Understand Your Skin’s Needs and Treat It Well This Festive Season
The festive year end parties plus the New Year cheer can lead to a tired and dull complexion. Here's how to keep your skin merry and bright throughout the season!
It’s party time after a difficult 2020 and you’ll certainly want to keep up the festive Christmas and New Year’s cheer as long as you can. Your social calendars must be filling up fast but what about your beauty routine? Late nights out, over-indulging in food and alcohol, as well as lack of sleep are all part and parcel of the party season. But while these things are fun at the time, it won’t be long before you start to feel and see the effects on your skin.
Despite that, we don’t want you to stop merry-making – so, we spoke to Dr Isaac Wong from the Artisan Clinic Singapore to gain advice on how you can make the most of the season without your skin having to suffer.
He immediately recommends skinboosters to combat the lackluster you may face, as it’s suitable for all skin types, especially for those with dry and wrinkled skin. But, what are skinboosters? Why should you get it? And what else is there to know about this treatment? Dr Isaac answers all these questions and more to help you decide if it’s for you!
What are skinboosters and why should I consider getting this treatment?
Skinboosters are typically a type of dermal filler treatment that contains hyaluronic acid and is injected in the dermis layer of the skin. But there are some skinboosters made up of Polydexoyribonucleotides (PDRN) – which are molecules extracted from salmon DNA – this type of skinbooster works towards repairing cellular damage in the skin, thereby slowing down the aging process altogether.
Skinbooster treatments can help hydrate the skin and maintain its radiance. Used mainly to treat the face, neck and décolletage areas, skinboosters can be applied to ensure you’re still glowing throughout the festive recovery period.
Dr Isaac explains that the skin contains natural hyaluronic acid and collagen, which depletes not only as you age, but also as a negative effect of drinking alcohol. Yes! You read that right. Alcohol is the second biggest cause of skin aging—surpassed only by sun damage. Even in moderation, drinking shows negative effects on the face. But keep reading! You do not need to eliminate wine for beauty during this season, if you understand what your skin needs and how to boost your skin health.
“The possible ailments your facial skin may suffer from the day after drinking is the formation of fine lines, puffy eyes, dullness, redness, dry sagging skin, deepening lines, as well as wrinkles,” says Dr Isaac.
“Skinboosters can help reduce these effects, as it allows the hyaluronic acid to draw water molecules into the skin tissues, to stimulate collagen and elastin production in the skin. By injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin, skinboosters help increase hydration and moisture in our skin tissues, resulting in dewy, glowing skin. On top of that, because hyaluronic acid is a natural component found in our bodies, this means that the injected filler is readily accepted by our bodies with minimal side effects,” he explains.
Another plus point of skinboosters according to Dr Isaac, is that it can also ‘lift’ depressed acne scars, thereby helping with acne scarring! “Skinbooster treatments are non-invasive and only take between 15 to 20 minutes for the whole procedure to be completed. Besides improving the appearance of aging skin, it also increases skin firmness and elasticity as well as brightens dark circles,” adds Dr Isaac.
There are many types of skinboosters available in Singapore and their effectiveness varies according to skin type and the pain points you’d like to efficiently treat. Depending on your personal preference and skin suitability, Dr Isaac will be able to advise you on the best possible treatment to go for.
How are skinboosters administered and what else is there to know about this treatment?
When you enter the Doctor’s office for the initial skinbooster treatment, the very first step will be to apply numbing cream to the treatment area to minimise any discomfort throughout the procedure.
Once this is done, multiple micro Skinbooster injections are placed in the skin approximately 1cm apart to introduce the hyaluronic acid or Polynucleotides into the treatment area. You should be aware that skinboosters can be injected either manually or with a machine injector, delivering the same results. At the Artisan Clinic Singapore, Dr Isaac uses both methods (depending on the products used) to ensure that the skinboosting minerals are evenly distributed. Only a small amount (about 0.02-0.03ml) of hyaluronic acid is injected each time to allow for proper absorption as well. Dr Isaac explains that the injections may feel like tiny ant bites, and from experience, he says it’s generally well tolerated among patients.
So, it’s no surprise that after the procedure, you may notice many small bite-like marks containing the injected skinbooster, but this is nothing to worry about. An intensive recovery cream will be applied and the area massaged to minimise its visibility before the recovery process, which usually takes up to 5 - 7 days. Other than that, there are generally no severe side effects caused by this treatment.
It is also important to note that skinboosters can be combined to achieve various outcomes. For example, a skinbooster made up of Polydeoxyribonucleotides can be combined with those containing hyaluronic acid to ensure your skin cells are repaired and your skin is properly hydrated and revitalised at the same time. In fact, there is also a collagen stimulating skinboosting filler that uses Poly-Caprolactone (PCL) instead of hyaluronic acid as its main component. This PCL filler is basically a long-lasting polymer that your body can absorb naturally over time. By stimulating your skin’s natural collagen, this filler can not only restore volume to the skin, but it can also revitalise its natural glow and radiance. There is no harm in combining treatments, however it’s best to seek a physician’s advice on its necessity.
In regards to the frequency of the skinbooster treatment, Dr Isaac advises that it is ideal to do a series of monthly injections for the first 3 months to see optimum results, although improvements in skin brightness, texture and hydration can be noticed after just one session. Results can last for up to 6 -9 months, thereafter, maintenance treatments may be required to keep the skin hydrated and glowing.
Conclusion
So, if you’ve got your calendars filled with lots of fun, we urge you to make some room and consider this treatment as part of your beauty regime to ensure that your skin gets a treat too. If you decide to get it done, Dr Isaac advises that you should put down that glass of wine (just for a bit), and avoid any medication that causes thinning of the blood, as well as food products that contain Vitamin A,C,E, ginseng and gingko, 2 days prior to treatment, for optimal results.
We recommend that you make an appointment with Dr Isaac before you make a decision, so he can thoroughly analyse your skin’s health and give you further advice of the do’s and don’ts to adhere to, if you wish to get this treatment done.
With that, we bid you a joyful festive time with gleaming skin to match!
Are you treating your skin well amidst all the fun and cheer? Don’t worry! We have the right solution for you depending on your beauty goals. Read more about the various skinbooster treatments available at the Artisan Clinic Singapore on their official website, to get a better idea of what options are available to you.
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