clinic Archives - With Love,

AGNES Treatment to Get Rid of Stubborn Acne and Pimples

March 25, 2020maybeline

Author: Alexius Chua

Being a guy used to be easy. Men were known to keep everything to the basics, just one hard soap is enough to scrub from head to toe, without a care in the world, much less on appearance.

But not now.

I’ve got many skin problems, and one that irks me the most is pesky acne and pimples. It is a skin condition triggered by overactive oil glands. When pores are clogged with too much sebum produced by the oil glands, the pimple pops up.

Have tried a million different things – changing different pimple creams and facial wash, and visited polyclinic for that birth control pill prescription twice, with little or temporary success. What results is dry, sensitive skin and scarring on certain areas. I thought that every option to eradicate this problem has been tried and failed, there is nothing I can do except to watch my diet and hope for the best.

But I was wrong. The solution couldn’t be simpler.

Thankfully, Dr Ryan Tan at Aesthetics Central Clinic at Clarke Quay Central is here to the rescue. Dr Ryan suggested AGNES Treatment for my first acne treatment. It is a permanent, non-surgical solution to treat my stubborn acne.

Separated to 2 days, on the first day Dr Ryan will use a special device called AGNES to administer radiofrequency energy precisely on specific problem areas. This tiny burst of electrical energy will cause the affected oil gland to shrink and produce less oil.

On the second day, acne extraction by the beautician.

First, Dr Ryan demarcates the acne areas – an important step as there are 100,000 good, normal functioning pores, and only about 300-500 diseased damaged pores that are always getting inflamed and infected repeatedly. Dr Ryan inspects at every single pores and selectively selects the problem causing ones for treatment.

Next is the numbing shots, which to me felt like ant bites. Okai to be honest there are jabs on certain areas that woke me up from slumber (Yes I am that tired lol), but his assistant used a vibrator-like thingy to numb area while Dr Ryan administer the injection, making it much less painful.

The same 1% of the pores on the face are responsible for causing 90% of the acne

Then comes the AGNES treatment, which felt like a breathe of sunshine as compared to the previous numbing shots. Its amazing considering its a special needles but there’s no feeling at all, perhaps partly thanks to the numbing shot taken earlier. Dr Ryan zaps only 1-2% of the thousands of pores, so good thing is I won’t be experiencing any dry skin or flakiness after the treatment as compared to other solutions!

It is completely pain-free during the AGNES Treatment. Although the machine sound might be somewhat distracting with its constant beeping, it is all in all a pleasant virgin experience for me.

The treatment takes about one and a half hour from arrival to exit, so it is quite fast and, more importantly, painless for me. Although I experience some redness and swelling immediately after the treatment, it doesn’t stop me from going out for dinner. Of course, I must remember to hydrate, moisturize and sunscreen.

One month after the treatment, the redness has subsided and I am quite pleased with the results. The zapped problematic pimple areas have no recurrence so far and there is no drying or sensitivity. My face also felt much less oilier than before. Understand that, depending on person to person, it may require 1 to 3 treatments or more to prevent new acne from forming from existing healthy pores.

And the best thing of all, it is permanent, so no need to compare between harsh pimple creams or taking medication that is not ideal for kidney again!

Aesthetics Central Clinic Address:
8 Eu Tong Sen Street #11-89 The Central Office One, Singapore 059818
For appointment, please call (+65) 6221 8221 or whatsapp (+65) 9726 8856
Email: aestheticscentralclinic@gmail.com
Website: https://www.cosmeticsurgery.sg/

New Year New Skin Clarity – Removing Acne Scars the Painless Way with Secret RF

January 1, 2020maybeline

Author: Alexius Chua

Pimples come and go, but acne scars are like permanent marks on the face. You don’t need a close inspection to notice the acne scars on my cheeks and forehead, the contours look just like the uneven sand playground my nephews love to play at. Blame it on my reckless teenage years when I didn’t follow through the proper skincare routine and squeeze the pimples incessantly without thinking of the consequence 🙁

This affects my confidence and made me quite a reserved person. Okai perhaps its because of personality but my skin condition plays a part of it too.

