[ Agnes ] Hydro-Therapeutics Facial Treatment At IDS Aesthetics ( INNOVATIVE DERMATOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS )
Its been more than a month since I last visited IDS for a skin consultation and I am back again to experience my first facial treatment with them. How exciting! As my last facial with my regular facial salon was almost 3 months ago, I am definitely looking forward to having my first facial treatment with IDS Aesthetics for a glowy me!
Personally, I found facial treatments to be therapeutic. Not only do they bring back the bounce in the skin, they help replenish the moisture levels, even out the skin’s texture and appearance and with regular visits, they may just solve your skin issues.
From having acne, blemishes, pigmentation, wrinkles or fine lines in your skin, to having firmer, clearer and healthier-looking skin in no time, a facial treatment is worth a consideration if you have skin troubles that regular skincare products just won’t fix.
My Experience At IDS Aesthetic ( Orchard )
Upon arrival, the usual Safe Entry check-in procedures for contact tracing apply. Waited for a short 10 minutes before IDS consultant, Caline approached me and asked about my skin condition. I shared with her that my skin has been dehydrated and sensitive during the festive season and she recommended the Hydro-Therapeutics Treatment ( HTT ) which was one of the two options, other than the Cryo Therapeutics Treatment (CTT).
Interestingly, she termed both as HTF ( F for facial ) and CTF ( F for facial ). Thereafter, I have to sign a form agreeing that the facial treatment has been explained to me and another form to confirm that a facial has been done by the facial therapist, Eileen. Standard Operating Procedure ( SOP ) is definitely in place. You can check out all the full range of facial treatment services on its website and the various awards under their belt.
Initially, I thought there would be a skin consultation by Dr. Michelle Wong first, to assess my skin condition, before heading for the facial as per conveyed by Michelle, the consultant who helped to arrange the appointment as well as another lady who called to confirm the appointment.
However, on the actual day, it turned out that I would only get to see the doctor after the facial. Instead, Caline decided on the HTT after a quick consultation. I was told that this HTT would be soothing, calming and hydrating for my skin concerns for that day.
Please voice out if you have very sensitive skin or very dry and dehydrated skin so that IDS can recommend the correct facial treatment for you. Sometimes we know our own skin best especially when some issues cannot be seen by the naked eye.
IDS Facial Treatment Room
I was then brought into a small and cosy treatment room for my 1 hour facial. Pretty, gentle and patient Eileen is my facial therapist and she made me feel very comfortable in her presence. Professional yet knowledgeable, she was able to answer all my queries with ease.
Unlike a regular facial, this quick facial treatment does not involve face steaming, eyebrow trimming, facial scrub and shoulder massage, hence it was not necessary to change to their robe. However, you can always add on other services, if required ( at additional costs, of course ).
Hydro-Therapeutics Treatment (HTT) / 60 minutes / S$211.86
Hydro-Therapeutics Treatment (HTT) is an award-winning facial treatment that works hard through various levels of deep cleansing to remove accumulated dirt, product build-up and clogged sebum that no regular cleanser can. Great for clogged pores and blackheads for brighter and clearer skin.
Benefits : Crystal clear skin, unclogged pores, cellular regeneration, increase collagen production and
reduced lines and wrinkles.
Designed to provide quick and visible results, here's a summary of my Hydro-Therapeutics Facial Treatment which was completed in 60 minutes....
Step 1 : Double Cleansing
Essential for thorough cleansing, IDS Cleansing Milk (C3) was used to remove my sunscreen, followed by IDS Refreshing Cleanser (C1) to cleanse the skin.
Step 2 : MDX (microdermabrasion)
A non-invasive procedure where a crystal tip is passed over the skin to remove the upper layers of blemished skin and suction applied to remove the dead skin cells. It is used to smoothen and improve the texture of facial skin. Skin may feel tight post-treatment, depending on your skin condition that day.
Step 3 : Ultrasonic Cleansing
A treatment which utilises ultrasonic wave motion for the removal of aged surface skin cells, embedded dirt and debris and surface impurities such as blackheads and whiteheads from the skin.
