Spa Awards 2021: High-Tech Clinical Treatments That Target Specific Skin Needs

Target specific skin needs like pigmentation, sagging and wrinkles with this curated list of winning clinical treatments from Spa Awards 2021.

BEST ACNE-REDUCING TREATMENT

Q-SWITCHED LASER, CHEMICAL PEEL AND LED LIGHT, $480 for 90 minutes, La Clinic

Make headway in your battle against acne with this treatment designed to tackle the pesky issue at every stage. Clinical-strength chemical peels help lift away surface dead skin cells and clear clogged pores (which may become inflamed and form pimples), while blue LED light kills off the pimple-causing P. acnes bacteria. The Q-Switched Laser, meanwhile, emits a beam of energy at 1064nm to exfoliate skin and help promote collagen synthesis while breaking down pigmentation such as acne scars, melasma and freckles.

BEST ANTI-AGEING TREATMENT

NEEDLE-LESS REJURAN, $460 for 90 minutes, Freia Aesthetics

The Rejuran Healer has generated a lot of buzz with its exceptional ability to revitalise skin texture, but those squeamish about needles would probably give it a miss. That’s because the treatment comprises a series of micro injections of a solution derived from salmon DNA, aka PDRN, to ensure penetration into the deep dermis layer. Well, you can now get baby skin without the jabs and downtime with this needle-less version, which utilises a Dermal Electroporation technology to push the PDRN solution into the subcutaneous dermis layer to improve skin elasticity, texture and hydration levels for that coveted glass-skin effect that takes years off your look.

BEST ANTI-BLEMISH TREATMENT

PICOCARE LASER TREATMENT From $250 per session, SL Aesthetic Clinic

Using makeup to hide the blemishes eroding your self-confidence works, but isn’t it better if you can look just as good once that mask comes off? Here to help is the Pico Laser, which fires energy at 1/1000 of a nanosecond (or a picosecond) and can be used to tackle a host of skin woes, including hyperpigmentation, scarring, rosacea and enlarged pores. When administered on acne-prone skin, it can help reduce inflammation and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation as well as smooth out atrophic acne scars.

BEST BRIGHTENING TREATMENT

PRO RADIANCE, $402 for 75 minutes, EPION Clinic

Its name says it all. Promoting brighter, more luminous skin, the treatment kicks off with the use of a HydraFacial MD machine, whereby a patented Vortex-Fusion delivery system cleans, exfoliates and hydrates skin. A blend of peptides is then infused into skin to help strengthen it and improve its barrier function. Rounding off the session is a mask rich in essential vitamins, which works on lightening existing spots and inhibiting the production of melanin for an overall brighter complexion.

BEST CLARIFYING TREATMENT

OXYPURE, $320 for 45 minutes, EstheClinic

Breathe new life into your skin with this oxygen facial that stimulates skin cell renewal and healing from within. It starts off with exfoliation to clear the skin’s surface of debris—dead skin cells, dirt and other impurities—that will impede the penetration of the actives in the skincare that follows. The skin is then infused with hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate it, before the oxygen therapy commences proper. Unlike the usual oxygen treatments that infuse the gas into the skin, here, carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles are released on the skin. This draws oxygen-rich blood to the surface of the skin to counteract the CO2-rich environment, thereby increasing skin oxygenation, and prompting cell regeneration and promoting healing for an overall better look and feel.

BEST DETOXIFYING TREATMENT

FUTURE AFTERGLOW FACIAL, $380 for 90 minutes, Freia Aesthetics

In need of a deep cleanse? This detoxifying treatment purifies skin without stripping it of its natural oils. First up is a three-step cleansing routine comprising the Flash 10 Botanical Deep Cleanser, the HydraFacial MD technology and manual extraction, which rids skin of the impurities and dead skin cells that lend it a dull, lacklustre appearance as well as clear clogged pores. Skin is then treated with a purifying peel, followed by a soothing and hydrating algae gel mask. Next up: A massage that stimulates the acupoints on the face, promoting detoxification while relieving facial tension. A clarifying French green clay mask wraps the session, leaving you with smoother, suppler skin and a lovely glow.

BEST EYE LIFT TREATMENT

ULTHERAPY – EYE, $500 for 20 minutes, Calvin Chan Aesthetic & Laser Clinic

Is skin laxity in the eye area bringing you down? Perk up with this treatment, cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in the delicate eye area, that uses ultrasound to lift and tighten skin. Bringing real-time ultrasound imaging to the table, the sophisticated Ultherapy device delivers heat, via sound waves, to precise depths in targeted areas to trigger the body’s natural collagen and elastin production, resulting in a lifting and plumping effect that gets more pronounced with time.