1 month after treatment, the scars has pretty much lightens already

Thankfully, a friend recommended me to visit Aesthetics Central Clinic at Clarke Quay Central, and scheduled an appointment with Dr Ryan Tan, who has a decade of experience in the aesthetics treatments. Dr Ryan suggested Secret RF for my first acne scar treatment – a revolutionary non-surgical treatment that uses fractional radio frequency (RF) and micro-needles for the treatment of depressed acne scars like boxscars, ice-pick scars and rolling scars. It also has added benefit of skin tightening and lifting, and addressing signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles.

The Treatment
Before commencing the treatment, my face is washed and subsequently numbing cream is applied by the assistant. Then I waited outside for around 30minutes for the numbness to take effect. Dr Ryan then proceeded to inject 2 shots of local anesthesia onto my cheek to reduce the pain.

As I have a low pain threshold, the Secret RF treatment is surprisingly not as pain as I thought to be, almost pain-free. All I hear is the zapping from the Secret RF device and light flashing while the device work its magic around my face.

As you can see, while there is no bleeding or bruising, my face is red and abit swollen immediately after the treatment. To speed up the recovery process I will need to apply anti-biotic cream for 5 days, and remember to hydrate, moisturize and sunscreen!
Nevertheless, I went out after the session to meet friends as its weekends.

A week after the treatment, the redness has subsided after 2 days and I am quite happy with the results as the acne scars have reduced, especially on my right side of the cheek. The skin is also much smoother and whiter too! I was told that I will require a combination of treatments such as Infini Acne Scar Treatment or CO2 laser to achieve better results.

Just see the above before treatment and after treatment comparison, the skin condition is so much better. Confidence restored! Nevertheless, as the scars has been haunting me for a decade plus already, more sessions are needed to completely zap away these acne scars.

If you suffer the same skin problem as me, I would highly recommend you to consult the friendly Dr. Ryan Tan on how to improve the face condition and restore your confidence back.

Aesthetics Central Clinic Address:

8 Eu Tong Sen Street #11-89 The Central Office One, Singapore 059818

For appointment, please call (+65) 6221 8221 or whatsapp (+65) 9726 8856
Email: aestheticscentralclinic@gmail.com
Website: https://www.cosmeticsurgery.sg/

Filling up the loss of volume at Halley Medical Aesthetics

March 3, 2019maybeline

I was all along very concerned about the loss of volume at the cheeks and under eye areas because I always look tired and old despite having enough sleep.

Even though I mask everyday, it doesn’t really help, as the masks can never recover the volume loss. Take a look at the picture below to see what I meant.

When I finally decided to do something about it, I went to Dr. Terence Tan from Halley Medical Aesthetics as I used to visit him regularly.

I was very surprised when he recommended me to do fillers for an area that I had not thought about, which is the area towards the back of my jaw and between my cheekbone and jawline. I thought I already have a square face to begin with and adding more volume to that area will make me look fat. I also told Dr. Terence Tan that I don’t want to look as though something was done to my face.

Dr. Terence Tan explained that I have a concave or crescent moon face shape, which would require a filler augmentation technique different from people with a convex face shape. He also highlighted that I have a prominent, high sloping jawline. That feature, combined with some superficial fat near my jawline, made the hollowness between my cheekbone and jawline even more obvious. And this issue, together with the loss of volume at my cheeks, was making me look tired. The nasolabial fold (line coming down from the side of my nose) and the marionette or smile lines (from the side of my mouth) are also making matters worse.

In answer to my concern, Dr. Terence Tan assured me that he won’t be adding a lot of filler to the side of my face but “just a tiny bit to smoothen out the hollow”. He also explained that the filler in that area will help to lower the angle of jaw, making it less harsh and angled but feminine and gentle sloping.

After his professional advice, I went ahead with his recommendations. He recommended doing dermal fillers on four different areas – my cheeks, marionette lines, nasolabial line, and the hollow cheek area between my cheekbone and jawline.

He prescribed a combination of soft and firm fillers from Algeness. It is my first time hearing about the US brand and trying out Algeness fillers but Dr. Terence Tan told me that the fillers are natural and organic as it is made from purified agarose gel. The plus point is that agarose gel is biodegradable and biocompatible with our human body and their website says that the fillers are 100% natural and safe.

Dr. Terence Tan also told me that he chose the Algeness brand as it will address my other concern about fillers: that it will spread and make me look unnatural. He explained that Algeness is a cohesive filler, which reduces the chance of filler migration/spreading.

