Call us biased, but we think that medi-aesthetics facials are, to us, the best type of facial. They combine the pampering of a conventional spa facial, with the efficacy of an aesthetic treatment. The new Salmon DNA Repair Facial from Ageless Medi-Aesthetics is probably one of our favourite new treatments from this category.
Why? In a nutshell, the Salmon DNA Repair Facial is a lighter (and more enjoyable) version of the recently-popular PDRN injectible aesthetic treatment, also known as Rejuran Healer.
Rejuran Healer, a Korea FDA-approved substance derived from salmon sperm, has been the subject of many rave reviews, with benefits such as the lightening of acne scarring and pigmentation, the rejuvenation of ageing skin, and even the healing of eczema and skin irritation. Unfortunately, it does have two downsides — it is quite painful, and the injections of PDRN leave behind raised weals that take somewhere between 12 and 24 hours to heal.
This is where the Salmon DNA Repair Facial comes in. The treatment was created by Dr Lam Bee Lan, the founder and principal physician at Ageless Medical and Ageless Medi-Aesthetics, to be able to cater to people who might not yet want to try injectibles, or who do not want to deal with the downtime normally associated with Rejuran Healer.
So why have we given it the A grade? Read on and find out.
01 | The Arrival
Ageless Medi-Aesthetics sits side by side its higher-powered sister, Ageless Medical, on the fourth floor of Wheelock Place. Together, the two clinics take up some 3,500 square feet of space, and serve countless satisfied clients each day — including plenty from the media and entertainment industry.
The spacious reception area serving the two businesses is usually calm, quiet, and empty — but not for a lack of patronage. Rather, the nurses and therapists managing the clinics are simply very, very efficient. Their unique combination of warmth and efficiency is one reason we always feel welcome when trying out treatments at Ageless.
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Dr Lam with her therapists
Each facial or treatment regimen, regardless of whether it is performed by Dr Lam herself, or by her highly-trained therapists, begins with a consultation — important for setting expectations, and for Dr Lam to recommend what treatments would best suit each person’s skin needs. With over 15 years’ experience in the aesthetics business, rest assured that she has seen just about everything.
02 | The Business
As we mentioned earlier, Dr Lam created the Salmon DNA Repair Facial as an alternative to Rejuran Healer, the near-miraculous skin-regenerating treatment that can treat everything from acne scarring and wrinkles to inflammation, eczema, and other skin wounds. We can personally attest to the efficacy of Rejuran, but the downside is that it is a painful treatment (given that it involves a full face of injections), and involves at least 12 to 24 hours of downtime.
Instead of injections, the Salmon DNA Repair Facial takes the same salmon-derived PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) healing substance used in Rejuran and introduces it into the skin in a different way. The therapist performing the facial uses a Dermapen to precisely create micro-channels in the skin that allow it to absorb the PDRN, so you can still experience the healing effects of Rejuran but with minimal discomfort.
Patients can expect results similar to that of Rejuran: reduced inflammation, improved skin elasticity, refined pores, lightened acne scarring, and balanced sebum production. Of course, this is on top of the naturally-good-skin glow.
The facial also includes cleansing, microdermabrasion and light extraction to clear out clogged pores before the PDRN Dermapen infusion treatment. After the treatment, Healite LED light therapy is used — yellow light for accelerated healing and red for skin rejuvenation. This will help the micro-channels within the skin to heal more quickly as well as enhance the production of new skin cells.
Finally, a stem cell mask is applied to soothe and moisturise the skin before you are sent back out to face the world.
While the results from the facial will be less significant than a course of Rejuran Healer, Ageless Medi-Aesthetics still guarantees visible results after a single session.
03 | The Craft
The treatment itself was a very comfortable experience. The therapist performing the facial was highly-skilled and managed to minimise any discomfort that might have resulted from the extraction and Dermapen infusion process.
The highlight of this facial is the use of the Dermapen to infuse the PDRN into the skin. After the microdermabrasion and extraction, the therapist dabs a generous portion of the PDRN liquid onto a section of the face and uses the Dermapen to create micro-channels over the area. The PDRN is immediately absorbed, with no dripping, and no mess.
The sensation of the Dermapen passing over the skin is similar to if someone were to lightly scratch your skin with a sharp object — mildly discomforting, but nothing unbearable. The feeling is similar to that of machine-aided microdermabrasion. The oddest part of this facial is that the PDRN liquid actually does smell quite fishy — which should not come as a surprise, considering that the substance is derived from salmon sperm.
04 | The Delivery
I have previously experienced Rejuran Healer before and had been forewarned that the results from the Salmon DNA Repair Facial would not be as dramatic — but I was very pleasantly surprised.
My skin, to put it in the words of popular makeup artist Namvo, resembled that of a dewy dumpling. It was plump, smooth, poreless, and glowing — all of the things that I want when coming out of a facial, and then some. I was impressed because I had been having a particularly dull skin moment at the time due to stress and a lack of sleep, but the facial managed to make me look as though I was having 10 hours of sleep a day, meditated every morning, and drank kale smoothies as a mid-day pick-me-up. As facials go, this is pretty much as good as it gets.
Best of all, the poreless glow lasted for a good two weeks or so before my skin went back to normal — longer than most other facials I have tried.
05 | The Evaluation
I was very happy with the results of the Salmon DNA Repair Facial. Not only did it give me a genuine good-skin glow that lasted for a good two weeks, it also did so with significantly less discomfort and downtime than Rejuran Healer.
Because of how efficacious the facial is, I would recommend it just before special occasions, particularly if you need a longer-lasting glow. It’s definitely going into my personal little black book of beauty tricks — and I might just dial one in before the Lunar New Year. There’s no better time to flaunt great skin, after all.
The Salmon DNA Repair Facial is available at Ageless Medi-Aesthetics at Wheelock Place. Visit the website for more information.