PDRN and PN Skin Boosters in Korea: What They Are, From Rejuran to ELREJU
PDRN and PN skin boosters are clinic treatments that place purified DNA fragments, usually from salmon, into the skin to support its own repair rather than to add volume. PDRN is made of shorter fragments; PN is made of longer chains that form a thicker gel. In Korea you will meet both, most often as Rejuran, a PN product placed with a needle, and as ELREJU, a two-vial PN and PDRN set applied with microneedling devices. Which approach fits you is a decision for a doctor's examination, and either way the change is gradual and builds over a course of sessions.
What PDRN and PN Actually Are
PDRN stands for polydeoxyribonucleotide and PN for polynucleotide. Both are purified fragments of DNA, most commonly taken from salmon, and both belong to the same family of ingredients. The difference is length. PDRN is a mixture of shorter fragments; PN keeps longer chains, which is why PN products tend to be thicker and gel-like once hydrated.
PDRN has the longer research history, much of it outside aesthetics. A widely cited 2017 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology describes how it acts mainly on the adenosine A2A receptor, a pathway linked to tissue repair and calmer inflammation, and how it also supplies building blocks the body can recycle. Most of that evidence comes from wound healing, not from cosmetic skin treatments, and it should be read that way.
For skin quality, the human evidence is smaller. A 2024 systematic review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found nine studies with a little over two hundred patients in total, rated their quality as low to moderate, and judged the results for wrinkles, texture and elasticity promising rather than proven. A narrative review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences the same year reached a similar view: some trials show gains in elasticity and hydration, others show little difference. These molecules are also too large to pass through intact skin on their own, which is why clinics place them into the skin rather than on it.
Rejuran: PN Placed With a Needle
Rejuran is the name most visitors to Seoul already know. It is made by the Korean company PharmaResearch and supplied to clinics in Korea as a medical device, and its core ingredient is PN. The product is placed into the upper layer of the skin as many small deposits, either by hand with a fine needle or with an injector device, across the area being treated.
Because the product goes in point by point, you can expect a stinging or pressure sensation even with numbing cream, and small raised bumps where the deposits sit. These usually settle over a few days, and pinpoint bruising is possible. Clinics generally plan Rejuran as a short course of sessions a few weeks apart rather than a single visit. If you want the longer story of why this treatment became so well known, our guide to Rejuran in Korea covers it in detail.
The needle route has a practical strength: the practitioner controls how much product goes where, and at what depth. That is why it is often chosen when a clinic wants to concentrate product in particular areas.
ELREJU: A PN and PDRN Set Applied by Microneedling
ELREJU is a Korean clinic skin booster built around a different delivery idea. According to the manufacturer, it comes as two vials that are mixed just before use. The first is a freeze-dried powder containing PN and PDRN together with tranexamic acid and madecassoside; the second is a solution of high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid. The mixed solution is meant to be applied with microneedling: a microneedle therapy system, the pumping tips used with radiofrequency microneedling devices such as Potenza, or a needle-free jet injector.
In practice, that means the product is spread across the treated area in many very small amounts at a shallow, controlled depth, rather than placed as individual deposits. Visitors usually notice redness and warmth on the day instead of raised bumps. It is not sensation-free, though. Microneedling is still a procedure that breaks the skin surface, and numbing cream is normally applied first. For a closer look at the formula itself, see our ELREJU skin booster explainer.
So which route suits you? There is no single answer, and neither approach is simply better. The choice depends on what your skin needs, how deep the product has to go, the condition of your skin on the day and how much recovery time you have. That is a judgement a doctor makes at examination, and a good clinic will explain why it is recommending one route for you. Both are also part of a wider move in Seoul toward regenerative collagen boosters and PDRN rather than pure volume.
What PDRN and PN Boosters Cannot Do
They do not lift sagging skin or replace lost volume. If your main concern is laxity along the jaw or hollowness under the cheekbones, a booster may improve how the skin looks and feels, but it will not change the structure underneath. A doctor may suggest a different treatment, or a combination, instead.
They are not instant, and they are not permanent. Any change builds gradually over weeks as the skin responds, and it fades as skin keeps ageing, so clinics usually suggest a course followed by occasional maintenance. The evidence base is still small, results vary from person to person, and a clinic that promises a fixed outcome is overselling.
Some people should wait or skip treatment. Clinics generally avoid boosters during pregnancy and breastfeeding, over active acne, cold sores or any skin infection in the area, and on sunburned or freshly tanned skin. A history of keloid scarring, slow healing, a weakened immune system or recent isotretinoin use needs to be raised before microneedling, and the American Academy of Dermatology advises leaving at least a month after the last isotretinoin dose. Because most of these products are salmon-derived, mention any fish allergy too. And if what bothers you is pigmentation, redness or a specific scar, get a diagnosis first, since the right tool may be something else entirely. If this is your first visit, here is how a first dermatology consultation in Seoul works.
Dr. Beau's Note
The question I would bring to a Seoul clinic is not "Rejuran or ELREJU?" but "what are you trying to change in my skin, and why this route?" Ingredient names make these treatments sound more different than they are. The real variables are delivery, depth, how many sessions and who is holding the device. If a clinic can explain those four things for your face, you are in good hands; if it can only quote a product name, keep asking.
This is general information, not medical advice, and your suitability should be assessed in person by a doctor.
