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Sunekos

Sunekos combines hyaluronic acid with amino acids that prompt the skin to rebuild its own collagen and elastin. It improves skin quality, hydration and tone, and is one of the few injectables suited to the delicate under-eye area.

Your practitioner
Clinician checking vials against the window light
Areas treated
Face, under-eye area, neck, décolleté and hands
Sessions
A course of 3 to 4 treatments, two weeks apart
Results
Build gradually over the course; maintenance every 6 to 12 months
Downtime
Mild swelling and redness for 24 to 48 hours

Contents

Ideal candidates

  • Adults with early signs of skin ageing: Fine lines, dullness, or thin and crepey skin on the face, neck, décolleté or hands.
  • Those wanting skin quality rather than volume: Sunekos improves the skin itself. It is not a filler and will not change facial shape.
  • Dark under-eye circles: Where these relate to thin, dehydrated skin.
  • Not suitable: During pregnancy or breastfeeding, with an active skin infection at the treatment site, or with a known allergy to any of the components.

How Sunekos works

Sunekos® works by stimulating skin cells and providing them with the biological building blocks required for collagen and elastin production.

Unlike dermal fillers, Sunekos® does not act by volumisation but by encouraging tissue regeneration.

It can improve fine lines and wrinkles, crepey, thin or dull skin, and dark under-eye circles.

What the procedure involves

  1. Consultation: Your skin is assessed and you discuss what you would like to change. If Sunekos is not the right treatment for your concern, we will say so.
  2. Preparation: The skin is cleansed. A topical anaesthetic cream can be applied if you would like it.
  3. Treatment: A series of small injections is placed into the superficial layers of the skin. A session takes around 15 to 30 minutes.
  4. Your course: Most patients have 3 to 4 sessions, two weeks apart. You can return to normal activities the same day.

What Sunekos can and can’t do

Sunekos is a skin quality treatment, not a filler. It is a reasonable choice for thin, crepey or tired skin, including under the eyes, if you accept a course, a subtle result and evidence that is still small.

It can

  • Improve hydration, elasticity and fine crepey lines over a course of three or four sessions.
  • Treat the thin skin under the eyes, where most fillers are avoided.
  • Be used on the neck, décolleté and hands as well as the face.
  • Sit alongside filler, anti-wrinkle injections or skincare in one plan.

It can’t

  • Add volume or lift. It does not change the shape of the face. Hollows and sagging need dermal filler or a different conversation.
  • Remove dark circles caused by shadow or pigment. It can help circles due to thin, dehydrated skin. A hollow that casts a shadow, or pigment in the skin, needs another approach.
  • Last. Most people need a maintenance session every six to twelve months, and the skin returns gradually to how it would have been if you stop.
  • Show an immediate result. Bumps settle within hours, and the improvement builds over the course.
  • Point to large trials. The published evidence is from small, open-label studies, mostly linked to the manufacturer, and results vary from person to person.

Your practitioner will tell you at your consultation which of these apply to you.

Our aesthetic practitioner

This treatment is planned and carried out by our aesthetic practitioner and dentist, Dr Katy Nassar.

Dr Katy Nassar

Dentist and aesthetic practitioner

GDC-registered dentistMSc Skin Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine

Risks, and how often they happen

Every treatment carries risk. Here they are in three groups, with how often they happen where the evidence allows. Your practitioner will go through them with you, and they are in your written consent.

Expected Almost everyone, and they settle

  • Small bumps at the injection points for a few hours.
  • Redness and mild swelling for a day or two, longer under the eyes.
  • Bruising at some points, lasting up to ten days. In the published study about a third of patients had at least one bruise.
  • Tenderness for a day.

Uncommon Some patients, and some need further treatment

  • Bruising or swelling that lasts more than a week, especially under the eyes.
    Uncommon
  • Puffiness under the eyes for a few days after a session.
    Uncommon1 of 25 in the published study
  • Lumps that persist beyond a few days, which can be massaged or left to settle.
    Uncommon
  • Infection at an injection site.
    Uncommon

Rare but serious

  • Cold sore reactivation around the mouth in people who get them.
    Rare
  • A blocked blood vessel, a risk shared by all injectables, including around the eye. The hyaluronic acid in Sunekos can be dissolved.
    Very rare
  • Allergic reaction to a component, which is why a known allergy rules it out.
    Very rare

For the long term

  • Results build over the course and in the published study were still measurable six months after it.
  • Maintenance is a session every six to twelve months. Nothing is left behind once the product has gone.
  • Sun protection during and after the course protects the collagen you have made. See our skincare page.
Where these figures come from

Figures are drawn from published studies, and your own risk may be higher or lower. More from the NHS on before you have a cosmetic procedure.

Aftercare and recovery

The injection sites may show small bumps for a few hours, with mild redness or swelling for a day or two. Bruising, if it occurs, settles over a few days.

Avoid make-up for 24 hours, and strenuous exercise, saunas and alcohol for 48 hours. Use daily sun protection during your course. You will be given aftercare advice at each visit and can contact the hospital if anything concerns you.

The upstairs patient lounge at Waterfront, with sofas and tall windows

Frequently asked questions about Sunekos

What is Sunekos?
An injectable treatment that combines hyaluronic acid with a patented amino acid complex. It stimulates the skin’s own collagen and elastin production to improve skin quality.
How is Sunekos different from dermal filler?
Filler adds volume. Sunekos does not volumise; it improves the quality, hydration and elasticity of the skin itself.
How many treatments will I need?
Most patients have 3 to 4 sessions at two-week intervals, with a maintenance treatment every 6 to 12 months.
Does it hurt?
The injections are superficial and generally well tolerated. A topical anaesthetic cream can be used for comfort.
When will I see results?
Improvement builds gradually over the course of treatment as new collagen and elastin form.
Is there any downtime?
Mild swelling and redness for 24 to 48 hours. Most patients return to normal activities the same day.

Written by

Dr Katy Nassar, dentist with a special interest in facial aesthetics

Dr. Katy Nassar, BDS, GDC 80528, is an Aesthetic Practitioner at Waterfront Private Hospital in Edinburgh. She graduated from the University of Glasgow Dental School in 2002 and worked in general dental practice for fifteen years before moving into facial aesthetics. In 2022, she completed a Master’s degree in Skin Ageing & Aesthetic Medicine at Manchester University, which she was awarded with distinction. Katy is dedicated to expanding the range of non-surgical procedures offered at Waterfront Private Hospital.