Last Few Weeks of Nano Perfector

The Nano Perfector has been a fantastic addition to my huge family of machines. It has been my favourite for face lifting and general rejuvenation. The response has mostly been positive. Instant results, painless, relatively long lasting... What's not to love?

But sadly, we'll be giving up this machine in just over a month's time. It'll be an upgrade to an even more powerful machine, that is currently still in the production phase. We've been waiting for this machine for the last 6 months. But they have delayed the production till they were absolutely 100% satisfied with the new machine.

And new machine it is! It started off as a new card within the Perfector casing. Now the engine is housed within a transparent casing, with snazzy LED display. There are 300 programs to choose from, and by all accounts the results are reven more remarkable than the Perfector. How could I refuse???

If everything goes to plan, the new machine will be delivered in early September. The price will increase, to cover the cost of the upgrade. However existing clients will continue to enjoy the current price as long as their packages have not lapsed. The increase will be at least 20% above current prices. We have a number of patients who have pre-purchased their treatments at the current super-low Perfector prices and are waiting (very impatiently) for the new model to come in. Us too!

We've got Ultrasonic Cavitation!

Ultrasound has been used for some years for fat melting. The technology has evolved significantly in the last year or so, with the development of cavitation.

When ultrasound is applied to liquids, compression and decompression waves are created. In the decompression phase, the negative pressure generated produces bubbles within the liquid. These expand and enlarge until the compression phase begins. This compresses the bubbles until they implode. Heat is generated in the implosion process and the fat cell membranes rupture. The fat gets released and is taken into the lymphatic system for metabolism.

This amounts to the targeted destruction of fat cells (ie body contouring) without the need for surgery. This is ideal for small pockets of fat, where long-lasting results are desired without undergoing liposuction. The trade-off is a few treatments, but the lack of downtime makes this feasible.

I was just talking about this to one of the reps last week. When I got back from SNEC this afternoon, I found a box in our pantry... It's arrived!!! Talk about fast! Hopefully the training will be as swift. I believe I have the first unit of this device in Singapore. There's plenty of excess fat amongst us to test this out. It's pretty exciting stuff!

Simply Aesthetic has moved to Robertson Walk

After many months of planning, renovation, inspections and running back and forth, we have finally settled into our new home at Robertson Walk. We moved all our things over last Thursday, then abandoned the girls for a short holiday, so they could tidy up/organise stocks in peace without any interference from me!

I have to say that I am very relieved to have moved in at last. The last month of running back & forth was getting quite frustrating, especially since the new clinic was in a much nicer space than the old one! But the wait is finally over, the licence is ready and we can unveil the beautiful new facilities.

We now have 3 good sized treatment rooms, two with natural sunlight (frosted glass, of course!). The restrooms are still outside, but just next to the clinic (so no more dashing through the shopping mall to get to the ladies!). Parking is even more convenient. The car park entrance is in the lane between Park Hotel Clarke Quay and Robertson Walk. There's ample parking and is very straightforward compared to UE Square, where people often got lost! And getting lost generally should not be an issue anymore: no more confusion between UE Square and United Square!

For those who are not familiar with Robertson Walk, it is a beautiful development at the junction of Mohamed Sultan Road (section opposite Kim Yam Rd) and Unity Street. It is largely F&B and the restaurants are distributed around a courtyard which is pretty happening at night, especially at weekends. There are some services on the second floor, including the DBS Arts Theatre! Our frontage is just off the corner facing the bridge, next to Divine MedSpa.

It is lovely to see sunlight all the time. UE Square was so depressingly grey, both inside & out! The Singapore River is also a stone's throw away. I'm looking forward to my strolls there when things are quiet in the clinic. So appointments by booking only please! It won't be a pretty sight if I have to run back to the clinic to see you!

Judging the Harper's Bazaar Beauty Awards 2009

I received an exciting e-mail from Alli Sim, Harper's Beauty Editor a couple of weeks ago. She wanted to know if I woud be keen on being on the judging panel of Harper's Bazaar's Beauty Awards 2009! She warned me that it would be an intensive month of trying out a variety of the newest products for 90 categories! It was naturally an offer that I could not refuse! Which female would?!!! My brief was to give the medical take on which products were best in each category.

The products arrived yesterday. I had a phone call from my very excited 13 year old daughter (and self-elected co-judge), exclaiming that she was "traumatised" at the number of products to try! Fortunately she changed the term to "overwhelmed". Hmmmmmm................

I didn't get home till after 10pm, and all hopes of a decent "early night" were dashed immediately. Six of the largest plastic containers from IKEA were waiting for me. In them was a myriad of products, spanning cosmetics, skincare, hair products, nail care, scrubs, body washes, perfumes, even 2 eyelash curlers! My jaw dropped as it looked like over 1000 items to try in just one month! No wonder Alli said her hair almost dropped out with trying out the hair products last year!

My daughter was bouncing off the wall with glee, proclaiming she now officially has more makeup than any of her friends. The dogs were going crazy trying to get into the boxes. All I could think of was "Oh My God!" and "Thank God I have help!". My daughter is definitely better with makeup than I am. Her beady eyes were already on the eyelash curlers and she'd tried on one of the nail polishes already. One of my friends has extremely dry skin and is desperate for a tan, so anything vaguely oily and in the self tan range will be palmed off to her. The scrubs and hand/foot spa things will be brought into Divine MedSpa for the girls to try on me. Nothing like an expert opinion!

I managed to try a shampoo and conditoner last night. A common high street brand that my daughter has purchased before. Cannot make it. Neither could the face wash I tried. I was intrigued by another sample which had a strange plastic tool and capsule of cream. I have to say that it was the tool that really grabbed my attention! After fiddling about, pulling & twisting it, it broke! Then I realised that the fancy "tool" was nothing but a spatula to scrape out the cream. What a joke!

At this point, I have to say that I gave up on trialling the products & decided to try something "simple": choose the lipstick with the most compelling design. The age gap then surfaced with the little princess going for something hip and the old mother insisting on something classy. The real judge won that battle and we decided on a lipstick with a beautiful shape and unique matt black finish. Settled one item out of 90.

Tonight's task will be an attempt at sorting out the products into the correct categories, choosing some to bring on holiday with me this weekend, and packing the ones for the spa. Then slowly trying out the makeup one by one. If I can find eye makeup that is resistant to my compulsive rubbing, that'll be a miracle!