Latest Developments with DermaRF

The DermaRF radiofrequency machine is possibly the most hard working machine at Simply Aesthetic. It's going to be flogged even harder soon!

I had the opportunity of meeting up with Dr Chanchai this afternoon, and getting a sneak peek into the new developments that allow us to use Derma RF for even more aesthetic treatments. He has developed a number of new handpieces for skin resurfacing. The non-ablative hand piece packs a stronger punch than our current rejuvenation hand piece. The ablative handpiece produces results equivalent to laser, but with some downtime.

The most exciting developments are associated with acne scar treatment. He has a fractional head and a multi-polar head. Each type of acne scar has its specific treatment. The results can be dramatic and impressive.

Although we have had good results with reducing acne scar depth with the dermaroller, we have always found it difficult to reduce the defined edges of acne scars. He has taught me how, and I have the right attachments to provide this treatment. In fact, he treated a few of my scars. One's quite a large chicken pox scar. It will be fascinating to watch how the appearance changes over the next few days.

Water-Assisted Liposuction: My Personal Experience

Being a major proponent for Water-Jet Liposuction, it was inevitable that I should get my excess fat sucked out sooner or later. The day occurred 10 days ago. The area for treatment was not decided till pretty much the last minute. I wanted all over slimming! But common sense prevailed ultimately, and my arms and abdomen were nominated for treatment.

The operation took about 5 hours. Sedation was minimal, but the amnesic effect was incredible! I hardly remember anything about the operation. It was very comfortable (and I'm known for a non-existent pain threshold). My phone rang halfway through, and I had a totally rational conversation which I kinda remember.

I was mentally prepared for pain (especially in the arms) and soiled clothes and sheets. Neither were very bad. The arms (and abs) hardly hurt at all! Seepage was just from 2 points overnight, and pretty much dried up within 24 hours. The only thing that caught me by surprise was how painful it was when water entered the incision points during showers. But that only lasted a minute.

I took painkillers the first night, just in case it was really painful when the local anaesthetic wore off. This was unnecessary. The pain never kicked in. Sleeping tablets did help for the first few nights. The initial pressure on lying down was a little sore, but just for seconds.

Overall, the discomfort is comparable to mesotherapy. The swelling and tenderness is possibly even less than meso. It certainly has only been painful when I've been whacked in the treated areas. Suddenly, everyone seems to like patting me HARD on the arm! Arghhhhh!

Bruising has been minimal from the start and pretty much gone now. Much less than mesotherapy.

The results have been very gratifying. The tummy area is flat again, and my arms are slim for the first time ever!

I'm looking forward to getting my legs done eventually. Not sure when yet, but my guess is it should be pretty soon. I need to be totally pain-free for a few weeks before I'd contemplate anything else. Having two rounds of extreme makeover within 9 days has been rather trying. Time to be sensible and take a rest!

Stem Cell Stimulation with ActiStem Dermal

This little bottle appeared in my fridge when I was on holiday at the end of last year. It took me a few weeks to figure out where it came from and what it was for. Finally, I discovered that this ActiStem was a new product that contains proteins which stimulate our own stem cells to re-activate. Made from sheep placental extract, the fluid is applied via dermarolling, and produces quite remarkable results in just one session.

Armed with that info, I volunteered to be guinea pig number one (as usual!).

Results? Astonishing! My complexion became much more radiant over the following few days. Yes, DAYS! My pores were smaller, there was quite significant lifting, especially in my brow area. The effects were as significant as if I had done the Botox Dermalift! I would say that is is probably the best my skin has ever been.

I did this treatment about a month ago, and have been desperately waiting for the stock to come in. I have a number of clients asking for this (as the improvement in my skin has been so dramatic). The delay was because my suppliers were planning to not bring it in at all! But after much persuasion, they are finally releasing a box of this precious fluid to me next week.

The effects of this premium treatment can last for months. Repeating it every 6 months or so is adequate to rejuvenate the skin.

How Comfortable is Water Jet Plus Liposuction?

Many of our potential clients are terrified by the thought of having liposuction without general anaesthesia. The fear of pain is naturally a great concern to most. I was recently told about a clinic in the US posting the video of someone talking on their mobile phone during the operation. She was most impressed that this could be possible.

A mere two days later, we had a WAL-veteran (second op) requesting refreshments during the operation. She had rushed to finish her work before coming for the procedure and was starving from skipping lunch. So coffee in hand, she chats with us through most of the procedure!

Certain parts of the body are more sensitive to pain, but WAL is generally a pretty comfortable procedure. And the procedure is certainly safer and easier to perform under mild sedation.

Extreme Makeover Part One

The opportunity finally arose for me to have my eyelids revised. I had a badly done stitch blepharoplasty by one of the local Plastic Surgeons a few years ago. The recovery was long & difficult & I could not trust any any of the local surgeons to improve the appearance. Most are terrified of repercussions from the original surgeon...