As I have pretty low pain tolerance, he also recommended injecting the fillers with his “Magic Needle” technique to reduce discomfort and bruising.

This is me before fillers. Excited and scared at the same time. Just take a close look at the hollow areas under my eyes 🙁

Prior to the treatment, Dr. Terence Tan mixed lidocaine, an anaesthesia, with the Algeness fillers so I did not really feel anything during the treatment.

Fillers were injected via a Magic Needle. Although he calls it a needle, the Magic Needle is actually a cannula which helps to distribute the filler more evenly as it is blunt and extremely pliable. You can read more about his method for the micro-cannula here: http://blog.halleymedicalaesthetics.com/the-art-of-injecting-dermal-fillers/

I think I scared myself too much because there was almost no discomfort and Dr. Terence Tan was very assuring throughout which made me feel really comfortable.
I left the clinic within 50 minutes (including consultation, numbing and treatment). I can safely say that this can be a quick lunchtime procedure! There weren’t marks or bruises on my face so I could resume work after that.

I really love the results because I don’t look tired anymore! The results are so natural and I think I just went back in time.

Take a look at the before & after photos below for comparison.

From the front, the depression on my mid cheeks are instantly lifted and the face does not look that bony anymore.

And for the side profiles, I look like I have a better jawline and my chin no longer protrudes out anymore. Even the smile lines are visibly reduced!

If you are keen to consult Dr. Terence Tan on facial enhancements, you can find out more below:

Halley Medical Aesthetics
Address: 277 Orchard Road, #03-15 Orchard Gateway, 238858
Telephone: (+65) 6737-8233
Email: info@halley.com.sg

Here are some quick links for you to check out the details for yourself:

Halley Medical Aesthetics Price List | Website | Blog | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

REVIEW: Fractional CO2 Laser @ ASTIQUE Clinic

January 26, 2017maybeline

For this post, I will be sharing my review of Fractional CO2 laser offered by the ASTIQUE Clinic, which is also my regular aesthetic clinic.

In recent years, Fractional CO2 lasers are getting increasingly popular as the mainstay treatment to Acne scarring, improving wrinkles, discolouration as well as pore tightening. The reason is simply because it has clinically proven to be effective when performed by an experienced, certified doctor!

The reason for me resorting to this treatment was because of my large pores concern & residual ice pick scars from my battle with acne during my adolescence. My skin type falls under combination but it tends to get excessively oily under the hot humid climate of Singapore. That set stage for my acne issues during adolescence.

The certified doctor who performed my Laser treatment was none other than Dr Celine Leong who also does my Botox injections.

The process started with a diagnosis of my skin condition. As usual, Dr Celine was very patient throughout the whole diagnosis process; intently listening to my concerns. She even took time to explain the benefits as well as the complications eg downtime. All in all, she never fails to give that sense of assurance that you are in good hands; this is also the key reason why I am happy to follow up with her all these while!

Next, numbing cream was applied generously onto my skin approximately half an hour before the laser treatment.

Below is a visual proof that they were INDEED very generous with the numbing cream to ensure I do not undergo any form of discomfort during the actual laser treatment!

*See how white my face is with the numbing cream*

After approximately half an hour, the cream was removed.

You will start to appreciate the effect of the numbing cream upon the start of the laser treatment!

In short, Carbon Dioxide laser emit short burst of high-energy laser that vapourizes the scarred tissue layer by layer. Technically, your skin is being ‘burnt’!

Thanks to the numbing cream, my experience with the procedure was almost painless!

At the end of the procedure, my skin appeared mildly red but it is absolutely normal for post procedure. The downtime ranged from 3-5 days subsequently with minute gritted scabs & slight redness. By end of Day 5, all the scabs have more or less fallen off, leaving behind a smoother skin with smaller pores!

As this is only my first laser treatment session with them, the effect is not significant enough to totally alleviate all my ice pick scars. It is common for patients to undergo at least 2-4 treatment to see good visual improvement.

To attain that significant improvement, I am definitely looking forward to my next laser CO2 treatment with Dr Celine!

REVIEW: ASTIQUE Clinic Skin Booster 水光针

December 29, 2016maybeline

As we age, our body loses water, collagen and many other essentials that results in ageing. Without all those, our skin will appear dull and wrinkles will start to appear. How can you slow down ageing other than just apply skincare daily?

