In a world of injectables and skin-lifting treatments, how do you choose the best anti-ageing treatment that is right for you? We recently spoke to Dr Shiau Ee Leng, Founder of ClearSK® Aesthetic Clinics about Singapore’s favourite anti-ageing treatments and her recommendations for various skin concerns. 

A trailblazer and ahead of her time, Dr Shiau Ee Leng, Founder and Medical Director of ClearSK® group of Aesthetic Clinics, Singapore is no stranger to anti-ageing treatments. Dr Shiau is among the pioneer batch of doctors to start the use of non-ablative skin lasers for aesthetics in 2000, and her group of clinics in Singapore and China, provide non to minimally-invasive Aesthetic Medical and Plastic surgery services, with the local flagship clinic located in Pacific Plaza along Scotts Road. 

Dr Shiau is also the key opinion leader for many international aesthetic companies and technologies such as Galderma, Coolsculpting, Thermage, Ultherapy, Alma Lasers, Syneron, eMatrix Sublative treatment, and Venus Concept. Read on to find out Dr Shiau’s top recommendations and how these are suited to your skin care needs. 

Vanilla Luxury: What are the most popular anti-ageing treatments in Singapore at the moment and what trends can we look forward to in 2023?

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: Anti-ageing treatments in Singapore can be divided up by energy-based and injectables. Amongst Singapore’s favourite energy-based treatments are Pico Laser for skin radiance and pores, Fotona 4D laser facelift; HIFU for skin tightening and lifting, and Thermage FLX for eye and face skin tightening.

Within injectables, customers enjoy skin boosters like RESTYLANE vital hyaluronic acid skin boosters, PROFHILO, Polynucleotides or PDRNs like REJURAN and deep collagen stimulators like SCULPTRA. With minimal downtime and long-lasting results, these are a great way to enhance your skin and erase signs of ageing. 

And of course, botulinum toxins, which include brands such as Botox, Dysport and Xeomin, remain ever-popular methods to remove wrinkles and fine lines. These are highly purified forms of Botulinum Toxin A, a medical treatment approved by health authorities for improving the appearance of frown and smile lines on the forehead and around the eye area. They work by blocking the communication between the nerve cells and the muscles, effectively leaving the muscles without instructions to contract. This relaxes the muscles and smooths out the wrinkles, making the face look young and refreshed.

In terms of trends to look forward to this year, I foresee a combination of aesthetic treatments to give faster and more effective results. Self-generating collagen treatments are preferred over the traditional quick-fix method, giving rise to the popularity of combination treatments such as combining Sculptra with HIFU. There are also plenty of new brands coming to Singapore like Exosomes and GOURI which will spur the use of combination therapies in Singapore. 

Vanilla Luxury: What non-invasive options would you recommend for wrinkles and fine lines? 

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: I have a few favourites! The non-invasive treatments for wrinkles and fine lines that I generally recommend include energy-based based treatments like HIFU (High intensity focussed ultrasound) with brands like Ulthera, Ultraformer, Liftera and Radiofrequency based treatments like Thermage, Venus legacy, and Accent.

Aside from these, I also encourage my patients to try deep skin hydration using derma-extrapolation of active ingredients like hyaluronic acid and Rejuran boosters. These treatments hydrate from the inside, bringing about that glass-skinned look we’re all vying for. 

Vanilla Luxury: It has been observed that Asians tend to have more skin issues related to pigmentation. What are some of the most effective solutions for this? 

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: Lasers are still the gold standard for targeting excessive melanin in the skin. Other than the well-established Nd YAG Q switch laser, now the more expensive Pico lasers with extra effect on skin texturing are also becoming popular for treating skin problems like sun spots, freckles, Hori Nevus and epidermal melasma. 

Australian made Norseld dual yellow lasers have been redesigned by South Korean professors for treating deeper vascular melasma.

The new kid on the block, Sylfirm X, uses micro RF needle to reduce regrowth of stubborn melasma.

For our clinics we also seek to improve the skin quality of our patients to further enhance these results. This can be done using deep skin hydration treatments like hyaluronic skin boosters, PDRN in combination with various laser programs. By improving the overall health of the skin, it responds faster and better to lasers, leaving behind a radiant and glowing complexion. 

Vanilla Luxury: I'm looking for a lift but don't want intensive surgery or thread lifts. What are my options and which ones really work?

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: There are now many options for non-invasive face lifting treatments. I would recommend, HIFU or high intensity focussed ultrasound. 

The mother of all HIFU is Ultherapy, which is FDA Approved and allows for direct visualisation of the underlying skin layers. HIFU can target the deeper SMAS Layers of the skin at 4.5mm (which is cut and stitched during a surgical facelift) to achieve a non-surgical face lift effect. However, those with lower pain threshold and a smaller face with thinner skin and muscle layers may find this treatment too painful. 

Therefore, for those with a lower pain threshold, or a face anatomy with thinner skin, fat or muscle layers, I would recommend the Korean Ultraformer 3, which is CE approved. The results are comparable to Ultherapy and its patented 2mm settings targeted at the thinner skin layers enhance the skin well. 

However, for both of the above, the effects are slow and only visible from 8 weeks post-procedure. The good news is, that these have longer-lasting results and need only 1-2 sessions a year for upkeep. 

There’s also the option of laser lifts. Fotona 4D / 6D offers a Laser facelift and is a well known European laser combination with several types of lasers in 4 - 6 steps to achieve 4-dimensional rejuvenating and lifting effects. Its most unique laser is the erbium laser which lifts and tightens the inner buccal or mouth membranes to achieve lifting from the inside. This is in turn followed by 3 lasers, which tighten, smoothen and gently peel the skin. 6D Facelift also includes eyelid lifting and lip rejuvenation. Think of it as an entire lift to your complexion!  

Vanilla Luxury: What if I need immediate lifting results, before a wedding or red-carpet event? 

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: If you need to have immediate facelift results for an important event, I would recommend the dual applicator Liftera Advanced, from South Korea. This treatment which has the same depths as Ultherapy and Ultraformer has its patented pen applicators which can deliver lifting pulses to jaw and cheek contours for a faster immediate lift. However, a minimum of 3 sessions are needed for more lasting results.

Vanilla Luxury: What are some of the most popular aesthetic treatments for men in Singapore? 

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: It’s no longer surprising to see men at aesthetic clinics in Singapore. Whether it’s to look good in a board room meeting or get ready for their upcoming wedding celebrations, men generally opt for laser treatment for acne, Resurfacing Fractional lasers for acne scars, botulinum toxin for jaw reduction and frown lines and Rejuran injection for acne scars. 

Vanilla Luxury: Finally, what is your favourite treatment - one that you swear by for that pre-event glow? 

Dr Shiau, ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic: I do Restylane skin boosters on my own face using an automated injector gun, 2-3 days before an event. It makes my skin glow and the radiance can last between 4-6 weeks. Results are visible immediately following the treatment and can last for a month or so - perfect for that holiday glow! Other than skin boosters, Restylane offers a broad range of hyaluronic acid fillers which enables doctors to create a personalized treatment plan, be it to address the signs of ageing or to enhance your facial shapes and restore contours that may have softened over time or help to correct facial asymmetries. 

About ClearSK Aesthetic Clinic

ClearSK has been an established brand in Singapore since 2008, offering an integrated suite of skin care, non-surgical and surgical cosmetic solutions in Singapore, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Their doctors have over 15 years of experience and have performed over 300,000 treatments. At ClearSK, you'll be guaranteed to get the best price for the best brands of treatments. Register for the ClearSK membership to enjoy 100s of treatments at the best prices - the combinations are truly endless!