Melding cutting-edge technologies with time-proven ingredients, the latest beauty and wellness treatments promise to calm you  – and your skin – down. The Prestige Singapore team gives them a whirl.

Think self-care and the mind very quickly goes into skin and body care territory. After all, there are few things that can match the feeling of being taken care of by expert hands. When whisking away to a far-flung wellness resort isn’t an option, it is sanctuaries in the city to the rescue.

A calming hot-meets-cold facial inspired by the Nordic region and the Northern Lights. A healing session in a futuristic oxygen pod. A skin treatment that analyses your skin before prescribing a facial with exactly what you need. A skin booster that rejuvenates with next to no downtime. If you’re looking to treat yourself and your body this month, here are the latest wellness and beauty treatments to try.

Plinest Skin Booster
IDS Clinic

I agreed to get a skin-rejuvenation shot for the first time in my life for this story, but I wasn’t fazed. The clinic was IDS and its founder, Dr SK Tan, has a stellar reputation with some hailing him the “grandfather of Singapore aesthetics”.

Now here’s an aesthetics clinic that understands a first-timer’s jitters. Dr Lina Yow told me what to expect during and after the procedure and assured me that she would go slow and be gentle with the injections. Should I become anxious at any point, distraction techniques such as the use of cold air would be applied.

She prescribed Plinest, a new potent skin booster in Singapore, designed to stimulate natural cell regeneration and revitalise the skin internally by fostering its healing abilities. This should result in a glowing complexion, a more youthful texture, and enhanced firmness and elasticity. It also promises to minimise the appearance of pores and lighten pigmentation.

To revitalise my tired-looking eyes, Dr Yow used Plinest Fast, which has a thinner formulation allowing for a smoother flow into the delicate eye area. Suitable for those with eczema and sensitive skin, Plinest stands out from other non-surgical skin rejuvenators for its efficacy in treating the undereye area, acne scars and visible pores, which is one of the most difficult problems to solve.

The procedure began 30 minutes after numbing cream was applied on my face. While Dr Yow worked and explained each step, an assistant tapped my shoulder to distract me from the injections. But she didn’t have to do that for long. Apart from a slight tingle, I was relaxed and could chat with Dr Yow. The entire session lasted about 15 minutes.

Other than facial tenderness and sensitivity with a little swelling, as well as puffy eyes that subsided within two days, there was little downtime as Dr Yow used a cannula to deliver the injections. Unlike a sharp needle, the cannula’s blunt tip minimises the risk of accidentally puncturing a blood vessel that would cause bruising. I could resume the rest of my day – at home – without much discomfort. I was to avoid vigorous exercise, alcohol and make-up re-application, what with the micro wounds at the injection spots.

While it could take up to four weeks to see results, my visible pores seemed less prominent just a fortnight later. The results could last up to nine months, depending on skin type and age. – Jacquie Ang

IDS Clinic, #05-09 to 10, Novena Specialist Centre

First published on Prestige Singapore