Skincare Showstoppers from the Long Beach Show: Exosomes, PDNR & NAD+ Explained Simply

Skincare Showstoppers from the Long Beach Show: Exosomes, PDNR & NAD+ Explained Simply

What are Exosomes (in plain English)?

Think of exosomes as tiny, brilliant messengers—little mail carriers that protect and deliver important instructions to your skin cells. In science-speak, they’re extracellular vesicles excreted by cells (including stem cells). In normal-people speak, they’re envelopes carrying proteins, lipids, growth factors, and nucleic acids (like mRNA) to nearby cells, telling them how to behave.

Imagine your skin cells are coworkers in an office. Exosomes are the Post-its or emails that say, “Hey team—repair damage, build collagen, calm inflammation, start healing!” That’s why they’re everywhere right now—literally every booth at the show had an exosome option.

Here's a product I recommend for Exosomes called Osmosis Stem Factor.

How pros are using Exosomes right now

You’ll see exosomes in little treatment vials used with microneedling or microchanneling. Your esthetician applies the exosome serum, then uses a nano pen to drive those intelligent messages deeper—right where fibroblasts live and collagen gets made.

What people notice: faster recovery after peels/lasers, improvement in pigmentation and texture, support for wound healing, and an overall “my skin looks like it’s doing what it’s supposed to do” effect.

There are also at-home options like exosome sheet masks (Monina brought one back—minimum 45 minutes, an hour if you can!). Pro tip: talk to your esthetician and make sure they’re trained/certified in microneedling or microchanneling before booking an exosome service.

PDNR: the “fresh mortar” for your skin barrier

PDNR (you might also see PDRN in other places) stands for polydioxoribonucleotides—little DNA fragments originally popularized in K-beauty. Think of PDNR as the worker bees: while exosomes deliver the instructions, PDNR goes in and does the repair.

Why pros love it: PDNR improves hydration (it binds water), reduces oxidative stress, boosts elasticity, evens texture, and is lovely for sensitive or post-inflammatory skin (including post-acne or after lasers). If your skin barrier is a brick wall, PDNR is the fresh mortar filling the tiny cracks.

Format: In Korea, injectables have been used for years in medical settings. We’re now seeing topical versions—creams and serums—showing up stateside, which makes barrier repair and glow more accessible.

Here's a product I recommend for PDNR called Advanced Anti-Aging Retinol + c-PDRN® Serum.

NAD+: your skin’s battery pack

NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell. If your skin cells were smartphones, NAD+ is the battery that keeps them charged. As we age, our NAD+ levels drop—aka your phone won’t hold a charge as long—so topping up helps keep energy production and DNA repair humming.

Topically, NAD can act as a precursor related to niacinamide (which we already love for barrier support, redness reduction, and balancing oil). You’ll see NAD in creams and sometimes supplements. Translation: more energy for your cells to do the anti-aging, repair, and collagen-making work.

Here's a product I recommend with NAD+. 

Safety, results & what to ask your pro

These trends are exciting because skincare has evolved beyond “fluffy facial” into results-driven care—while you still get the head/neck massage (yes, please!). Before you book:

• Ask if your esthetician is certified in microneedling/microchanneling.
  
  
• Ask what exosome or PDNR line they use and why.
  
  
• For at-home support, ask which mask or serum pairs best with your in-office plan.
  
  

Quick recap (so it sticks!)

• Exosomes = the messengers that tell skin cells to repair, regenerate, and make collagen.
  
  
• PDNR = the worker that hydrates, rebuilds the barrier, and smooths texture.
  
  
• NAD+ = the battery that keeps your skin cells energized and youthful.
  
  

Want us to do a deeper dive with before/afters and protocols? We’ve got you. The tech is getting better, the vendors are back, and we’re nerding out so you don’t have to.

If you want to come see me if you live in the Bay Area in Northern California or visiting.  Book online for my any of my skin care ritual facials which includes exosome infusion, or my nanofusion facial which also incorporates exosome technology.

I also encouraged you to book a Zoom consultation complementary for beauty lab podcast listeners 

www.Vagaro.com/lgwaxing

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