2019 - CALVIN CHAN AESTHETICS

Dec 3, 2019

The Travel Beauty & Skincare Tips Everyone Needs To Know

Keep airplane acne, travel breakouts and skin irritation at bay. Here’s how you can look great in all your holiday photos and feel amazing with clear skin.

It’s the time of the year where everyone is flying off to some destination or another, fulfilling their year-long wanderlust and of course, taking lots of impressive photos for the ‘gram.

Unfortunately, traveling can do a number on your skin. Partly owing to the fact that you’ve forsaken your good old regular skincare products for random travel-sized toiletries you found in your cabinet, and partly because of the stress your skin has been through on the journey.

What Causes Travel Breakouts?

We’ve all been there. Your skin is perfectly fine and dandy pre-takeoff but when you arrive at your destination, everything becomes haywire. Your T-zone is oilier than usual, areas of skin that usually are normal and balanced, like the cheeks, feel dry and sandpapery, and lips become horribly chapped. All these problems point to one culprit: parched aeroplane air.

Air pressure is not the only thing that goes haphazard in the course of a flight, the humidity levels on a plane can plummet to 80 percent lower than normal levels. What this means for your skin? If your skin type is normal to dry it becomes almost desiccated and dehydrated. If it is oily, expect oil production to be ramped up to oil slick levels.

So, what can you do about it?

Pre-Trip Scrub Off

Another chief cause of breakouts is dead skin, which clogs up pores and causes congestion, so a good preventative step is exfoliation.

The best way to do it is with an alpha hydroxy acid, in the form of a facial wash or an at-home peel, that will help to remove the dry, dead layer of skin on the surface and help to clear congestion in your pores.

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration — From The Inside and Outside

Dryness is the biggest offender that causes skin to breakout or peel. In areas that are dry with less active sebum glands, skin becomes so dry it tends to peel or feel really rough and look dull. And on the other hand, when sebum-active skin starts to get drier, it activates more oil production in a bid to rehydrate itself. Often this is overcompensation and skin gets super oily leading to a breakout. This is because when excess oil mixes with dirt and bacteria, it makes skin a breeding ground for zits and acne.

Remedy the sitch by drinking plenty of plain water to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out. Forego the alcohol from the beverage cart (if you can resist) as drinking alcohol causes your body to dehydrate even more.

Before you leave for the airport (and after the exfoliation we recommended in the earlier point), meticulously layer on the hydration with a hydrating softener and serum, followed by a good dose of moisturising emulsion and a light layer of richer cream to seal it all in. Pst… This skincare routine also helps to protect skin from external aggressors like pollution and germs, which, as you know, the plane is full of, being an enclosed space with hundreds of other people.

Essential Sun Protection

This should go without saying but you’ll definitely want to follow up your exfoliation and moisturisation skincare sesh with SPF. Even if you’re not flying you need a good slathering of sunscreen.

And you do know that UV rays are much more intense at higher altitudes, don’t you? What’s more, with the thinner air up there, the sun’s harmful radiation reaches your skin much faster too. So keep those window shutters closed and for the times the air crew require them open for safety reasons during take-off and landing, a good layer of sunscreen will save your face.

Skip The Makeup If You Can

Once your freshly exfoliated face is moisturised and protected from UV radiation, it is best to stop there, i.e. Do not apply makeup…. If you can. Just like you don’t sleep in your makeup, leaving makeup on your face during long periods of travel can lead to clogged pores and breakouts.

But if you must makeup, keep it as simple as possible with a tinted moisturiser or a lightweight BB cream and clean it off thoroughly as soon as you reach your hotel or airbnb. A session of detox with a deep cleansing mask won’t hurt either post-flight.

Calm Body, Calm Mind, Calm Skin

Keep stress in check as anxiety, lack of sleep and elevated stress levels can knock your skin off balance too. Get enough rest on holiday, as much as you want to see it all and do it all. And don’t forget about jet-lag and the impact it can cause on your body. Pop a melatonin pill and get more rest when you first reach a destination before you kick it into high gear with all the sight-seeing, shopping and experiences.

Some helpful aids you might want to pack on your trip (besides all the skincare mentioned above and melantonin pills) — a relaxing lavender scented candle, an eye shade for napping, lip balm to keep puckers smooth and hydrated, and probiotic pilld to keep your digestive track healthy and balanced during your trip.

Call or Whatssap us to find out more about our skincare and skin treatments or to book an appointment.

Nov 20, 2019

Our complete guide to acne care: How to identify and treat different kinds of pimples

There are 7 different types of acne! And the best way to get rid of acne for good is to arm yourself with knowledge and the right treatments.

Everyone complains and laments whenever they get a pimple and of course, many try to take matters into their own hands, usually either using foundation and concealer to hide the offending spot, or (horror!) popping and squeezing it out by themselves.

