Monaco
Cocktail for Face in Dubai

A protocol, not a product

"Monaco cocktail" is a name, not a brand. Because there is no registered product called Monaco cocktail, there is no product leaflet and no product-specific trial. What matters is what your doctor puts in the syringe, and we tell you exactly that before you consent.

The base: non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid

Our cocktail is built on non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid binds many times its weight in water, but in its unmodified form the skin clears it within days. That gives quick hydration and a fresher surface after each session, and it is the reason the treatment is a course rather than a single injection. It also means the cocktail is not a substitute for a cross-linked booster when hydration that lasts for months is the goal.

Vitamins, amino acids, peptides and antioxidants

The additions are what distinguish a cocktail from a plain hyaluronic acid injection. Amino acids such as glycine, proline and lysine are the building blocks of collagen. Vitamins and antioxidants such as glutathione reduce oxidative stress in the dermis. Peptides are short chains of amino acids used as signalling molecules. Some formulas include succinic acid. The mix is selected by your doctor for your skin, which is the advantage of a protocol over a fixed product and also its limitation: the evidence for any specific combination is thinner than for a fixed formulation.

The injection pattern

The cocktail is placed intradermally with a fine needle in a grid, sometimes called the nappage technique, across the cheeks, forehead and lower face, so that the mix is distributed evenly in the superficial dermis. The many small punctures raise temporary papules and also provoke a mild repair response of their own.

What the evidence shows

No study tests a "Monaco cocktail", but the ingredient class has been studied. In 40 adults given a hyaluronic acid complex with amino acids and antioxidant vitamins in three sessions two weeks apart, hydration and viscoelasticity were 11 to 12 percent higher and skin density 23 percent higher at day 42, with no adverse events; there was no control group. In 60 subjects treated with four hyaluronic acid formulations containing amino acids, glutathione or choline, wrinkles, texture and brightness improved by day 60 and held to day 90, again without a control group. For comparison, the fixed-formula NCTF 135 HA has a randomised trial of 146 people. We quote these figures to show the size of change this class of treatment produces, not as a promise for your skin.

Areas we treat

The Monaco cocktail is a face treatment in our clinic. The neck and décolleté are assessed separately; for those areas our doctors may recommend a fixed-formula booster with trial data for the neck instead.

Monaco cocktail or a fixed-formula cocktail

NCTF 135 HA is Fillmed's fixed formulation of 5 mg/ml hyaluronic acid with 58 vitamins, amino acids, minerals, coenzymes and nucleosides, CE-marked and tested in a randomised trial. Jalupro Classic is a fixed pairing of four amino acids and hyaluronic acid, also indicated for body skin and stretch marks. The Monaco cocktail sits between them in breadth and is adjustable. We recommend NCTF when you want the best-documented cocktail for dull facial skin, Jalupro when collagen-building support for thin skin or scars is the goal, and the Monaco cocktail when your doctor wants to tailor the mix, for example to add or leave out a component you have reacted to before.

Monaco cocktail or a persistent hyaluronic acid booster

Novacutan BioPro and Restylane Skinboosters place cross-linked hyaluronic acid at 20 mg/ml that stays in the dermis for months, and Profhilo delivers 64 mg of hybrid hyaluronic acid from ten points. Their goal is measurable, lasting hydration. The cocktail's hyaluronic acid is gone within days; its value is in the nutrients and the repeated superficial stimulation. Dry, crepey skin that needs hydration over months is better served by one of those three. Our guide on Profhilo or skin boosters sets the products side by side.

Monaco cocktail or a polynucleotide booster

Plinest and Rejuran Healer contain polynucleotides from salmon DNA and are used for repair, thin under-eye skin and acne scars. Mesoten Aqualight pairs hyaluronic acid with succinic acid and peptides in a fixed formula.

Monaco cocktail with other treatments

A HydraFacial a few days before clears the surface, and LED therapy after a session can be used to calm redness. We space the cocktail away from IPL, peels and other injectables so that each treatment's effect and any reaction can be judged on its own. Dermal fillers add volume; the cocktail does not replace them.

