Ultrasound waves are used to firm, tighten and lift sagging skin from below the skin's surface.
Similar to Thermage, an applicator (Photo 4) which delivers pulses of ultrasound waves is placed on the skin surface. The rays penetrate the deeper tissues where the heat produced causes collagen to contract as well as stimulates collagen growth. This is a new procedure that was introduced in June.
You know it for: Ultrasound is most commonly used in foetal scans in pre-natal check-ups.
It can now be used to: Firm, tighten and lift sagging skin. It can lift droopy brows and cheeks and add more definition to sagging jawlines.
What's new: Using Ulthera, doctors can see the deeper tissue layers for even more precise application of ultrasound waves. The pain inflicted by Ulthera is also said to be less compared to Thermage. This treatment is suitable for patients of all skin tones.
Watch out: Although there is no downtime to this 30- to 60-minute treatment, it may take up to three months before you see results as the deep tissues need time to heal.
Some of the doctors here who offer Ulthera include Dr Low Chai Ling of The Sloane Clinic and Dr Vanessa Phua of Asia HealthPartners.
Price: From $1,500 for a session. It is recommended that this treatment be done every six months to a year.
FILLERS
A filler is a gel-like substance made of hyaluronic acid - a compound that is found naturally in the skin, muscles and tendons of mammals.
It is injected underneath the skin to fill out lines and wrinkles and to plump up hollows in the face and body.
You know it for: Filling out facial lines such as wrinkles as well as naso-labial folds - the skin folds that run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth.
It can now be used to: Define the cheekbones, nose bridge and chin by filling out these areas. Thin lips can also be plumped up with fillers.
Patients are also asking for forehead augmentations to get a fuller looking forehead.
You can also get an instant boob job or a perkier butt with fillers.
What's new: The manufacturers of fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm have incorporated numbing agents into the products to make the process as painless as possible.
While fillers used to last for about six months, they can now last for up to 11/2 years.
Fillers now come in more textures too. For example, a more fluid filler is good for treating fine lines while a more viscous filler is effective in building volume.
Watch out: Too many filler jabs will cause you to look puffy. There is also a possibility that the filled areas may feel lumpy and hard if the practitioner has not mastered the proper injection techniques.
You will have to live with these lumps until the filler dissolves.
Price: From $700 for a jab. Top-up jabs are recommended every six months to a year.
SAFETY CHECKS
Just because a treatment is non-invasive does not mean it carries no risks - as several reports of botched jobs have shown.
Here is what you can do to protect yourself:
Dr Ivor Lim, who chairs the chapter of plastic surgeons of the College of Surgeons at the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, recommends that patients seek specialists or established aesthetic doctors for treatments.
Patients can verify that the specialists - dermatologists or plastic surgeons - are registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) via its website (www.smc.gov.sg).
Non-specialist aesthetic doctors are also required to comply with SMC's guidelines.
Last November, the SMC, the Academy of Medicine Singapore and the College of Family Physicians Singapore issued a set of guidelines to ensure that medical practitioners are adequately trained before they offer aesthetic procedures.
Under these guidelines, doctors without a track record in performing aesthetic treatments but who wish to do so have to submit proof to the SMC that they are qualified to perform such procedures.
Doctors who are deemed to have sufficient experience are exempt from submitting their credentials.
Dr Lim, who is also the consultant plastic surgeon of Ivor J. Lim Plastic Surgery in Camden Medical Centre, recommends that patients sit down with their doctors for a full consultation before starting any treatment so that they will know what results to expect from the procedure.
Patients should ensure that the products their doctors recommend have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration or bear the CE mark, which certifies that the product has met European Union safety requirements. These are the only products that can be administered in Singapore.
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
