The beauty industry is eternally dreaming up new ways to replicate the effects of cosmetic surgery procedures, without actually necessitating a scalpel or an anaesthetic. We took a deep look at a few of the newer beauty innovations, which don’t require invasive surgery or prolonged downtime, to see what’s been developed in the last 12 months or so. The Phi Lift Drawing on the mathematical principles of Phi (otherwise known as The Golden Ratio – a precise distancing of the features of an object, making it ‘beautiful’), a new sort of (non-surgical) facelift has been developed. Achieving Phi is said to be the key to divine proportion and has been used to great effect throughout history in art and architecture, even Leonarda da Vinci’s Last Supper was said to be painted with the golden proportions in mind. What is it: Measurements of the face are carefully taken and facial fillers are used to accentuate specific areas, thereby bringing the facial proportions closer to that of the golden ratio. Fans of this technique say that they look more attractive and younger than they were before, without anyone being able to put a finger on what exactly they had done. Stephanie, a fashion blogger from Singapore, went under the expert hands of SW1 Clinic’s medical director, Dr Low Chai Ling just before her wedding. “Dr Low took several measurements of my face and decided to accentuate my chin and highlight my cheeks”. According to Stephanie, “She worked fast, and in 10 minutes I was looking at a ‘new’ face. I still looked like myself but somehow my face just looked more attractive, the kind of effect one would have if you used makeup to highlight some features, just that this time it doesn’t wash off like makeup.” Read more: Which is the best: Threadlift, Filler or Ultherapy? The Dream Lift Let’s be honest: Who isn’t looking for a subtle yet transformative tweak? Yet not many are willing to have anything less than “100% natural” in their faces. Sculptra is “the Hollywood’s best-kept secret,” says Dr Chua Han Boon. This is a “skin booster”, made from collagen-building poly-L-lactic acid, which usually requires three monthly injections to produce visible results, but its firming benefits can last for five years. What is it: Though FDA-approved for the face, derms use it off-label to tighten lax skin above the knees and on upper arms. Dr Chua’s latest trick is to inject it in a fanning technique in a lifting directional approach to coax your skin to ‘germinate’ its own stores of collagen in the next few months. Polly Chew, who has undergone two sessions of Dream Sculpture three months ago says she can feel the cumulative effects kicking in with time. “What I like about this is the natural results and the fact that it just gets better with time,” says the part-time accounts administrator. Read more: How to erase your laugh lines without surgery The Nefertiti Lift Dr Kenneth Lee sees a host of celebrities and fashionistas at his Paragon clinic and says that, “While the whole world expects wrinkles are what that ages you, it’s actually your face shape that’s making you look older.” Devotees of this subtle but totally transformative treatment said that the Botox microinjections by Dr Lee, renowned for his precision and attention to detail, worked wonders to firm their jaw line. Here’s why: “The first thing that our mind assesses when it come to judging the age of the person is shape of their face,” Dr Lee says, “Our faces change with time from a triangle (high cheekbones and defined jaw line) to a square with a heavy jaw line and double chin.” What is it: The shape of the face is much more important than the lines and folds. In fact, according to recent research, we are universally recognised as “younger-looking” when a person is wrinkly but has a youthful face shape. Thus, traditional Botox on the forehead alone does not improve appearance, but changing the shape of your face and tightening your jaw line, does. Getting a Nefertiti Lift, or lower face rejuvenation has become a must-have among socialites and celebrities right now, and you can understand why. Caroline has been a patient of Dr Lee for over five years. She says she can go without her facials but she makes her yearly pilgrimage to SW1 Clinic for Dr Lee’s Botox Lift without fail, even if it means braving a two-hour wait during his busy months. “Dr. Kenneth does these little jabs along my jawline and up along my hairline, framing my face to tighten and lift my skin in a manner that nothing else seems to compare,” she says. “To me, Botox is not some face-freezing ingredient, but in fact a skin tightening variant that’s much much better!” Read more: Forget Brows: Women Are Now “Thread-lifting” Their Faces Like Loading...
Dermal filler Sculptra has been called "Hollywood's best-kept secret" by Dr. Chua Han Boon, a practitioner at Singapore and Malaysia's The Sloane Clinic. In the United States, dermal's popularity is even more pronounced. As well as stimulating the production of collagen, Sculptra's natural-looking effects can last up to two years.