But everyone knows these methods are far from ideal, smearing makeup on may cause the acne bacteria to be trapped in the skin leading to a worse breakout, and popping zits yourself is often very unsanitary and may cause the situation to deteriorate fast into infection.

Before you do anything about a pimple, or even if you don’t have one at this moment, read this pimple guide. First up… know that there are different types of pimples and that each kind requires a specific action plan. Here’s how to identify and treat the kind of zit you have whether it is blackheads, whiteheads, cystic zits or blind pimples.

1. Hormonal Acne

What it looks like: Scattered zits around your chin and jawline.

The cause: If you have this kind of acne, you’ll notice that it hits regularly, usually coinciding with your period. No surprise because it is caused by fluctuating hormones that rev up sebum production and the excess oil gather in pores, breeding bacteria that eventually leads to the outbreak.

What to do about it: Always have salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide skincare products on hand and a few days before your period, pop them into your skincare routine to prevent hormonal acne from happening in the first place. For salicylic acid try a facial wash or scrub and benzoyl peroxide can easily be found in spot treatments. If hormonal breakouts are still a problem, a facial that focuses on acne treatment can help to get rid of acne-causing bacteria, clear clogged pores and slough away dead skin.

2. Papules

What it looks like: A splattering of small, red, painful zits.

The cause: This is a type of inflammatory acne caused mainly by bacteria called p. acnes on the skin. P. acnes gives rise to skin inflammation and red, sometimes itchy bumps that don’t come to a head.

What to do about it: Get acquainted with the ingredient benzoyl peroxide, which is known to eliminate acne-causing bacteria and calm inflammation. Gentle exfoliation with a low dose of AHA or BHA can be beneficial too. Benzoyl peroxide can be very drying for the skin so hydrate well with a suitable moisturiser.

3. Cystic Acne

What it looks like: A smattering of huge, inflamed pimples. The biggest, reddest, most painful breakout around.

The cause: Genetics is the root cause of cystic pimples and it is worsened by an over stimulation of oil glands. This is the trickiest kind of acne to treat and often recurs in the same spot.

What to do about it: Skincare is not likely to work for this kind of acne, unfortunately. You should see a doctor for cortisone injections or oral medication like an antibiotic to use in conjunction with prescription topical formulas like Epiduo Forte Gel, which is effective at controlling severe acne without the help of oral treatments.

4. Whiteheads

What it looks like: A pimple with a white dot in the middle.

The cause: Whiteheads are often directly related to clogged pores resulting from a buildup of dead skin cells. The white dot you see at the top of a whitehead is in fact the tip of the clog and beneath it is a mix of oil, dirt and bacteria, causing inflammation and the angry bump under it.

What to do about it: This is another case for salicylic acid, which helps to remove excess oil and exfoliate dead cells and keep pores clear. Remember to hydrate skin with a lightweight, oil-free, non-comedogenic moisturiser though, to keep dryness at bay as salicylic acid can halt sebum production.

5. Blackheads

What it looks like: Non inflamed, dark, tiny dots that cover each pore.

The cause: Like whiteheads, blackheads are blocked pores. The difference is the colour as blackheads have a larger opening at the surface compared to whiteheads so air enters and oxidizes the oil nestled in the pore, turning it dark or black.

What to do about it: Blackhead sufferers must exfoliate frequently. Pore strips might help to yank out the blackheads but do use a salicylic acid product to shrink and keep pores clear.

6. Blind Pimples

What it looks like: An isolated, painful, slightly raised bump under the skin without a head. The cause: These kind of pimples are more felt than seen. Some are barely visible and may not look that red but boy, do they hurt. This is because blind pimples fester under the skin but do not have an outlet, so the inflammation burgeons under the skin and makes it painful to the touch. What to do about it: Hands off blind pimples (and any kind of pimple, actually). Picking, poking, scratching or squeezing adds fuel to the fire, or rather, germs to the infection. The good news is that blind pimples may resolve on their own after a few days. If it doesn’t go away in a week, see your facial therapist for a professional zit extraction.

7. Pustules

What it looks like: Fiery zits with white or yellow pus inside that may look similar to whiteheads.

The cause: Although this type of acne resembles whiteheads, they are caused by bacterial inflammation rather than clogged pores.

What to do about it: Reach for the benzoyl peroxide spot treatment, which can help to reduce the bacteria and hence the inflammation. Do not pop an inflamed zit as these can likely leave a scar. Head to your facialist to get them professionally extracted and to calm any inflammation.

Our treatments

To treat and calm active breakouts and acne

PURIFYING LIGHT FACIAL 90mins $220
Keep your acne at bay with this Purifying Light Facial that uses a combination of FDA-approved LED blue light therapy and customised serums to effectively kill the acne-causing bacteria also known as P-acne. Suitable for acne-prone skin and enlarged pores.

