The Clinic Menu Jargon Glossary 2026

The Clinic Menu Jargon Glossary 2026: the short answer

Almost half of the treatment names on UK aesthetic clinic menus are jargon. In our read of 419 UK clinic menus, 46% of the names were product brands, device names or clinical terms with nothing beside them to say what they treat. This glossary of clinic menu jargon explains the names patients meet most often, in one plain sentence each.

It is written for two readers. Clinic owners can use it to add a short description beside each name on their own menu. Patients can use it to decode a menu before they book a consultation.

This glossary is part of The UK Clinic Menu Report 2026. Prescription medicine names are left out on purpose; UK rules do not allow them to be promoted to the public.

The jargon patients meet most often

Two names stand out. By our method, Profhilo appeared as jargon on 59% of the menus we read and polynucleotides on 54%. After them come mesotherapy, exosomes, PRP and "tear trough", each on roughly a quarter to a third of menus.

Injectables and skin boosters

• Profhilo: a branded hyaluronic acid injectable that spreads under the skin to improve hydration. People usually ask about it for dry, dull or crepey skin on the face and neck.
• Polynucleotides: injections of purified DNA fragments, usually from fish, used to improve skin quality. Often asked about for tired-looking eyes and fine lines.
• Mesotherapy: many tiny injections of vitamins, hyaluronic acid or other ingredients into the skin or scalp. Asked about for dull skin and thinning hair.
• Exosomes: products containing tiny particles released by cells, usually applied during microneedling. Asked about for skin texture and thinning hair.
• PRP (platelet-rich plasma): a treatment using the patient's own blood, spun to concentrate platelets, then injected or applied to skin or scalp. Sometimes called a vampire facial.
• Tear trough: the groove under the eye. A tear trough treatment usually means dermal filler placed there, for hollows or shadows under the eyes.
• Non-surgical rhinoplasty: dermal filler used to change the shape of the nose without surgery, for example to smooth a bump.
• Sculptra: a branded injectable that encourages the skin to make its own collagen over several months. Asked about for volume loss and slack skin.

If a name needs this glossary to be understood, it needs a plain description beside it on the menu.

• Sunekos: a branded injectable combining amino acids and hyaluronic acid, often used around the eyes for skin quality.
• Radiesse: a branded collagen-stimulating injectable, used for volume loss on the face, jawline and hands.
• Julaine: a branded collagen-stimulating injectable for gradual volume and skin quality.
• SkinVive: a branded hyaluronic acid injectable placed in tiny droplets for skin smoothness and glow.
• Ellansé: a branded collagen-stimulating filler that adds volume straight away.
• Plinest: a branded polynucleotide injectable for skin quality.

Skin tightening and resurfacing devices

• Morpheus8: a brand of RF microneedling device, combining fine needles with radiofrequency heat. Asked about for loose skin and acne scars.
• RF microneedling: the general name for microneedling combined with radiofrequency heat.
• Forma: a brand of radiofrequency device that warms the skin, used for skin tightening.
• Radiofrequency: energy that heats the deeper layers of skin, used in many tightening devices.
• HIFU: high-intensity focused ultrasound, used to tighten loose or sagging skin on the face and neck.
• Sofwave and Ultherapy: brands of ultrasound skin tightening device.
• Emface: a brand of needle-free face device combining radiofrequency and muscle stimulation.
• SkinPen and Dermapen: brands of microneedling device, used for acne scars, texture and fine lines.

• Fractional laser: a laser that treats tiny columns of skin and leaves the skin around them intact, used for scars, texture and lines.
• UltraClear, HALO and Moxi: brands of resurfacing laser, used for texture, sun damage and uneven tone.

Light, pigmentation and veins

• IPL (intense pulsed light): a broad-spectrum light treatment for redness, sun spots and pigmentation.
• BBL and Lumecca: brands of intense light device, used for the same concerns as IPL.
• Laser Genesis: a brand of gentle laser treatment for redness and skin texture.
• PicoSure: a brand of very fast laser used for pigmentation and tattoo removal.
• Cosmelan: a branded peel programme for melasma and stubborn pigmentation.
• BioRePeel: a branded skin peel designed to work with little or no visible peeling.
• Sclerotherapy: injections that close small veins, used for thread veins and spider veins on the legs.

Body, sweating and wellness

• Emsculpt NEO: a brand of body device combining radiofrequency heat with muscle stimulation, for stubborn fat and muscle tone.
• CoolSculpting: a brand of fat-freezing device, for stubborn areas of fat.
• Liposuction: surgical removal of fat.
• Hyperhidrosis: the medical name for excessive sweating, treated with injections or devices.
• Lymphatic drainage: a gentle massage technique for puffiness and swelling.
• Emsella: a brand of chair device that stimulates the pelvic floor muscles.
• VISIA: a brand of skin imaging camera used to assess the skin before treatment.
• Soprano: a brand of laser hair removal device.

For how many different names one treatment can go by, see The UK Treatment Name Atlas 2026. For the words patients use for each problem, see The Patient Word Gap Index.

How to use this glossary on your own menu

A glossary entry is the start of a better menu line, not a replacement for it. The test is simple: could a first-time visitor tell from the name alone what the treatment is and whether it might help them? If not, the name needs a short line beside it.

Each line needs three parts. First, keep the treatment or brand name, because some visitors already know it and search for it. Second, add what it is, in a few plain words, such as "ultrasound skin tightening" or "a collagen-stimulating injectable". Third, add who it is for, in the words patients use, such as "for loose skin on the jaw and neck" or "for tired-looking eyes".

Two cautions apply. Avoid promising results; describe what a treatment is and what people ask about it for, and leave suitability to the consultation. And never name a prescription medicine on a public menu: describe the treatment instead, as "anti-wrinkle injections" does.

For the full picture of how far UK menus are from this, see The UK Clinic Menu Report 2026. For how one treatment can go by many names, see The UK Treatment Name Atlas.

How we did it

• Reading method: on 25 September 2026 we read the public treatment pages of 564 UK aesthetic clinic and medispa websites with the reader behind our free Menu Clarity Score, and 419 could be read.
• Scoring method: a name counted as jargon when it was a brand, device, clinical term or acronym with no concern word alongside, using the same rules as the Menu Clarity Score.
• Ranking method: for each jargon name we counted the menus using it, merging spellings of the same name (for example "polynucleotide" and "polynucleotides").
• Writing method: each definition is our own plain-English summary of what the name refers to, checked against our treatment catalogue, with no claims about results.

Limits of the method: the clinics come from our own list, which leans towards London and towards clinics with treatment devices, so this is not a random sample of every UK clinic. Scoring is automatic and occasionally misfiles a name. Prescription medicine names are excluded. No clinic is named.