How to take 10 Years off Your Face (without surgery)

“Can you really do that?” I asked Dr Khoo Yan Teng, Consultant Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon at Pantai Hospital, recently. Though trained and practicing with a Master of Surgery in Plastic Surgery degree, Dr Khoo recommends the use of various aesthetic means to achieve a youthening effect before resorting to surgery.

“Surgery is very effective and permanent of course but you will have to factor in the downtime for recovery. Many of my busy clients just don’t have the time for that so they come for the many quick fixes which are now available,” she replied.

“Like the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment which takes less than an hour and within a few weeks a tightening effect will gradually increase, resulting in a firmer cheek and jawline. Hence an overall rejuvenation.”

And HIFU is not the only tool in Dr Khoo’s toolkit. Add some Juvederm fillers to fill out the nasolabial and marionette lines (two very distinct lines running from the corners of the mouth to either side of the chin), which by the mid-forties creep into our faces uninvited! Or use Juvederm to fill out our cheekbones, heighten our noses or plump out acne scars or hollow cheeks. The uses for this wonder filler are wide and far reaching and the results like HIFU will last close to 2 years.

If drooping and sagging is very pronounced, before considering a facelift, there is also the option for the Thread Lift, using serrated threads which are inserted in strategic areas that lift up sagging skin. Again, this is a procedure that will last a maximum of 2 years.

Then top off the whole rejuvenation process with some Botox^@(to reduce fine lines and wrinkles especially those around the eyes and forehead) and you emerge a new you, refreshed, rejuvenated and all within an hour or two for the whole process. Alas, Botox injections only last about 6 months and will require topping up.

If pigmentation is your problem, Dr Khoo has the solution in the form of the Dual Yellow Multi Wavelength Laser, which is effective for treating and clearing Melasma. This happens by reducing the production of melanin (the substance that creates pigmentation of the skin) at the source. From the pictures I saw, the results are startlingly effective. But a few follow up treatments are required which will be determined by the doctor.

For thin sensitive skin another treatment is the BellaVita PDRN (Poly deoxy ribo nucleotide) which is administered through fine needle but it contains lidocaine to reduce pain, which most people say is quite bearable. Instant improvement can be seen in five days although it is recommended to have 4 sessions to achieve desirable results which includes more moisture in the skin, more glow and skin whitening.

Of course if we are looking into regenerative medicine, as the new alternative to healthy aging, which has never hitherto been offered before, there is the MSCs or Mesenchymal Stem Cells therapy. Isolated from neonatal umbilical cord, these are cultured and processed, tested in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice, having the ability to renew and differentiate into a wide range of cells. These new cells are administered into the patient where they seek and stimulate old cells, thereby promoting better health benefits for almost all the issues and cells in the body. These cells are characterized by low immunogenicity and any recipient can use it.

So with all these tools and techniques on hand, taking 10 years of your face should be easy-peasy.