PEEL FRESH FACIAL 60mins $250
Combining salicylic and glycolic acid, this dual-action peel exfoliates surface cells and purges pores of gunk. Expect a complexion boost as your congested and dehydrated skin is polished and prime to perfection while sebum secretions are simultaneously balanced.

To exfoliate, purify pores and lessen blackheads and whiteheads

HYDRAFACIAL 30/60 mins $200/$300
An award-winning treatment that Hollywood Celebrities love – a medical-grade hydra-dermabrasion device that carries out a patented three-part regimen — cleansing, exfoliating, and then infusing skin with intensive serums.

To lighten post acne scars (without active acne breakouts)

DIAMOND BRIGHT FACIAL 60mins $220
A skin resurfacing system that improves wrinkles, skin texture and colour by buffing away dead skin cells to reveal younger, more supple, plumped up skin.

ENLIGHTEN SIGNATURE FACIAL 75mins $280
Our signature in-house 5-step facial is a must-try treatment that lightens up stubborn pigmentation and brown spots. Loaded with skin nutrients like antioxidants, Hyaluronic Acid, peptides and other essential elements, this treatment reveals a brightend uniform complexion.

Call or Whatssap us to find out more or to book an appointment.

Oct 8, 2019

EmSculpt for Arms and Legs is here!

EmSculpt® is a US FDA-Approved treatment that is proven to effectively strengthen and build muscle and burn fat, and the best part is that you don’t even need to break a sweat to do it. You just need to lie down with an EmSculpt applicator strapped to your targeted area and it induces deep muscle contractions that simultaneously build muscle and burn fat to effectively sculpt and tone the treated area.

Last year, 2018, EmSculpt burst onto the non-invasive aesthetic body sculpting scene with its original paddle-like applicators meant to target the abdominals and buttocks, but now the new smaller, curved handpieces have just been launched. The latter fits snugly around the arms and legs so you can get the same muscle building and fat burning effects for the biceps, triceps, calves and thighs.

HOW EMSCULPT WORKS

EmSculpt is a non-invasive treatment that uses HIFEM® (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic) energy to activate supramaximal muscle contractions that can’t be achieved voluntarily. Within a 20- or 30-minute session of EmSculpt, the treated area’s muscles are worked to maximum capacity, contracting the equivalent of 20,000 reps. This intensive workout causes a strengthening and growth in muscle tissue and creates a metabolic reaction that breaks down fat.

RESULTS & OPTIMAL TREATMENT PLAN

On average, clinical studies (with over 200 participants), conducted by measuring fat and muscle using CT and MRI scans, showed measurable results after 4 sessions of EmSculpt:

19% fat reduction
16% increase in muscle mass
Increase in fat metabolism (apoptotic index increased from 19% to 92% after consistent treatments)

These clinical studies with EmSculpt® for the abdomen and buttocks treated patients for 30 minutes, twice a week for 2 weeks — a total of 4 treatments. After which, one treatment every 3-6 months is required to maintain results.

This same treatment plan applies to the treatment of arms and legs too, however, each session for arms and legs lasts for 20 minutes.

EmSculpt: $900 nett per session
Duration: 30 mins for abs and butt / 20 mins for arms and legs

All prices stated are inclusive of GST.

Call or Whatssap us to find out more or to book an appointment.

Sep 3, 2019

3 High-tech facials to solve your skin problems

What do we all want from a facial? Better skin, generally. Even better if the effects of said facial are visible and last longer than a day. Increasingly, people expect more from their facials, that’s why nowadays, traditional facials are deemed unnecessary expenses.

“Traditional facials” refer to the basic kind that usually involves five steps – a thorough cleansing, some sort of extraction to clear comedones and detox pores, a relaxing facial (and shoulder) massage, a treatment mask and the application of topical skincare products.

These traditional facials are deemed unnecessary because more and more people feel that they can do these skincare steps by themselves, in the comfort of their own home… No need to spend money to have someone to do it for you. But that’s why this growing crowd are swapping their traditional monthly facials for less frequent but more effective medi-spa treatments that harness machine-based problem solvers like radiofrequency and ultrasound skin firming and tightening, skin-smoothing microdermabrasion, skin infusions, IPL photorejuvenation, and so on.