So I took the opportunity of my holiday to Manila to make it a Beauty Holiday. Medical tourism is interesting. Especially trying to board an aeroplane with a swollen face! The original plan was for my friend Claudine Roura to revise my eyelids and VASER my arms (since Dr Ueberreiter refused to do Water Lipo on me last November). However, having seen the true potential of Waterjet Plus during my trip to Korea last month, I decided that I should really have WAL instead. And the Manila doctors are all obsessed about my nose for some reason! The doctors from Ospital Ng Maynila were planning on making me a demo patient for the next MIFAS! But, that hospital is a bit scary, and I'm not too keen on being breathed on by 20 doctors! So I asked Claudine to do the necessary first and save me!!!

So last Saturday morning, the shopping was put on hold and I checked into the Las Pinas Doctor's Hospital instead. Over the next few hours, my eyes and nose were completely re-sculpted. Excess skin was removed from my upper eyelids to create a new, deep crease. The inner corners of my eyes were re-fashioned to open them more widely. A silicon graft was inserted to straighted the bridge of my nose. The sides of my nose were trimmed and sewn in to create triangular nostrils. The work of art was completed with steri-strips around my nose to support the graft during the first few days of the healing process. And off I returned to society.

The swelling has been impressive, but less dramatic than with previous eye procedures (meso eyebags is far worse!!!). And I'm back at work, scaring anyone who comes in to see me! Our old clients are bemused that I would subject myself to this at all. And I wonder sometimes, but I'm sure it's all worth it. Even through the swelling, the new form is starting to be visible, and it looks pretty awesome already.

And this is just part one. Part two is a mere week away. Finally, I get to have all the fat sucked out of me! I can't wait!

Definition of Beauty in Korea

Not being a fan of Korean drama serials, I was not fully aware of the obsession of that Nation with Aesthetic treatments, and their definition of perfection. Having spent a few days there, I am truly impressed with how innovative the Aesthetic doctors are in making dreams come true.

One thing that is glaringly clear after that trip is that the Singaporean ideal of perfect beauty is actually very similar to our Korean counterpart's. With the TV influence, I guess that's not surprising. What is nice to see, is that Water-Jet liposuction is really helping the Koreans attain their ideal body shape with little downtime. Many have undergone multiple sessions and gradually sculpted their bodies from arms to abs to thighs to calves. Their ideal is skinny but contoured. Anything to look good in skinny jeans! So circumferential liposuction is the norm, many operating on a different area within 2 weeks of the previous operation! Wow!

Surprisingly, the Korean men are quite proud of their tummies! The ladies are the ones who demand very slim bodies. They have a tendency to thick waists and fat deposition in the armpits and just above the breasts. With Water-Jet Plus, they end up with breasts well defined on a thin chest, and an hour-glass figure.

We've pretty much switched across totally to Water-Jet Plus now. The procedure is much easier and results more satisfying.

Water-Jet Plus: 5th Generation Liposuction

Having recently spent a few days in Korea, I have now seen the true advantage of the Water-Jet Liposuction system. The Korean doctors have embraced this new technology and brought it to the next level. Hence it is Water-Jet Plus there, and not just WAL.

I had the great privilege of training with Dr Cho Young Shin, the founder and Chief Doctor of Young Clinic. She was the first to purchase the machine a year and 7 months ago. She has since performed 500 cases with the Water-Jet system. She is one of the Water-Jet Trainers in Korea. She is kept very busy in this role as the machine has been purchased by over a hundred Korean doctors.

Coming from Singapore, where VASER is King, it was refreshing to be in a country where Aesthetic surgery is common place, and no one has even heard of VASER! Many have moved from the Lipomatic (a mechanical liposuction device) straight to Water-Jet Plus.

So what is this Water-Jet Plus that is so impressive? From my brief time there, the difference seemed to be the use of huge volumes of water, so the fat gets flushed out easily with little trauma. It seemed more systematic and there was definitely a more effective fluid extraction technique than I was practising. They also had lots of experience with circumferential and large volume liposuctions.

Armed with this knowledge and a few more gems to make the operation more efficient, we have embarked on bringing Water-Jet Plus to Simply Aesthetic.

We did our first circumferential thigh liposuction this weekend. It took hours, but the results are most pleasing. We were able to balance the entire thigh fat distribution, as opposed to desperately trying to just eliminate the bits that jutted out. No more thunder thighs after surgery! And the more efficient aspiration technique meant less post-op oozing. The contour was definitely visible immediately after surgery.

The Korean technique certainly creates more work and uses up more consumables than standard Water-Jet Liposuction. But I think the results are certainly superior.

Dermal Grafting for Acne Scars

I came across this fascinating post in an Acne forum where this girl basically describes how her dermatologist has filled out her rolling acne scars with collagen harvested from the back of her ears and has transformed her face to nearly flawless. He combined it with needling of the scar first, then filling a few depressions each time.