I went for Skin Booster at Astique Clinic because the Koreans are crazy about it. I remember days when Skin Booster was not available in Singapore, people would fly over to Korea just to do the treatment!

What is Skin Booster?

Skin Booster is injecting hyaluronic acid under the skin. Hyaluronic Acid is found in almost every skincare in the market. It helps keep the skin hydrated and youthful looking. Since it is being found in skincare, it is definately safe for the skin. By injecting hyaluronic acid under the skin, the face will look fuller and brighter as the skin is well fed with water. By saying well fed, I meant to say that hyaluronic acid can help the skin retain water. This can sometime results in smaller pores too!

Some people say that Skin Booster can be very painful, but I would say that pain is subjective. I went to google the procedure and videos on YouTube. I died watching the video. I went ahead with it because the results people get ARE REALLY SIGNIFICANT!

I went for a consultation with Dr. Celine and she assured me that it is not as painful as what I had imagine. The treatment is also safe for people who have sensitive skin and is suitable for both men and women.

The therapist helped me cleanse my face before apply the numbing cream. If you are really scared, you can request for the numbing cream to be applied longer. But trust me, it is not THAT painful.

Mico-injections are then being carried out on the face using a special equipment in Astique and the whole procedure only took me less than 30 minutes (excluding the numbing process).

There is a downtime of 5-7 days but you can put on make up 2 days later to conceal the marks so that isn’t a concern for me.

1.5 months has passed and I certainly do see quite a fair bit of improvements with my skin! I was told that some people may need 2-3 sessions to experience the full benefits but I am happy with the first session itself! Even James was also tempted to try Skin Booster lol!

What I experienced:
– Lighter dark circles
– Brighter skin tone
– Better complexion
– Pores shrinked

I will strongly recommend every to try out Skin Booster with Astique!! Thank you Dr. Celine for making me younger!

Astique Clinic – Botox For Men

April 21, 2016maybeline

Because Maybel is super satisfied with her cheek fillers done at Astique Clinic, she brought me along for some transformation to make me look younger!!

I would like to think of myself as a true believer of ‘Keep your friends close & your enemy closer’. Because I keep my worst enemies real close they appear right in my face: Wrinkles!

Or in other term: Aging. In fact, all mankind’s main enemy regardless how healthy or wealthy you are!

Part of the reasons why wrinkles started to find their way to my face was because my substantial amount of exposure under the sun (No. 1 cause of wrinkles) be it for work or leisure!

Ironically, as apparent as ‘they’ are right in my face, I have actually never paid much attention. NOT until Maybel ‘counted’ them out to me! Also, I grew more conscious of them with the increasing number of social events we have to attend together. I don’t want to have a day where someone come up to Maybel and welcome us as ‘Maybel & her Uncle’!!

As such, I went for a consultation with Dr. Celine about my concerns. Dr. Celine was indeed very sharp, she accurately identified my major areas of concerns before I even said them: the Forehead and corners of my eyes (crow’s feet).

See how obvious they are when I frown! Just count for yourselves!

Dr. Celine even went a step further to identify another area of concern which was neglected by both of us: My Jawline.

At this angle, you can see how broad and square-shaped my jaw are, owing much to my love for chewing on nuts! As such, it is very hard to find a complimenting angle especially when I am doing a video or commercial shoot!

Before starting on the procedures, Dr. Celine patiently explained Botox’s mode of action, pros & cons and even the side effects of this treatment which in case there were hardly any.

With a peace of mind, I went ahead with the 1st part of the procedure : the Numbing process!

It took a good 10-20 minutes before I was well-numbed for the upcoming prick!

Easy for this girl to smile when she was not in the ‘Hot’ seat!

Well, to be frank, the pain from the needle prick was very very minimal!! So, her happiness stemmed mainly from her satisfaction with her youth restoration process with the same drug (Botox) before me!

I appreciated the fact that Dr Celine was very firm with her hands during the injection process which contributed to a swift yet almost painless procedure!!

Presenting to you the face of Customer Satisfaction with Instant results on my Forehead & corner of my eyes! You can see for yourself that the lines around those two areas reduced significantly!

