Sunekos, explained: what it treats, who it suits and what to expect

Key takeaways

Sunekos is an injectable that pairs hyaluronic acid with six amino acids so the skin rebuilds its own collagen and elastin, rather than being filled. It is used on the face, neck, décolletage and hands, and in its Sunekos 1200 formulation on the delicate skin under the eyes. A session at Mesglo in Marylebone takes 30 to 45 minutes, downtime is minimal to none, and it works as a course rather than a single appointment. This guide sets out what is in it, what it treats, how it differs from filler, who it suits and what a course actually involves, so the consultation starts from an informed position.

• Sunekos combines hyaluronic acid with six amino acids: glycine, L-proline, L-lysine, L-leucine, L-valine and L-alanine
• It stimulates the fibroblasts to produce new collagen and elastin, so it improves skin quality rather than adding volume
• Two formulations are used: Sunekos 200 for general skin regeneration and Sunekos 1200 for the under-eye area
• A session takes 30 to 45 minutes; sessions are typically spaced one to two weeks apart
• Results build progressively across the course, and maintenance sessions help sustain them
• Downtime is minimal: small injection-point bumps, mild redness or occasional light bruising usually settle within a day or two

What is actually in Sunekos?

Sunekos is a patented injectable formula. It holds hyaluronic acid, which the skin uses to hold water, together with a precise combination of six amino acids: glycine, L-proline, L-lysine, L-leucine, L-valine and L-alanine. Those amino acids are the building blocks the body uses to make collagen and elastin, the two proteins that give skin its firmness and its ability to spring back.

That combination is the whole point of the treatment. Hyaluronic acid on its own hydrates. The amino acids give the skin the raw material it needs, and the formula stimulates the fibroblasts, the cells that build the extracellular matrix, to lay down new collagen and elastin. The result is a rebuilt support structure in the treated area rather than a filled one.

Two formulations are in use. Sunekos 200 is the general skin regeneration protocol. Sunekos 1200 is formulated for the periorbital area, the thin skin around and under the eye, where the tissue behaves differently and a volumising product is often the wrong answer. Which one is used, and where, is decided at consultation.

What does Sunekos treat?

Sunekos is a skin quality treatment, so the concerns it addresses are the ones that come from the skin itself thinning and losing elasticity rather than from lost volume or from muscle movement:

• Early skin laxity, where the skin has started to feel looser but the face has not changed shape
• Fine lines and crepey texture, particularly where the skin is thin
• Dull skin that no longer looks hydrated whatever is put on it
• Loss of firmness and elasticity across the face, neck, décolletage and the backs of the hands
• Fine lines and crepiness under the eyes, using Sunekos 1200

It is worth being clear about what it is not for. Sunekos does not change facial structure, so it is not the treatment for a flatter cheek or a thinner lip. It does not relax a muscle, so it is not the answer to a frown line that appears only on movement. Those are different jobs, and the honest answer at consultation is sometimes that a different treatment is the better one.

How is it different from filler or a skin booster?

A dermal filler is designed to add volume and sit where it is placed, which is why it can rebuild a cheek or define a jawline. Sunekos is not doing that. It is designed to be used up: the skin takes the hyaluronic acid and the amino acids and builds its own collagen and elastin with them, so the improvement is in the quality of the skin across the treated area, not in its shape. Nothing about your facial structure changes.

Against the wider group of regenerative injectables, Sunekos sits alongside rather than above. Profhilo uses a stabilised hyaluronic acid to hydrate and firm. Polynucleotides work through a different mechanism again. Sunekos is distinctive for pairing hyaluronic acid with the specific six amino acid blend. In practice these treatments are compared at consultation against the skin in front of the practitioner, not in the abstract, and our guide to how skin boosters differ from dermal fillers covers the underlying distinction in more detail.

Who does Sunekos suit?

Sunekos suits someone whose main concern is the quality of their skin: firmness, elasticity, hydration and texture. It is a common choice for early skin laxity, for fine lines in thin skin, for dull or crepey skin, and for a tired-looking under-eye area where filler may not be appropriate. It is suitable across a wide range of skin types, and it can be combined with other regenerative treatments as part of a plan.

Suitability is confirmed at consultation and not before. Rahena, who holds a Level 7 Diploma in Aesthetic Practice and performs every treatment at the clinic herself, reviews the skin, the medical history and what you are hoping for, and will say plainly where Sunekos would not help. That conversation is the point of the appointment: it is also where the number of sessions and the formulation are settled. You can read what a course at our Marylebone clinic involves on the treatment page, and what a first consultation is like if you have not been before.

What happens during a session?

The appointment runs in the same order every time:

1. Consultation. Skin assessment, medical history and the treatment plan.
2. Cleansing. The treatment area is thoroughly cleansed and prepared.
3. Protocol selection. Sunekos 200 or Sunekos 1200, chosen for the concern and the area.
4. Injection. Precise micro-injections across the treatment area.
5. Aftercare. Aftercare guidance, including sun protection.
6. Course and review. Follow-up sessions spaced to build the regenerative effect.

The treatment itself takes 30 to 45 minutes, which is why it fits around a working day. The first appointment runs longer than the ones that follow, because the assessment and the planning happen in it.

How many sessions, and when do you see anything?

Sunekos works as a course because the regenerative effect builds with each session. Sessions are typically spaced around one to two weeks apart. The exact number is confirmed at consultation, because it depends on the skin being treated and the result being aimed at; nobody can honestly give you that number from a web page.

The improvement is progressive rather than immediate. The treatment is prompting your own cells to build new collagen and elastin, and that takes time, so the change tends to be noticed across the course rather than on the way out of the first appointment. Maintenance sessions afterwards help sustain what the course achieved.

What is the downtime?

Downtime is minimal to none. Some clients have temporary small bumps at the injection points, mild redness, or occasional light bruising, and these typically settle within a day or two. Full aftercare guidance, including sun protection, is given at the appointment, and sun protection matters more than most people expect while the skin is regenerating.

If you are planning around an event, the sensible approach is to start the course well ahead of it rather than close to it, both because of the settling period and because the results build progressively. The same logic applies to preparing skin for a wedding.

Where to go from here

If the concern you recognise in this is skin quality rather than volume, Sunekos is worth putting on the table at a consultation. If it is shape, or a line that only appears when you move, it probably is not, and that is a better thing to find out in the room than after a course. The treatment page sets out the protocol, the timings and the areas, and the consultation settles the rest.

Questions people ask