Sometimes
a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do: Time to send Mum in for some much deserved aesthetic enhancements - simply 'cos she deserves it!
I,
like probably many of you out there, am totally guilty of taking my
poor mother for granted. That's why I decided that I would surprise her
(for a change) this year for her 63rd
birthday by taking her to one of Singapore’s top aesthetic doctors to
have a little bit of “work done”. After all, its about time she got a
bit of TLC.
If
you are a regular reader of this blog (which I hope you are), you will know that I have
acne-prone, congested skin, which I can thank my father for, since all
the women in his family have some issue or the other with their skin. My
mother on the other hand, has lovely fair porcelain-type skin, which
ironically, she has completely neglected, to the point where she doesn’t
use sunscreen and often forgets to use the pricey serums and night
creams I have presented to her over the past few years...
The
reason I chose to go to Dr. Tam at EHA Clinic, is because after much
research, I felt that he would be the best to do any injectables should
he deem them necessary. I honestly feel that we should make the effort
to do our research before embarking on having any procedures done, as
the last thing we need is to have too much of something done, to the
point where we look like caricatures of ourselves.
EHA Clinic is located on the 15th
floor of Shaw Centre in Orchard and we were welcomed by his friendly
staff who offered us freshly brewed Chrysanthemum tea before taking us
in to meet Dr. Tam.
Dr.
Tam was very sweet and gentle with my mother - which I totally
appreciated as this was her first time at having anything aesthetic done
(yes, she is one of those bizarre women who have never even
had a facial). After examining my mother’s skin carefully he suggested
that she consider some laser (q switch) and IPL for her pigmentation - due
to unprotected sun exposure (and to sheer laziness I might add) and
fillers to add some volume to her features.
Dr.
Tam explained that this would be a work in progress, and he would not
be pumping my mother’s face with fillers. Instead he would inject enough
to smoothen her skin and lines and leave her looking like a more
refreshed version of herself - not some over injected plasticine
model.
Dr. Tam recommended Radiesse Volumizing Filler, as
not only would it add volume and lift to the areas that had
sunken, it would also more importantly act as a sort of scaffold under the
skin, providing structure while stimulating her own natural collagen to
grow. The production of natural collagen would then continue
for several months, which extends beyond the initial effect of Radiesse.
Best of all, the natural results are clinically proven to last a year
or more. To me, this made so much sense as it would be cost effective
since the effects would last so much longer than a regular filler, but
what I loved most was the fact that it triggered the growth of collagen.
I
must admit that I honestly thought that my mother had a naturally boxy
shaped face. Its only when I was going through the Radiesse brochure and
looked at their ‘ageing process’ image that I realized that the boxy
shape was due to ageing and gravity and had nothing to do with her
actual face shape. I realize that this makes me sound quite awful, but
honestly, how closely do we actually look at our parents?
After
being examined by Dr. Tam, his nurses cleansed and photographed my
mother from a number of angles and applied some numbing cream on her
face. Thirty minutes later, the procedure began.
Dr.
Tam carefully injected Radiesse around my mother’s cheek, mid face area
and marionette lines to add volume.
The procedure did not take too
long, but the doctor was diligent in ensuring that he injected just the
right amount to make her look natural. He answered all her questions and
advised her to avoid sleeping on her face or side for the first few
nights.
The
end result? My mother, an injection-phobe was ecstatic with the
results. The procedure she said was painless (thank you numbing cream
and the expert hands of Dr. Tam) and she was really happy with the
results, which although subtle, Dr. Tam ensured us would look even
better after a few months when her collagen started to grow.
A
few days after the treatment her skin looked much smoother (even my
totally unobservant brothers commented that she looked rested and
younger). It was as if someone took an iron to the wrinkles and lines. Her naso-labial folds were barely
noticeable and her marionette lines greatly reduced. She looked
literally like she had spent a week at a spa; rested, relaxed and
fresher.
A
month after her treatment, she has noticed that her jawline seems more
defined and her marionette lines are even less visible. She says that
the results are not overly obvious, but subtle enough to be noticed
without anyone knowing that she had work done. Her pigmentation
after just one treatment of IPL and q switch has lightened tremendously
and she now takes oral sunscreen pills and applies (when I nag) her
sunscreen almost daily. Getting her to reapply her sunscreen every two
hours is still a work in progress, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