Before your appointment

Bring your skincare product list so we can confirm what to pause and when to restart. Do not stop prescribed treatment without your prescriber’s advice.

Bring details of previous injectables and facial treatments: the products, dates and any reactions. Tell us about all medicines and supplements, especially those that affect bleeding: warfarin and other anticoagulants, aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, St John's wort, garlic and ginger supplements. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own; we assess bruising risk and coordinate with your prescriber if a medical decision is needed.

Let us know about pregnancy, breastfeeding, allergies to any vitamin, to hyaluronic acid or to lidocaine, a history of cold sores, autoimmune or inflammatory skin disease, diabetes, cancer treatment, recent sunburn, and any laser, peel or microneedling in the last few weeks.

On the day

Come with clean skin if you can. Your doctor confirms the ingredients of your cocktail, cleanses the skin and, if you wish, applies a numbing cream before the injections. The session ends with written aftercare and the date of your next review.

After treatment

Keep the injection points clean and do not rub or massage the area unless your doctor tells you to. Leave makeup off until the papules have settled and the injection points have closed, usually by the next day. Follow the timing in your written aftercare for exercise, sauna, steam and swimming; heat, sweating and pressure on fresh injection points increase swelling and bruising, and pool or sea water raises infection risk while the points are open. Protect treated skin from the sun and use a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily, because inflamed injection points can darken with sun exposure. Restart acid exfoliants when the skin has settled, as advised.

Papules and redness usually settle within a day or two; bruises take longer. Contact us if any symptom worsens instead of settling.

Review and repeat treatment

We review the skin before each session in the course. After the course we assess the change against the goal we agreed and discuss whether maintenance later in the year is worthwhile. That is a fresh decision based on your skin, not an automatic booking.

Our products and clinical process

Evolution Aesthetics Clinic holds DHA Polyclinic License 6000514. Our doctors work within their licensed scope and approved clinical privileges. Every component of the cocktail is an authentic product bought through official, authorized suppliers, stored and handled as its instructions require, and we are happy to show you the paperwork for each one. Before you consent we explain the ingredients, the expected change, the material risks, the alternatives and the total price, and you receive written aftercare with a clear route for follow-up.

Common effects

The technique raises small papules in the skin; these, with redness, tenderness, mild swelling, a burning feeling and itching at the injection points, are expected and settle within hours to days. Bruising is common, particularly if you take medicines that affect clotting.

Less common effects

Infection, an allergic reaction to hyaluronic acid, lidocaine or any vitamin or peptide in the mix, persistent lumps, nodules or granuloma, and darkening of the skin at the injection points can occur. A cold sore can be reactivated by injections around the mouth. A doctor-prepared mix has more components than a fixed product, so telling us about every past reaction matters. Report persistent or worsening symptoms promptly; do not treat them with another cosmetic treatment elsewhere without medical review.

When to get immediate help

Any facial injection carries a small risk of product entering a blood vessel. Get immediate medical help for unusual or severe pain, skin near the injection site turning white, grey or blue, any change in vision, or signs of a stroke such as sudden weakness, numbness, face drooping or difficulty speaking. Difficulty breathing or swelling of the tongue or throat needs emergency care. Do not wait for a routine clinic reply.

When treatment may be unsuitable

We do not treat during pregnancy or breastfeeding, through an active skin infection, cold sore or open wound, or when you are allergic or sensitive to hyaluronic acid, lidocaine or any cocktail ingredient. Blood-thinning medicine or a bleeding or clotting disorder needs clearance from your doctor first. We postpone treatment during an active autoimmune or inflammatory skin flare such as eczema or psoriasis, with uncontrolled diabetes or significant systemic illness, during active cancer treatment or severe immunosuppression, with active inflamed acne or dermatitis at the site, with a history of keloid or hypertrophic scarring, and for two weeks after a deep peel, ablative laser or other major skin treatment. Licensing and authentic supply are important standards, but they do not remove treatment risks.