Peptide therapy is one of the most talked-about corners of wellness right now, and one of the least clearly explained. At Privé Aesthetics in Highland Park, Dallas, it is a medically supervised protocol — prescribed under physician supervision by Medical Director Dr. Gregory Gardner, DO, using preparations compounded at a U.S. licensed, FDA-registered pharmacy, with lab work required before we begin. This is a plain-language explainer: what peptides are, the categories we work in, and who is (and isn't) a candidate.
The word "peptide" gets used loosely — on supplement labels, in skincare marketing, in longevity podcasts — and the looseness has made a genuinely interesting area of medicine harder to understand than it needs to be. Our aim here is the opposite: to describe peptide therapy the way we describe it in the consultation room, without over-promising and without pretending it is something simpler than it is. It is medicine. It requires oversight. And for the right candidate, it can be a considered part of a broader wellness plan.
What peptides are, in plain terms
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids — the same building blocks that make up proteins, just in much smaller sequences. Where a protein might be a long, folded structure, a peptide is a brief, specific string. The body makes thousands of them naturally, and many function as signaling molecules: chemical messengers that tell cells, tissues, and systems what to do.
That signaling role is the whole idea behind peptide therapy. Rather than adding raw fuel to the body, a selected peptide is used to nudge a specific pathway — a metabolic process, a repair process, a regulatory signal. Because peptides are so specific, the category is broad: different peptides speak to different systems. That is also why a responsible program does not treat "peptides" as one thing. Which peptide, at what dose, for which person, toward which goal — those are clinical questions, answered individually.
The categories Privé works in
We keep our peptide work organized around three general areas. We describe them in terms of the goals patients bring to us, not in terms of disease.
Energy and metabolic wellness. Peptides in this group are used, as part of a supervised protocol, to support metabolic function and day-to-day energy. This is also the category where the weight-loss conversation lives, which we come back to below.
Recovery and repair. Peptides here are chosen to support the body's own recovery and tissue-repair signaling — often of interest to active patients or those pairing peptide work with training and physical recovery goals.
Longevity and wellness. This category overlaps with our broader longevity menu — the protocols patients pursue for healthy aging, vitality, and overall wellness over time. It sits alongside services like anti-aging and longevity therapy rather than standing apart from it.
A deliberate note on how we talk about all three: we frame peptides in terms of what a protocol may support, discussed at consultation for medically appropriate candidates. We do not claim that a specific peptide treats or cures any specific disease. That restraint is not marketing caution for its own sake — it is the honest clinical position.
The bridge to weight loss
Here is a connection many patients find clarifying: the GLP-1 medications behind medically supervised weight loss are themselves peptides. Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are peptide molecules that act on the body's appetite and glucose-regulating signaling pathways — the same signaling-molecule principle described above, applied to metabolic and appetite regulation.
That is why, at Privé, peptide therapy and medically supervised weight loss live in the same wellness conversation. They are not separate worlds; they are neighboring rooms in the same category. A patient exploring peptides for energy or longevity is often the same patient thinking about metabolic goals, and it makes sense to consider them together, under one clinical relationship, rather than piecemeal.
Why physician supervision and lab work matter
This is the part we will not soften: peptide therapy is medicine, not a supplement. The distinction is not semantic. A supplement is something you can buy off a shelf and take on your own judgment. A prescribed peptide protocol requires a physician, a prescription, and monitoring — because dosing, candidacy, and safety are individual and consequential.
At Privé, the peptide preparations we use are compounded at a U.S. licensed, FDA-registered pharmacy and prescribed under physician supervision by our Medical Director, Dr. Gregory Gardner, DO. A compounded preparation is not the same as an FDA-approved finished drug product; it is formulated for the individual patient under prescription, in accordance with applicable state and federal compounding regulations. We are transparent about that framework rather than blurring it.
Lab work is required. Before starting, we draw baseline labs so the clinical team can screen for contraindications, establish where you are starting from, tailor the protocol, and have something to monitor against over time. Labs are repeated periodically depending on clinical indication. A program that skips lab work is not a supervised program — it is a retail transaction wearing medical language, and that is exactly what we are not.
