheekbones or in the neck, it theoretically “rejuvenates” the skin.
According to Dr. Léonard, complications would also be much rarer: “Nothing is added to the skin, like fillers, it’s just a trigger to start the rejuvenation process through activated fibroblasts.”
What do the experts say?
But then should we succumb to this injectable, more natural than botox? So far, experiences seem to vary: some experts report subtle but visible improvements, while others remain skeptical about the long-term effects. On the science side, a study carried out in 2010 revealed that rubbing DNA extracted from salmon milt on male subjects indeed led to an improvement in skin elasticity after a month of use. DNA reduced water loss and increased water content in the skin. Other studies from 2016, 2018 and 2023 have shown that salmon sperm DNA can promote wound healing. But the studies did not specifically look at anti-aging effects.
In the United Kingdom, however, experts predict that demand for this treatment will increase sharply this year 2024. In France we are not observing any particular wave of enthusiasm.
Consulted on the subject, Dr Jonathan Haddad, aesthetic doctor, would not consider for a second using this solution in his office with the current data. “Not only do we not have the necessary perspective on this product today, but on top of that, using either snail slime as we have already heard, or salmon sperm carries infectious and real immunological problems that a professional must keep in mind.