In a new interview with the HCPLive team, conducted at the Dermatology Education Foundation (DERM) 2025 NP/PA CME Conference in Las Vegas, Suneel Chilukuri, MD, spoke about the biggest takeaways from his talk ‘Skincare Secrets and Quick Fixes.’
Chilukuri, who is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon for Refresh Dermatology, highlighted emerging skincare trends and the unregulated use of products like polynucleotides (pN), poly deoxyribonucleotides (pDRN), poly platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF), and exosomes. These substances, which are often injected, were said by Chilukuri to show promise in improving scar texture and collagen production but lack regulatory approval.
“I think that right now we’re in the Wild West, because there’s nothing that’s an actual FDA-cleared type product,” Chilukuri said. “These are cosmetics. We don’t even say cosmeceutical, because that’s a made-up word that we talk about. But they’re cosmetic products, and they’re not approved. They’re actually just ignored. It’s a topical application that goes on. But people are injecting these things. So they’re injecting Pn, pDRN, they’re injecting PDGF, poly platelet-derived growth factors. All these things are not being regulated. They’re injecting exosomes. And my whole takeaway is, number 1, does it work? We see that it works, but you have to at least figure out if that product is actually sterile and allowed to be put on topically immediately post-procedure, so that we can use it.”
Chilukuri highlighted that pilot studies have been demonstrating tremendous changes in the texture of the skin when using such products for scars, whether with an immediate wound or later in the scar journey
“We can decrease contracture,” Chilukuri said. “We can improve the production of type 3 collagen, and also regulate the conversion of type 1 collagen, so instead of looking like little bundles of scar tissue underneath the skin, it looks like a proper collagen formation that we would have as children.”
The conversation also covered the safety and efficacy of skin boosters. The importance of cellular senescence in skin health and the need for reliable guidelines to distinguish between effective and ineffective treatments were emphasized by Chilukuri as well.
To find out more about the topics covered in Chilukuri’s session at the conference, view his full interview segment posted above. For more from DERM 2025, check out our latest conference coverage.
The quotes contained in this interview summary were edited for clarity.