Out Of The Ordinary

The treatments and skincare ingredients that are making waves today.

- Renee Batchelor

As beauty consumers evolve, the appetite for unusual treatments and unconventional skincare ingredients has also grown. While certain treatments like the vampire facial — a combination of microdermabrasion and the application of platelet-rich plasma — are actually banned in Singapore, there are many other out-of-the-box treatments that are approved by the Ministry of Health. There are also brands that are capitalising on the self-care trend and extending the idea to include care for the most intimate areas of the body like the vulva.

And as skincare brands face stiff competition there has also been a growing push for more unusual or premium ingredients to attract new clients. Besides proven skincare workers like vitamins A and C, hyaluronic acid and collagen, many consumers seek exotic and premium ingredients, sometimes even turning back to traditional beauty recipes, in the hope that these will translate to more obvious results.

SKIN TREATMENTS

Dr Rachel Ho, of La Clinic, says that one of the more unusual face treatments that has emerged is Rejuran Healers. “The Rejuran Healer is a skin rejuvenation treatment that also repairs the skin from damage caused by things like acne scars and ageing. It involves the injection of DNA fragments called polynucleotides into the skin. These DNA fragments are derived from salmon sperm,” says Dr Ho. While the treatment has gained a lot of attention for using salmon sperm as an ingredient, Dr Ho believes that it is a safer alternative to platelet-rich plasma therapy or vampire facials. The injections can be done manually or with an injector and results can be seen as soon as four weeks after the treatment. Effects include the reversal of fine lines, better hydration in the skin and the reduction in depth of depressed scars. It also helps the skin recover better from injury.