Pierre Fournier describes a very simple collagen extraction technique from unwanted fat pockets, so the donor site does not require stitching. Large quantities can be harvested and stored in deep freeze for future use or topical application (mix with night cream for autologous stem cells).

Wonder if we can combine these two technique and add in dermarolling for maximum benefits? Hmmmm.........

The Food Pyramid

This is an excerpt from "Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat" by Rudy Rivera MD and Roger Deutsch.

It is interesting that the official USDA food pyramid recommends a large sampling of grains and fruit each day. This pyramid may represent a way to ensure adequate nutrient intake in the form of vitamins and minerals, but it certainly is no way to lose weight. Whereas the USDA food pyramid was not intended as a with loss plan, normal healthy eating should promote normal weight.

As noted by Dr Barry Sears in his book The Zone, the food pyramid closely resembles the proportions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates fed to cattle in feedlots to fatten them for slaughter. I suggest you rethink the food pyramid. If it fattens cattle so well, why would it make us thinner? Observe that "food pyramid" Americans aren't getting thinner; they are getting fatter. And that's not just a coincidence.

The 2001 Annual Meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity revealed preliminary results from a three-centre study comparing the Atkins high-protein diet to a conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate plan. The researchers concluded that the Atkins diet produced favourable results on weight, HDL (High-Density Lipoproteins, a combination of fat and proteins which carry cholesterol from the cells to the liver for breakdown and elimination from the body), triglycerides (the main type of stored fat in animals), and retention of study subjects.

The low fat plan showed favourable effects on total cholesterol and LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is commonly referred to as "bad cholesterol") and is thought to be a major risk factor for heart disease cholesterol.

Lose the pyramid, folks, it's a bust. And to make your diet work even better, determine your food sensitivities and lock out the processed grains and sweets.

Highlights of 2007

As the year draws to a close, it is apt to remember all that has happened to make 2007 a most memorable one.

Move & Re-Brand

Top of the list has to be our move from Faber House in Orchard Road to our current location in UE Square Shopping Mall. It was a difficult decision as we valued our proximity to Somerset MRT Station. However, the lack of visibility was a killer, and the great UOL unhelpful (understatement of the year!).

So in July, we packed our belongings and in a record three days, moved everything over to UE Square.

We decided to shorten the clinic name from "Simply Aesthetic Rejuvenation & Contouring Clinic" to "Simply Aesthetic". We hired a graphic designer to create a new logo. A brochure soon followed, and our new bags are now in production.

New Team

We've had a few changes in staff earlier in the year, but are delighted with our current team. Mery, who has been with us from day one, is the Clinic Manager, and effectively ensures smooth running of our services.

Ivy joined us mid-year, and has become our champion in machine therapy. Her favourite is undoubtedly the Radiofrequency machine. She takes great pleasure in re-moulding a sagging face and melting away unwanted fat.

Dyna is our latest addition. A Staff Nurse from the Philippines, she has been crucial in getting our liposuction service off the ground. She has had to learn all about Medical Aesthetics, and is currently undergoing in-house training to become a Therapist like Mery & Ivy.

New Machines

We started off 2007 with six machines. We end with about twenty! It all started slowly enough in January, with the acquisition of our "Chocolate" (Diamond Contours Biomesosculpture) machine. Then suddenly, from August onwards, we've been picking up over one new machine every single month! We can barely move for machines now! But that's pretty cool, since we really can provide a very comprehensive range of treatment options for weight loss in particular.

Intensive Training

The rate at which Medical Aesthetics is advancing is tremendous. Comparing this field to say Anaesthesia, there really has been nothing added to routine Anaesthetic practice for the last 10 years! Although we do not provide every aesthetic treatment in our clinic, it was only when we were training Dyna that we realised how much has been added since Ivy joined us!

Training received this year included:

• Curl Lift & Lipofilling Course with Dr Pierre Fournier (Singapore, Aug 2007)
• 3rd Asia Pacific Aesthetic Medicine Conference (Singapore, Aug 2007)
• Arcadia Laser Course (Singapore, May 2007)
• Radiofrequency in Aesthetic Medicine (Bangkok, Nov 2007)
• Minimally Invasive Facial Aesthetic Surgery (Manila, Nov 2007)
• Water-Jet Assisted Liposuction Training (Singapore, Nov 2007)

Looking Forward to 2008

We look forward to offering new and exciting treatments to complement our current services. With strategic alliances locally, as well as in Hong Kong and Manila, we are confident of being at the cutting edge of aesthetic medicine in Singapore.

As we near the peak in our time of rapid growth, we continue to seek a suitable Therapist to join our team. We have also been waiting for additional space to become available at UE Square.

2007 brought many surprises which we did not anticipate. We have embraced many of the opportunities presented and taken the clinic to new heights. We look forward to new opportunities in the coming year, and can only guess at the possibilities ahead.