What to expect
The path into peptide therapy at Privé is structured and unhurried.
Consultation. It begins with a conversation — your goals, your medical history, current medications, and a screen for contraindications. This is where candidacy is honestly assessed. If peptide therapy is not right for you, that is the answer you will get.
Labs. Baseline lab work is drawn. The results inform whether and how we proceed, and shape the specifics of any protocol.
A tailored protocol. If you are a candidate, Dr. Gardner writes a prescription and the protocol is built around your goals and your labs — not a one-size template. The compounding pharmacy prepares the preparation for you specifically.
Monitoring. The relationship continues with check-ins to assess how you are responding, address anything that comes up, and adjust as appropriate. Ongoing monitoring is the point, not an afterthought.
Are peptides safe?
The honest answer is the physician-supervised one: safety depends on the individual, the specific peptide, appropriate dosing, and ongoing monitoring — which is precisely why we require consultation, lab work, and physician oversight rather than treating peptides as something to self-administer. For a medically appropriate candidate, working within a supervised protocol, peptide therapy can be a considered part of a wellness plan. That framing — medically appropriate candidate, supervised protocol — is doing real work in that sentence.
Peptide therapy is not right for everyone. Individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those with certain medical histories, may not be candidates. Some goals are better served by other approaches entirely. Any potential benefits and risks are reviewed individually at consultation, and we would rather tell a patient they are not a candidate than proceed where it is not appropriate. The willingness to say no is part of what makes the yes meaningful.
How it fits with the rest of the wellness menu
Peptide therapy rarely lives in isolation. It sits within a broader wellness menu that patients often combine under one clinical relationship: NAD+ protocols for cellular energy and longevity support; IM and IV vitamin therapy for targeted nutritional support; and the fuller peptide menu of shots and blends we offer for different goals. Many patients pair peptide work with medically supervised weight loss as well, since the underlying molecules belong to the same family.
The advantage of keeping these under one roof is coherence: one consultation, one set of labs to reason from, one physician overseeing the whole picture. Wellness is easier to do well when it is not fragmented across a half-dozen unconnected providers. That is the version of peptide therapy we practice — considered, supervised, and integrated with everything else.
Frequently asked
What is peptide therapy?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as signaling molecules in the body. Peptide therapy uses selected peptides, as part of a medically supervised protocol, to support goals such as energy and metabolic wellness, recovery and repair, and longevity. At Privé it is prescribed under physician supervision by Medical Director Dr. Gregory Gardner, DO, after a consultation and required lab work. It is medicine, not a supplement, and the appropriate protocol is discussed at consultation.
Are peptides safe?
Peptides are prescribed at Privé only for medically appropriate candidates, under physician supervision, after a consultation and baseline lab work. Safety depends on the individual, the specific peptide, appropriate dosing, and ongoing monitoring — which is why lab work and physician oversight are required rather than optional. Some individuals are not candidates, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding or who have certain medical histories. Candidacy, benefits, and risks are reviewed individually at consultation.
Is peptide therapy FDA-approved?
Peptide therapy at Privé involves preparations compounded at a U.S. licensed, FDA-registered pharmacy and prescribed under physician supervision. A compounded preparation is not the same as an FDA-approved finished drug product; it is formulated for the individual patient under prescription, in accordance with applicable state and federal compounding regulations. We do not make FDA-approval claims for compounded preparations, and we discuss the regulatory framework honestly at consultation.
Do I need lab work for peptide therapy?
Yes. Baseline lab work is required before starting peptide therapy at Privé, and it is repeated periodically depending on clinical indication. Lab work lets the clinical team screen for contraindications, establish a baseline, tailor the protocol, and monitor response over time. This is part of what makes the program medically supervised rather than a retail supplement transaction.
Who is a good candidate for peptide therapy?
Peptide therapy at Privé is intended for medically appropriate adults pursuing energy, recovery, or longevity and wellness goals who can commit to physician supervision, required lab work, and ongoing monitoring. It is not appropriate for everyone. Individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have certain medical histories, may not be candidates. Candidacy is determined individually at consultation with the clinical team under the oversight of Medical Director Dr. Gregory Gardner, DO.