Here are 3 such powered-up facials you should try for various skin types and concerns:

#1. For skin dullness & dryness
HYDRAFACIAL
What it is: The original patented HydraFacial is a hydradermabrasion device that performs a three steps for your skin — cleansing, exfoliating, and infusing skin with potent treatment serums.
What it does: Hydradermabrasion is a gentler version of microdermabrasion that sucks debris out of pores while infusing skin with actives ingredients that hydrate, brighten and protect. Apart from this standard three steps, there are targeted boosters, which can help with individual skin concerns, like dark spots or fine lines and wrinkles.
The results: It’s a treatment that is super popular in Hollywood because of the instant and lasting glow it imparts.
How often should you do it: Every two to four weeks is recommended to maintain that sought-after skin glow and suppleness.
Cost: First time trial — $240 for 60min (U.P: $300) or Express HydraFacial at $ 160 for 30min (U.P: $200) / $1,500 for 10 sessions

#2. For anti-ageing concerns
EXILIS ULTRA 360 FACE
What it is: A face lifting treatment that harnesses ultrasound and radiofrequency (RF) energy for facial skin tightening, contouring and wrinkle reduction. Pairing ultrasound with RF energy enables faster heating of the skin tissue so the treatment is safer, more comfortable and more effective.
What it does: Exilis can also be done on the eyes, double chin and neck to stimulate collagen production for smoother and firmer skin texture. During the treatment, a hand piece is moved over the face, and you will feel a warm sensation as the heat energy but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable as the device has a cooling system to protect the upper skin layers, plus it constantly monitors the skin’s temperature and adjusts accordingly.
The results: You might be able to see subtle visible improvements from the second treatment session; however, it is common to see improvements up to 6 months later.
How often should you do it? The recommended number of treatments is between two to four sessions and are usually scheduled one to two weeks apart.
Cost: First time trial — $300 for 30min (U.P: $400) / $2,000 for 10 sessions

#3. For acne-prone skin & dryness
PURIFYING LIGHT FACIAL
What it is: This facial uses the iClearXL® FDA approved machine that delivers light energy to treat acne-prone skin. LED blue light therapy that is UV free helps to effectively destroy acne-causing bacteria quickly and easily, simply by shining the light diodes on the face. The treatment will not harm to the skin.
What it does: The blue light makes for a toxic environment for acne-causing bacteria, thus killing it and controlling oil production. The treatment is completed with a customised serum to balance the skin and reduce the likelihood of an acne-breakout. You can relax comfortably on the bed during light application.
The results: Pores are unclogged and blackheads are lessened. It also clams inflammation and aggressive acne, regulate sebum so that skin is less oily and prone to breakouts.
How often should you do it? Twice a week for 4 weeks until active acne is cleared up.
Cost: First time trial — $160 for 60min (U.P: $200) / $1,500 for 10 sessions

Call us to find out more or to book an appointment.

Feb 20, 2019

The treatments that will make you look amazing for the holidays

For some counting down would mean, it’s party time, bonus time or simply taking a break from a very hectic year and making resolutions for the New Year. As we count down to the final months of 2018, it’s time once again to look party-perfect for the many year-end soirees. The solution: Quick-fix, top-to-toe treatments to have you wowing fellow revellers throughout the holiday season. And if you are looking to travel year-end, and want to be Instagram-picture perfect for your trip, then you should consider our treatments to rejuvenate, refresh and recharge.

Skin Detox

Did you know your facial skin is constantly exposed to bacteria, pollutants, dirt and dead skin cells on a daily basis? However, besides using cleansing wipes and skin cleanser, it is important to deep cleanse your skin regularly. What this means is to ensure the confined layers of the epidermis is cleansed thoroughly to prevent clogged pores, bacterial infections or pigmentation.

Just think of it, you brush and floss your teeth twice daily, but you still need to go to the dentist at least twice a year for optimal health. Our treatments, such as Clarity+ Deep Cleansing Facial and Luxe Light Facial use high-quality products made with ingredients that nourish your skin inside out, something that you may not be able to obtain over-the-counter.

Supermodel Me!

Rock that slinky “Little Black Dress” at your year-end dinner and dance this party season with our targeted body-contouring VelaShape. Turn your unsightly muffin top, love handles, saddle hips and thunder thighs into sleek, toned, tight curves. This treatment is designed to melt unwanted fat and improve skin laxity to help you achieve an overall slimmer look. Top it up with our award-winning SkinnifyME! slimming patchthat wraps around problem areas to deliver a potent dose of botanical actives, instantly draining and depuffing as well as blasting excess subdermal fat. Visibly firms, smoothens, tightens and defines the abdomen, waist, thighs and arms.

The EYES Have it!

Recharge tired eyes with FDA-approved treatments using the latest RF technology for fresher, brighter, younger-looking peepers. Selfie-queens will also want to team this up with a lash growth serum and our signature Keratin Eyelash Lifttreatment to give a brand new woke-up-camera-ready look! Just a touch of mascara and you are ready to paint the town red!

Smooth Operator

Taking hair reduction to the next level with Permanent Super Hair Removal. You can now feel clean, confident and hair free. Our hair removal treatments require only monthly visits due to its enhanced effectiveness which saves up a great amount of time.

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