Patient questions · By topic · Short answers

Aesthetic treatment questions, answered by topic

Short answers. Suitability is decided in person.

These answers are brief summaries. They run in topic order, starting with booking and ending with safety. Each one is a starting point for a talk with a doctor.

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In Brief

These aesthetic treatment questions cover booking, fillers, botulinum toxin, lifting, lasers, scars, hair, body and skin boosters. This hub suits anyone preparing for a first consultation. Short answers cannot assess you, so suitability is always decided in person, and results vary.

What the Research Shows: Aesthetic treatment questions, answered by topic

  • A 2009 systematic review of 11 randomised trials and 1,603 subjects reported wrinkle improvement lasting about 4 to 6 months, with blepharoptosis in 0% to 5.4% after glabellar treatment. [1]
  • A 2015 expert consensus on filler-related impending necrosis, not a trial, recommended at least 200 U of hyaluronidase, more if no improvement within 60 minutes, and said early treatment within 24 hours usually gave better outcomes. [2]
  • A 2024 prospective study of 12 Chinese patients given one 730-nm picosecond laser treatment reported mean freckle clearance of 74.46%; at eight weeks, one had hyperpigmentation and one had hypopigmentation. [3]
  • A 2022 network meta-analysis of 23 studies in male patients reported the greatest 24-week total hair count gain with dutasteride 0.5 mg daily and greatest 48-week terminal hair gain with finasteride 1 mg daily. [4]

Figures describe published study groups, which may have used other devices or protocols. They do not predict your result. Updated 12 November 2026.

About This Page

How to use this page

The questions below follow the ten topics listed here, in the same order. Read the topic that matches your concern, then follow the links for more detail.

Every answer is general. It cannot take account of your history, your anatomy or your medicines. Some people should avoid a treatment or wait, and every treatment carries risks.

Before you book: aesthetic treatment questions to ask first

These cover first visits, checking a doctor and fees. See the consultation process and how we quote.

Dermal fillers

These cover filler types, dissolving and vascular risk. Filler is not always reversible, so read our warning signs guide as well.

Botulinum toxin

This is a prescription treatment. See anti-wrinkle injections and jaw BTX. It acts on muscle, not on fat, skin or bone.

Lifting, HIFU and radiofrequency

These explain how the energy types differ. See HIFU and Thermage. Non-surgical lifting does not remove excess skin.

Lasers and pigmentation

These cover pico laser, melasma and darker marks. See pico laser and melasma treatment. Heat can worsen some pigment.

Acne and scars

Control acne first. See acne treatment and 4D Scar Reconstruction. No single laser treats every scar, and no method erases one.

Hair loss

See male and female hair loss. Treatment supports living follicles, and it cannot reopen one that has stopped.

Body contouring

See the 4K Body Lift and fat freezing. These are not weight-loss treatments, and they suit people near a stable weight.

Skin boosters

See skin boosters. Boosters act on skin quality. They do not add volume or lift, and polynucleotides are generally avoided with a fish allergy.