You might not notice the drastic ‘slimming of my jawline in this picture as it takes a month before the full effect can be visibly seen.

I have always heard of the miracles of age reversal by Botox. Now, I felt & seen it for myself!

Yes! Botox injection procedure might be common among many Aesthetic clinics but do not neglect the diagnosis & injection procedure! For these two aspects, I am very satisfied with the work of Dr Celine even till now (2 weeks after procedure)!

Actually, do you know that Botox has health benefits as well? It can reduce twitching by relaxing the muscles around the eyes area and even release tension headache! Don’t ever think that Botox is purely to improve aesthetics features.

You can find Dr. Celine at 350 Orchard Road #08-00, Shaw House 238868.

Ring them at 6732 3801 for appointments!

Happier and fuller cheeks at Astique

February 24, 2014maybeline

As much as I am happy with my current look, there is no reason not to make it even better.

Aesthetics enhancements not only help one to look better, but also reverse the signs of aging. In my previous consultation with Dr. Matthew Yap, he told me that I would look better with fuller cheeks so I went back to Astique Clinic for cheek fillers!

Let’s go!

The fillers used previously on my chin and nose were none other than Juvederm. For my cheeks this time round, Dr Yap will be using Juvederm as well.

It is said to last longer than other fillers. Dr Matthew told me that the fillers on my nose and chin would last me for at least 6 months to a year!

It contains- Hyaluronic acid, a natural substance which can be found in the human body. And the chances of developing allergy Juvederm is very low as it is not derived from animal tissues.

Do you know that saggy cheeks can cause one to look even older than one’s actual age? What is worst is that lines would start appearing on the cheeks and this is more often than not, more noticeable in women than man.

The cheek lines would start to appear below the eye area first, before leading down to the cheek areas.

The benefits of cheek fillers are that it can instantly lift your cheeks and restore the lost volume. They are useful for restoring the shape of the cheek where the signs of aging often begin.

FYI, injection fillers also stimulates the skin to produce its own collagen!

No one is too young to talk about anti-aging. Cheek fillers are also good for people who have rather flat cheeks.

My side profile reveals my flat cheeks along with a tiny sharp nose and chin, with credits to the previous fillers done at Astique.

I am very satisfied with the current skin condition. If you’re wondering what I did to achieve such a glowy look, the answer is here.

Waiting for the numbing cream effect to take place….

And finalllyyyy, onto the huge comfy chair. I was feeling neither nervous nor scared because I knew that the pain score would be close to zero. All I was anticipating was the end result.

Making marks on my face….

Injecting the fillers….

Massage, rub and cooling the next injection area…

and I am done!

Fast, painless and non-invasive! Looking good in less than 45 minutes!
(Including the consultation, and waiting time)

A girl is always happier when she is prettier.

And happiest when she looks younger than her actual age.

Thank you Astique Clinic, Dr. Matthew Yap and My Fat Pocket!

Astique Clinic also provides other treatments or services like CoolSculpting, Facelift, Facials and more.

Head over to their website and find out more!

Deep Hydration for the Skin at Astique

February 10, 2014maybeline

MFP has kindly arranged for a pre-CNY facial for me at Astique Clinic by Dr. Matthew Yap.

Cold weather means flaky skin for the dehyrated skin. Hence, more hydration booster would be needed to keep the skin bouncy and radiant.

My last facial was also probably more than half a year ago, so why not!

Other than their in-house scrub, these were the products used that day – ESTHEMED, which are made in Korea. Well, we all know that Korea is the place for good skincare products!

I enjoy doing facial a lot because it is extremely comfortable, relaxing and at the same time, better skin. The benefits of this facial is to keep the face moisturized and dewy.

The first step is to remove all the makeup by cleansing and scrubbing the face. Scrubbing also remove dead skin cells from the surface, making sure that the skin is absorbing all the nutrients well.

Hydra B3 Spray was sprayed and massaged all over the face before the Hydra B5 Serum.

Following with the Hydra B6 Cream. Okay, I gotta admit, I had this thing for the cream and the masks that came after. They were too goooood! Read on to find out why.

I have read about the mask from Miyake and she commented that the masks actually work like fillers. YES, IT SURE DOES!.

The ASTIQUE Recovery Essence Mask improves elasticity and firmness of the skin, smoothens and softens skin texture, resulting in firmer and younger looking skin.