BEST LIFTING & FIRMING TREATMENT

ULTHERAPY, $1,988 for 90 minutes, Dr Kevin Chua Medical & Aesthetics

Touted as a non-surgical facelift, this treatment uses focused ultrasound energy to reach the deeper layers of the skin to induce collagen synthesis, strengthening the collagen network to give skin a lifted appearance over the course of two to three months post-treatment. It can be done on specific parts of the face as well as the neck to improve overall skin laxity. Temper your expectations though: Results are not instantaneous. The effects will only start to show in four to six weeks—the time needed for the body to produce new collagen.

BEST LINE-REDUCING TREATMENT

ZOEY SKIN, $1,070 for 45 minutes, Ozhean Zoey Medical & Aesthetic Clinic

Designed to minimise the look of age-revealing wrinkles and folds, this injectable combines hyaluronic acid, Rejuran Healer, a brightening agent and Dysport, a botulinum toxin injectable that blocks signals from the nerves to the muscles. The solution will be injected into strategic points on the cheeks, temples and chin for an overall natural-looking plumping and lifting effect that softens the look of expression lines and wrinkles.

BEST NECK LIFT TREATMENT

PROFHILO – NECK, $1,500 for 60 minutes, La Clinic

Don’t let the neck be an afterthought—after all, it is one of the first areas to give away your age. While it’s marketed as an injectable moisturiser, Profhilo can give sagging skin a lift as well. When injected into predetermined points on the neck, it reportedly triggers a bio-remodelling process to improve collagen and elastin synthesis. Its low viscosity means it spreads quickly and evenly within the skin to hydrate, lift and boost skin plumpness over time for a more youthful profile.

BEST PORE-REFINING TREATMENT

ECO2 LASER TREATMENT, $300 for 45 minutes, Calvin Chan Aesthetic & Laser Clinic

Wrinkles aren’t the only things that age you; enlarged pores can have the very same effect. Avoid that with this carbon dioxide laser treatment that removes the outer layers of damaged skin as well as the dead skin cells that accumulate in your pores, causing them to stretch out and appear larger. At the same time, the heat from the laser triggers a natural healing response in the deeper layers of the skin, stimulating collagen and elastin production to plump up skin so pores appear shallower. As your skin heals and regrows, you’ll note an overall improvement in texture as well as tone. 

BEST REJUVENATING TREATMENT

PROFHILO – FACE, $1,400 for 60 minutes, La Clinic

We all know by now that hydration is key to maintaining the skin’s supple look and feel. Helping to keep things in tip-top condition is Profhilo, an injectable moisturiser that boasts a stabilised blend of low and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA). The low molecular weight HA acts as a reservoir to hydrate skin, while the high molecular weight HA forms a stable network to lift it. Unlike regular dermal fillers, Profhilo also stimulates the production of four types of collagen in the skin, along with elastin, to reduce the appearance of fine lines and lift and tighten loose skin for an overall revitalised look. Instead of a series of injections all over the face, Profhilo is injected into five points on each side of the face using a special technique, to minimise discomfort while delivering hydrating, lifting and firming benefits.

BEST RESURFACING TREATMENT

GLOW RIGHT TREATMENT, $320 for 90 minutes, Freia Aesthetics

Say bye to dullness and hello to fresh, glowing skin. This treatment starts off with a thorough cleanse and extraction to prep the skin for the AlphaRet peel system: A powerful combination of patented non-irritating retinoids, and lactic, salicylic and glycolic acids that gently exfoliates while working on skin concerns such as dullness, roughness and dark spots. The removal of surface debris also clears the way for better penetration of the skincare products that follow—in this case, a soothing, antioxidant-rich blend of serums that is infused into the skin through an oxygen spray. Next up is a proprietary meridian face massage that helps improve circulation. A moisturising Oxy-peptide sheet mask and custom medical-grade LED light therapy wrap up the session. 

BEST SHAPING & TIGHTENING TREATMENT

DOLL FACE, From $3,959 for 60 minutes, Ozhean Zoey Medical & Aesthetic Clinic

Using a combination of lifting methods, this treatment helps you get a contoured, V-shaped face akin to, well, a doll’s. High-intensity radiofrequency is first used to break down excess fat and stimulate collagen synthesis, which in turn firms the jawline, and reduces the look of sagging jowls and a double chin over time. Polycaprolactone (PCL) threads are then inserted into the sides of the face—their high tensile strength means you only need one on each side to achieve a visible lift—before fillers are injected into the chin to get the contours of a V-shaped face with natural-looking results. 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Anna Daki CREATIVE DIRECTION: Andrei Iovu MODEL: Feli Rastar/ Miha Model Management MAKEUP AND HAIR: Helena Narra