August 17, 2018

Spa facials are now commonplace, offered everywhere from shopping malls to neighbourhood estates. While these may help you unwind,  conventional spa facials may not be able to deliver effective results to your skin, and they may even cause more harm than good.

This is because facials at conventional spas or beauty salons are unsupervised by a doctor and may cause irritation and skin sensitivity. Often they include forceful extraction of pimples, blackheads and whiteheads that not only inflame the skin and cause pain but also increase the chances of secondary infections and deep scarring. Some of our patients have even contracted viral warts from contaminated instruments used for pimple extraction.

Enter the Medifacial. Short for medical facial, it is a procedure performed at a licensed medical establishment with non-invasive dermatological procedures. It causes neither pain or scarring, and uses pharmaceutical grade solutions and serums. A form of microdermabrasion very gently exfoliates dead skin cells, and a specialized vacuum handpiece extracts blackheads and whiteheads. The procedure both removes impurities and intensely hydrates with potent serums, including antioxidants and hydroxy acids, that soothe and rejuvenate the skin.

Medifacials can be tailored to the address a patient’s individual skin concerns including:

Facial Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a safe and painless resurfacing procedure that results in decreased levels of melanin and increased collagen density. Not to be confused with dermabrasion, it targets the epidermis – the outer skin layer – instead of the dermis which is the deeper skin layer.

In conventional dermabrasion, a handpiece sprays inert crystals onto the face – such as aluminium oxide, magnesium oxide or sodium chloride or other abrasive substances – and vacuums them off.

In a medifacial, the microdermabrasion process uses a specialized vacuum handpiece embedded with an abrasion tip that is designed to rotate and gently exfoliate the skin while concurrently applying a soothing solution. The vacuum pressure and speed is adjusted to each patient’s sensitivity and tolerance to maintain as comfortable a procedure as possible.

The mechanism of abrasion and suction gently exfoliates the outer skin layers to remove dead skin cells. With a superficial depth of skin removal, microdermabrasion helps improve the conditions of skin surface such as scarring or photodamaged skin.

By producing controlled superficial trauma, the procedure also promotes facial rejuvenation. Repetitive injury to the epidermis can cause gradual improvement as it stimulates collagen production and fibroblast proliferation. (Fibroblast are cells found in connective tissues that produce collagen and other fibres.) This allows new collagen deposition in the dermis layer.

Mild erythema (redness) may occur at the end of a microdermabrasion treatment but will subside within hours. Microdermabrasion should not be confused with dermabrasion.

Facial Extraction

If you have self-extracted comedones at home, you will likely be aware of the excessive scarring and breakouts that often follow. It is likely that the right pressure or angle is not applied during home extractions, disrupting the integrity of follicles and causing inflammation. Not using medically sterilised equipment can also lead to infections, exacerbating the condition.

In a dermatologist’s office, extraction is safely and easily performed and rarely leaves residual scarring. An accredited dermatologist can first assess between comedones that are suitable for extraction versus those that are not. After prepping the skin with alcohol, a tiny prick incision is made with a surgical blade to lightly pierce the epidermis. Light or medium pressure is applied directly on top of the comedo until all of the contents are removed. The treatment may cause minor discomfort but also help achieve an almost instant improvement in skin appearance.

In a medifacial, the microdermasion and vacuum processes, together with specialized and hydrating solutions, “loosen” and extract blackheads, whiteheads, excess sebum, keratin and other impurities. The specialized medifacial handpiece creates a strong vacuum with precision control that targets comedones from enlarged pores and removes the associated waste from the epidermis. It avoids collateral damage to the surrounding tissue and is completely painless.

Infusion of potent serums

In a medifacial, topical infusion of various serums and solutions is carried out continuously using the specialized treatment handpiece. The serums contain a potent mix of sodium hyaluronate, antioxidants and hydroxy acids that are applied at different stages of treatment to achieve a variety of effects such as skin hydration, lightening of pigmentation and softening of the skin for exfoliation and extraction.

Antioxidants are substances that protect our body and skin from oxidative damage. With their highly protective and rejuvenating properties, they are a mainstay in skincare formulations and key ingredients in a medifacial treatment. Antioxidants used include vitamin E, vitamin C, and rosa damascena (or rose water) that have brightening effects to help skin achieve a radiant glow.

Larecea Extract™ is a dermatologist-formulated combination of bioactive antioxidants derived from brassica olereacea (cruciferous family plants)  and potent regenerative amino acids. It is a trademarked ingredient in the Dr.TWL Dermaceuticals’ cosmeceutical line.

Hydroxy acids help remove the top layer (epidermis) of dead skin cells. They do this by dissolving the ‘cement’ between skin cells, revealing smoother and firmer skin. Hydroxy acids used in a medifacial treatment include salicylic acid and lactic acids. Lactic

So the next time you step out of a facial salon with unsatisfying results, do consider a medifacial instead. Conducted under the supervision of an accredited dermatologist, a medifacial clears up the skin and helps restore its brightness through microdermabrasion, extractions, and an infusion of potent nutrient serums that hydrate and rejuvenate. It also has zero downtime, and only requires liberal sunscreen application to protect against ultraviolet radiation afterwards.

© 2018 TWL Specialist Skin and Laser Centre. All rights reserved.

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Meet with Dr. Teo Wan Lin, an accredited dermatologist at TWL Specialist Skin & Laser Centre, for a thorough consultation to determine the most suitable treatment for your skin.

To book an appointment with Dr. Teo, call us at +65 6355 0522, or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you may fill up our contact form here.

Tags: Acne, Anti-Ageing, Exfoliation, Facials, Microdermabrasion, Skincare