How?

It locks in moisture, boosting skin cell regeneration and causing skin to glow from within.

The masks are also retailing at a box of 5 ($155). Definitely worth the money.

It is filled with essence. You can literally see it dripping. So instead of wasting the essence, the beautician rubbed a layer of the essence onto my face before placing the mask on.

Psst: I think I would apply it all over the arms and legs if I were home.

It was left on for a good 20 minutes.

No washing is needed after masking. You can massage the face gently until the essence is absorbed in – as recommended by the nurses/beauticians there 🙂

Take a look at the rest of the photos below at how dewy and bright my skin is! It only took me 60 minutes to see the results. I went out without foundation that day because I was so confident of how my skin was.

You know, whenever I go for facials, I was always told that my skin was rather dull. But not all places promised me results within a visit. But ASTIQUE proved me wrong, anything is possible.

Still rubbing all the good stuffs in….

Close up of the skin… Pictures don’t lie. Neither were they edited. It is as real as the mask and facial.

I was extremely happy with the overall results and this photo was taken right after the facial. Remember, no powder, only eyebrows and eyeliners were drawn.

Big hug for ASTIQUE!

Post Botox/Fillers – 3 months later

January 9, 2014maybeline

Attended my cousin’s wedding dinner in Dec and my relatives thought I slimmed down a lot because my face looked so much smaller/sharper!

I told them “No way! I put on 2kg since the last time you guys saw me. The fats are now well hidden and my face look smaller because of botox!”

Yes yes, I was referring to the session which I did at Astique Clinic 3 months ago.

http://maybelinesim.sg/2013/11/26/my-1st-experience-with-botox-and-fillers/

And I can have a prominent chin at the same time thanks to the chin fillers done as well!

Dr. Matthew told me that botox and fillers can last between 6 months to a year and I am hoping that mine can last up to a year because I don’t even have to worry about my face getting fat even though I put on weight. My face always look bloated when I put on weight, and yes, that is even if it is only a kg.

What can I say? Nothing! I am extremely satisfied with the results!

So what can botox/fillers do?

Basically nothing else, except making you happier because you can look so much prettier!

However, do remember to avoid rubbing the areas where you had fillers injection just incase the fillers go out of place! 🙂

Preparing yourself for CNY

January 7, 2014maybeline

I am almost done with the preparations for CNY except getting new clothes.

Firstly, I got my black roots touched up at SalonB by Oscar. He always leave me a happy girl after every session. It seems like he could do magic to my dry hair. I always leave him to decide my length/colour and he always know what I want, or what would suit me better.

Salon B is located at 1 Nassim Road #02-03 Singapore 258458
Tel: 6836 5855/9819 0183

Please call them to make an appointment cause they are always busy and packed. Quote “Blogger Maybeline” to get 20% off all chemical services.

Next, I had my New Year nails done at Beau Essentials by Sophia.

I click with her extremely well! She was also awarded with quite a number of awards for her nail designs and skills! You have to visit her!

All I have to do is to show her what I want by googling for pictures on the internet and she could make them appear on my nails.

Beau Essentials is located at Beauty World –
Upp Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, Singapore 588177
Tel: 6468 0979

I just can’t decide on my CNY design yet~

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Now, I am done with these. But what about the skin?

As usual, HADA LABO SHA Hydrating Lotion! This is one of my essential skincare in my entire routine. I seriously do not know what to do without it.

My 3 in 1 doink doink!

On top of the outer application, I take Collagen powder from Fancl as well. I like how conveniently the HTC Collagen comes in sachets because I would not overtake or undertake it and I consume it on a daily basis so it actually saves me a lot of time!

I tend to drink it with iced coffee before I start my day. Remember, Collagen is extremely important for the skin. It can reverse aging and keeps the skin supple and firm! Exactly what you need before staying awake all night during Lunar New Year for all the gambling or gathering sessions.

The fastest way to get rid of tired and dull looking eyes to prepare the face for the upcoming Chinese New Year is probably by pampering myself at Astique Clinic – Vitamin C Eye Rejuvenation or for some botox/fillers to enhance the features!

With all the love from the sponsors and brand, I can look even prettier for the upcoming Lunar New Year!

Trust me, you can too! 😉