What collagen does
Collagen gives skin its structure and firmness. Its loss is linked to diffuse deflation, for example in the mid-face, temples and jawline, and this can follow significant weight loss.
The word is used loosely in advertising and in conversation. In Chinese, 胶原蛋白针 is also used for several different products. Before you buy anything, it helps to know whether a product contains collagen, or whether it prompts your skin to make more. This guide is general information, and your plan depends on an examination.
Where the treatment pages fit
This guide is an overview. Our treatment pages explain each product in more depth: Sculptra, Ellansé, Radiesse and Juvelook. If you are weighing two of them, read Sculptra vs Radiesse. These products are medical injectables, so they are given only after assessment by a doctor.
Collagen options in Singapore: what each one is
| Type | What it is | Point to note |
|---|---|---|
| Oral collagen | Digested like dietary protein | It does not act locally on the face |
| Collagen injection | Places collagen itself, for example a cross-linked porcine gel with lidocaine, in small superficial amounts | Resorbed over time |
| Collagen stimulator | An injectable scaffold of microparticles. It contains no collagen | Your fibroblasts build type I collagen around the particles |
The main biostimulators
Little volume on the day, and what you see is mostly water that settles. Used for diffuse mid-face loss and, within a whole-face plan, the temples.
Microspheres in a gel carrier, giving some support on the day. Used for the jawline, chin and backs of the hands.
Microspheres in a gel carrier, giving firm support where placed. Used for the jawline and hands, and diluted for skin quality.
Hydration comes from non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid, the only part that can be dissolved. Evidence so far comes from small studies.
Why dosing is cautious
Hyaluronidase acts only on hyaluronic acid. It does not dissolve PLLA, PCL or CaHA. Once placed, these products cannot simply be removed, so the approach is to under-treat, wait and reassess. PLLA breaks down by hydrolysis, and PCL does so more gradually. Dosing is conservative, placement is planned, and treatment is usually staged. Lumps are managed with ultrasound mapping, medical treatment for inflamed lumps, and the Sculpting mode of Time Freeze Laser LCLR® for nodules, without an incision. A review is timed to the collagen response, not to the swelling.
How treatment is planned
Who it may suit, and who should wait
Diffuse mid-face, temple or jawline volume loss, or deflation after significant weight loss, if you are willing to under-treat first and reassess.
Pregnancy or breastfeeding, infection or inflammation in the area such as an acne flare or cold sore, or an event coming up soon.
Earlier filler or an unknown product, bleeding disorders or blood thinners, active autoimmune conditions, and keloid or granuloma history.
A known allergy to a product component.
Lips, tear troughs, fine lines, sharp lines, or a need for an immediate, adjustable result. Reversible hyaluronic acid filler is suggested instead.
Heavy skin excess goes for plastic surgery assessment. Nodules from earlier biostimulators go for filler correction.
What they cannot do
Biostimulators do not lift or tighten, shape a lip, or give a result before an event. Volume placed under descended tissue does not lift it, and support beneath loose skin does not tighten it. For those concerns, the doctor may look at VF Lift, a thread lift or RVR ProLift. Excess or lumpy product from earlier treatment cannot be dissolved, so mapping and filler correction are used. Oral collagen does not act locally on the face.
Before you book
Please declare blood thinners, supplements such as fish oil, bleeding disorders, earlier fillers, allergies, autoimmune conditions and keloid history. Tell the clinic about pregnancy, breastfeeding, dental work and upcoming events. An event matters because these products do not give a result on the day, and early swelling can be misleading.
Risks and recovery
Early on, expect swelling, bruising, tenderness and small bumps at injection points. Less often there are lumps or nodules, which can appear late, asymmetry or overcorrection, and granulomas, an inflammatory reaction to the particles. Vascular occlusion is uncommon but time-critical. Blanching, dusky or mottled skin, or worsening pain, needs urgent assessment by the injecting doctor or at A&E now. A red or tender lump needs same-day doctor review. Any change in vision or eye pain means calling 995 now. See our warning signs guide. PLLA is massaged in a pattern you are shown. PCL is not massaged unless instructed. Avoid heat, alcohol, strenuous exercise and pressing the area as advised.
How fees are worked out
Fees are not published. The fee follows your written plan and depends on the material, the amount needed, the areas treated, staging, and any combined treatment. Your consultation decides whether a biostimulator is advised at all. Treatment for appearance cannot be claimed under MediSave or MediShield Life, and most private insurance plans exclude it.