Step 4 : Extractions
Extractions are vital in keeping the pores clean. The manual extraction of comedones does not really hurt as Eileen was quite gentle with me. I have been to other facial salons where my tears would be rolling down during extractions. HAHA. As expected, I have more blackheads on the nose and chin.
Step 5 : Ultrasonic Penetration Of Vitamin C
Vitamin C essence in the form of 2 syringes were applied using a mild electrical current to ensure optimum absorption into the deeper layers of the skin for brighter and firmer skin. There were some stinging sensations on the slight pigmentation spots on both cheeks but Eileen assured me that so long its not a burning sensation, it would be fine. However, I was still worried.
Ta-da! End of facial!
Step 6 : Soothing Mask
Lastly, a herbal-scented soothing facial mask was applied on my face for 15 minutes to soothe the sensitive spots.
Step 7 : Moisturizer and Sunscreen
Before heading out, IDS Intensive Moisturizer (IM) and IDS Non-Tinted Sunscreen (S2) were then applied to seal in all the goodness.
5 minutes later, Caline ushered me into Dr. Michelle Wong's consultation room where I spent about 10 minutes with her - sharing on the facial treatment outcome, on the prescribed IDS products ( from last month ) and which laser I should be going for, in my next appointment with IDS.
Based on her observation, she has noticed my T-zone skin type is now less oily and more balanced after using IDS products at home. And with my concerns on uneven skin tone and large pores, she recommended Pico-lasers for my next visit as Mosaic laser would be too intensive for a beginner like me.
Upon sensing my nervousness, she smiled and told me that lasers are so good and make skin so beautiful, almost implying that anyone would love it! HAHA!
And just like that, I was out of IDS in less than 2 hours.
Summary
As a female, we always have a desire to have clear, radiant skin but due to lack of time, this becomes difficult. However, with IDS 60 minute facials, time-strapped individuals can now look forward to a deep cleanse and radiance boost accomplished over a lunch break.
IDS Hydro-Therapeutics Facial Treatment left my skin very smooth and pores were no longer clogged but clean and smaller. There was an overall dewy glow which lasted till the 3rd day after the facial. The slight pigmentation spot on the right cheek lightened slightly too.
However, as expected, my sensitive skin was slightly red on the nose and chin ( due to extractions ) as well as on the right cheek, where the slight pigmentation spot is. The stinging sensation when the Vitamin C was being administered earlier, has indeed caused my right cheek to sting and turned very red. There was also a subtle taut sensation which left some light scaly patches on forehead and left jaw.
After incorporating hydrating products in my routine as well as masking twice a day, the red and scaly patches were gone after 3 days but the dewy glow remained. As I always have some redness after facials, this reaction was expected, however, the scaly patches were a surprise and kept me worried for awhile. Thankfully, they healed within days.
Unfortunately, the scaly patches on the forehead returned after a week - very red, very warm, itchy and scaly. It was triggered 3 times in a month, from the IDS facial to IDS Vitamin C+ application and after exercise. Dr. Michelle Wong has confirmed it to be dermatitis.
Our skin reacts in different ways so its unfortunate that mine turned out badly. Neoderm was prescribed which I applied for 3 days but it was extremely drying and caused even more flakiness, however, it helped in reducing the redness. Following up with IDS Recovery Serum and IDS Ultra Moisturizer did not help in soothing the scaly and flakiness caused by Neoderm but it did provide relief to my inflammed forehead.
I stopped using Neoderm once the redness was gone and continued using IDS Recovery Serum and Ultra Moisturizer to soothe and moisturise my forehead. The symptoms disappeared after 5 days but seemed to be triggered each time when there's exposure to sun, so I am still monitoring the situation. I will update once I understand more about my condition.
If you are interested to know more about IDS Aesthetic, check out their website on IDS Aesthetic and their various membership programs.
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING
360 Orchard Road
#02-02 International Building
Singapore 238869
T: +65 6450 3555
NOVENA SPECIALIST CENTER
8 Sinaran Drive
#05-09 to 10
Singapore 307470
T: +65 6568 3555
*Credits to Agnes
Visit Agnes's blog post here.