Safety and aftercare

These cover pregnancy, warning signs and sun care. For anything urgent, go straight to complication care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ask what is causing the concern, what each option cannot do, the risks, who performs it, and what happens if you choose no treatment.
Search the Singapore Medical Council register through the Ministry of Health's Healthcare Professionals Search. Accredited specialists also appear on the Register of Specialists.
Skin disease, such as a changing mole or unexplained rash, needs diagnosis. Volume loss, laxity or texture are usually an aesthetic physician's work.
No. These are clinical procedures for registered practitioners working in a licensed healthcare provider.
Hyaluronic acid filler can, with hyaluronidase. Calcium hydroxylapatite, polycaprolactone and poly-L-lactic acid cannot be dissolved this way, and they resorb over time.
It is filler entering or pressing on an artery and blocking blood flow. Signs include blanched or dusky skin and severe pain. It is an emergency.
Usually not. Filler that has built up may be supporting the face, so correction is staged by region and reassessed.
It varies with product, dose and metabolism. Repeat timing is planned at review, not on a fixed schedule.
It reduces the force of the muscle. It does not address the cause or replace a night guard, so dental review is part of the plan.
Yes. A registered medical practitioner must inject it after a documented consultation. Units are specific to each product.
Focused ultrasound makes discrete heated points at fixed depths. Monopolar radiofrequency heats the dermis more broadly. Both stimulate collagen, in different layers.
No. A thread grips tissue but cannot remove skin. Heavy skin excess needs a surgical discussion.
It can. HIFU is not a fat-reduction treatment, but heat over thin areas of a lean face can cause fat loss that leaves it looking drawn, so HIFU is not planned for a lean face here.
Melasma is sensitive to heat, and Fitzpatrick III to V skin readily rebounds. The next step is reassessment, not more energy.
This is usually post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. If the condition was melasma, heat may also have driven it.
No. The difference is pulse length. Picosecond pulses are shorter, so the effect is more mechanical and less thermal.
Inflammation from active acne creates scars. Treating scars while the disease continues means working on a surface that keeps being damaged.
Run a fingertip across them. Flat marks are usually pigment and fade over months. True scars have a pit or raised area.
A needle or cannula passes under a depressed scar to divide the band anchoring it, leaving the surface intact.
A miniaturised follicle is alive and can respond. A follicle that has stopped producing cannot be reopened, so follicle status is assessed first.
Most often telogen effluvium, triggered by illness, fever, surgery, childbirth, stress, crash dieting or deficiency. It usually settles once the trigger is corrected.
No. It targets localised fat, not overall weight, and suits people near a stable weight.
No. They are established scarring, so treatment aims to improve how they look. Early red marks generally respond more readily than mature white ones.
No. A filler occupies a location to add volume. A booster spreads through tissue and acts on skin quality.
No. It is uncross-linked hybrid hyaluronic acid that spreads through tissue, and it is grouped with skin boosters.
Treatment is deferred, because fillers have not been studied in these groups. It is also deferred with an infection at the site.
White, dusky or mottled skin, or severe or worsening pain, needs urgent assessment by your injector or A&E now. Any vision change means going to A&E at once.
Yes. UV varies little here and is often very high. Cloud does not stop it, and UVA passes through glass.
Keep the area clean and moisturised, use any prescribed ointment, protect it from the sun, and let scabs fall off on their own.
Elective laser is generally deferred. Please tell the doctor about pregnancy, plans to conceive or breastfeeding.
SY
Dr Sin Yong
MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edinburgh)
MSc Aesthetic Medicine (QMUL) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff)
Aesthetic physician registered with the Singapore Medical Council.

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Dr Sin Yong will examine you, explain your options and give any fee in writing.

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References

  1. Gadhia K, Walmsley AD Facial aesthetics: is botulinum toxin treatment effective and safe? A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Br Dent J. 2009;207(5):E9. View source · DOI · PMID 19749689
  2. Cohen JL, et al. Treatment of Hyaluronic Acid Filler-Induced Impending Necrosis With Hyaluronidase: Consensus Recommendations. Aesthet Surg J. 2015;35(7):844-849. View source · DOI · PMID 25964629
  3. Huang Y, et al. Successful Treatment of Freckles Using a 730-nm Picosecond Laser: A Prospective Study. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2024;17:3027-3032. View source · DOI · PMID 39741582
  4. Gupta AK, et al. Relative Efficacy of Minoxidil and the 5-α Reductase Inhibitors in Androgenetic Alopecia Treatment of Male Patients: A Network Meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2022;158(3):266-274. View source · DOI · PMID 35107565
  5. Mizuno M, et al. The effects of continuous application of sunscreen on photoaged skin in Japanese elderly people: the relationship with the usage. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2016;9:95-105. View source · DOI
  6. Kaufman-Janette J, et al. Botulinum Toxin Type A for Glabellar Frown Lines: What Impact of Higher Doses on Outcomes?. Toxins (Basel). 2021;13(7):494. View source · DOI · PMID 34357966

Studies may involve other devices or protocols, and they do not predict your own result. See our evidence library and editorial policy.

Related Treatments

Last updated 12 November 2026. General information only. Results vary between individuals. Images are illustrative and do not show patients.