PN Healer vs PN HB: What is the Difference?

RJN polynucleotide (PN), a highly raved skin booster originating from South Korea, comes in 4 main types within the range: PN Healer, PN (S), PN (I) and PN (HB Plus). While the applications of PN (S) for scar treatment, and PN (I) for treating the undereye are pretty straightforward, patients are often less clear about the difference between PN Healer and PN HB Plus.

Here’s a simple guide to help you understand the difference in formulations.

What is PN Healer?

PN (Healer) is the OG product in the RJN line, and has the highest concentration of polynucleotides in the range of products. It is famously known for being a ‘painful treatment’ due to its high viscosity. Formulated with 2% pure polynucleotide, each 2ml syringe contains a concentrated PN solution designed for robust skin repair and regeneration, and can be used for a wide variety of skin concerns.

What is PN HB Plus?

PN (HB Plus) is formulated with 1% PN, 1% cross linked hyaluronic acid (HA) and 0.3% lidocaine. With the addition of HA and lidocaine, the PN HB Plus has a less viscous formulation compared to PN Healer, allowing it to be injected into the skin with less mechanical resistance. The addition of HA offers skin hydration benefits while lidocaine provides a local anesthetic effect, making the treatment more comfortable compared to PN Healer injections.

When the primary objective of the treatment is skin repair and regeneration, pigmentation or fine lines, PN is the key ingredient to address such concerns. HA contributes to skin hydration, without skin regenerative properties.

Thus, for patients whose main skin goals are as such, I prefer treating them with PN Healer due to its higher PN concentration, providing stronger regenerative effects compared to PN HB Plus. To alleviate the discomfort with PN Healer, we use an in-house proprietary compounding formulation that helps with pain management and eliminates the notorious burning sting caused by PN Healer’s acidity. This allows patients, including those with lower pain tolerance, to undergo PN Healer treatment comfortably, without having to compromise and opt for a milder product.

That said, if a patient is just looking for a mild regenerative treatment and also has concerns about skin dryness, PN HB Plus can be a well suited option.

Ultimately, I prefer performing targeted treatments that excel in addressing specific skin concerns rather than a broad formulation. For dry skin concerns, I usually recommend a separate pure HA skin booster that does not contain any cross-linking agents such as the bioremodelling skin booster, for even spread of hydration across the tissue.

There is also a practical consideration. Given the cost price of PN Healer and PN HB Plus are the same, and priced similarly in many aesthetic clinics, it is in my opinion, more value for money to go for a product with higher concentrated PN. Why? Because RJN is expensive due to its patented PN ingredient, and not because of the HA ingredient.

This is another question I get from patients from time to time.

The answer is no. Although PN Healer contains 2% PN and PN HB Plus contains 1% PN, outcomes are not calculated by simply adding up the percentages.

PN Healer contains 20mg/ml of PN while PN HB Plus contains 10mg/ml of PN. Therefore, two 1 mL syringes of 1% PN HB Plus contain only half the amount of PN found in one 2 mL syringe of 2% PN Healer.

I hope this article was helpful in providing a deeper insight into the difference between PN injectable treatments. If you have questions about skin boosters or are unsure which treatment may be suitable for you, feel free to reach out to us for a chat.