Peptones in Puebla

What are peptones?

Peptones are injectable preparations of hydrolysed proteins: mixtures of peptides and amino acids applied in microinjections within the skin to revitalise it. In aesthetic medicine they are used as a skin biostimulation and revitalisation treatment, aimed at the quality of the skin —hydration, luminosity and texture— rather than at changing the shape of the face. It is an outpatient office procedure, without incisions or sutures.

The idea is to supply the dermis with the amino acids that are the raw material cells use to build collagen and elastin, and thereby gently stimulate fibroblast activity. Peptones are therefore usually considered for dull, dehydrated skin or skin with early signs of ageing, and often over areas where the skin is thin, such as the eye contour, the neck, the décolletage or the back of the hands.

It helps to place clearly what they are and are not. Peptones are not a filler: they do not add volume or project a cheek or a lip the way hyaluronic acid does, and they do not relax expression the way botulinum toxin does. They work on tissue quality, not on anatomy. Honesty about the evidence is also due: results are subtle, progressive and variable between people, and they do not replace good skin care or daily sun protection.

Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano

There is no single way to apply peptones: the technique, the depth and the number of points depend on the area, the thickness of the skin and each patient goal. That is why it is defined at the consultation, and several are often combined:

• Point-by-point mesotherapy — intradermal microinjections spaced evenly over the area to be treated, with a very fine needle, depositing small amounts of the preparation at each point.
• Nappage technique — very superficial, numerous pricks, fanned out, to treat broad surfaces such as the cheeks, the neck or the décolletage evenly.
• Adjustment by area — the depth and density of the points are graded according to the region: more conservative around the eye contour and on very thin skin, somewhat deeper in thicker areas.
• Reasoned combination — when it helps, peptones may form part of a plan alongside other revitalisers or within a sequence with other procedures; what is combined and in what order is decided at the consultation, not beforehand.
• Session protocol — a series of sessions spaced several weeks apart is usually planned, with later maintenance according to progress. The exact number is set at the consultation.

How is it performed?

Peptones are applied in the office, on an outpatient basis and in a few minutes per session, with no operating theatre and no general anaesthesia. After cleaning and disinfecting the area, microinjections are made with a very fine needle following the chosen technique; on sensitive skin a topical anaesthetic cream may be used first. Most people describe small tolerable pricks, and can return to their activities the same day.

It is not a single session. The skin takes weeks to respond, so the work is done in a series of sessions —the number and interval set at the consultation according to the area and the starting point— and maintenance is usually scheduled afterwards. Improvement is gradual and subtle: skin that is more hydrated, luminous and of better texture is perceived over the weeks, not an immediate change or a filling of deep wrinkles.

A real medical assessment comes before treatment. The skin type is reviewed, an active infection in the area, pregnancy or breastfeeding, known allergies and a tendency to form keloid scars are ruled out, and it is made frankly clear what you can and cannot expect from the treatment. If your goal was to gain volume or erase expression lines, you are told that peptones are not the route and what the indicated option would be.

Every medical treatment —topicals, peels and energy-based devices included— carries risk and requires a prior assessment. In darker skin (Fitzpatrick IV–VI, the most common phototypes in Mexico) a poorly indicated procedure can darken the patch instead of lightening it. Results may vary according to each patient, their phototype and their individual triggers.

Who is a good candidate?

• People with dull, dehydrated skin or skin with early signs of ageing who want to improve the quality and luminosity of the skin without surgery.
• Those who want to treat areas of thin skin —eye contour, neck, décolletage, back of the hands— where other procedures do not fit well.
• Patients in good general health, without active infection in the area, not pregnant or breastfeeding and with no known allergy to the components of the preparation.
• People with realistic expectations, who understand that the result is gradual, subtle and variable, and that it is part of a skin-care plan, not a one-off change.
• It is not the right route if what is sought is volume (that is what fillers are for) or relaxing expression lines (that is what botulinum toxin is for): those cases are solved another way, defined at the consultation.

Recommended post-treatment care

After each session, Dr. Arístides may advise simple care: avoid touching or applying make-up to the area for a few hours, avoid direct sun and intense heat (sauna, steam, high-impact exercise) for the days indicated, and use daily sun protection. Slight redness, small bumps or the odd bruise that resolve on their own within a few days are normal. You are reassessed at the end of the series to decide on maintenance. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.

Before and after

Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.

Approximate price

A session starts at approximately $1,000 MXN, depending on the areas treated and how much product your case needs. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano.

About Dr. Arístides Arellano

Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.

Related patient guide

An injectable treatment is entrusted to a physician, not to a counter: who applies it and with what judgement matters as much as the product. To know what to verify before deciding, read How to choose a plastic surgeon in Puebla, with criteria that apply to an aesthetic-medicine treatment too.

Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.

Recovery · step by step

• Before — the assessmentThe skin type and goal are reviewed, and active infection in the area, pregnancy or breastfeeding, allergies and a keloid tendency are ruled out. What the treatment can offer is made clear.
• Day of the sessionAn outpatient application of a few minutes, without general anaesthesia. Possible tolerable pricks; normal activity can resume the same day.
• Days 1–3Slight redness, small bumps or the odd bruise that resolve on their own are normal. Direct sun, intense heat and make-up on the area are avoided in the first hours.
• Following weeksImprovement is gradual and subtle as the skin responds. The work is done in a series; the number of sessions is set at the consultation.
• MaintenanceA periodic top-up is usually scheduled together with daily sun protection. Results may vary from patient to patient.

Frequently asked questions

Every figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.

Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.