natural healing

To combat pigmentation, sagging and adult acne in the gentlest way, a new treatment uses botanical extracts as well as light and heat energy. Three fans tell us how it has fixed their skin woes.

While Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and laser treatments are still the gold standard in treating skin problems like dark spots and acne, they sometimes require downtime. Also, IPL treatments may not be suitable for those with darker skin tones, which may burn due to the high-intensity light energy used.

For something gentler, try skincare specialist The Skin Botanique’s Botanical Photothermolysis, which uses botanical extracts alongside medical-grade heat and light energy to combat skin problems. The latter works on the deeper layers of the skin to trigger skin’s natural healing ability, and supposedly optimises collagen production, which slows down with age. The heat and light energy also supposedly have an anti-bacterial and antiinflammatory effect on acne.

According to a spokesperson from The Skin Botanique, the heat and light energy used in Botanical Photothermolysis is 20 to 25 per cent of that used in most traditional laser and IPL treatments, making the treatment safer and more tolerable for all skin types.

PLANT POWER

A Botanical Photothermolysis treatment starts with a 20- to 30-minute session of heat and light energy therapy. The therapist then applies a customised blend of botanical extracts – formulated from over 100 extracts available – to your face and leaves it on for about 30 minutes. This paste-like formula is prescibed to target your specific skin concerns.

The extracts – which have herbal and healing properties – are also said to soothe and heal skin, and supposedly deliver essential nutrients to speed up the healing process.

The hour-long Botanical Photothermolysis does not require the use of a numbing or cooling gel, as all you’ll experience is a momentary warm sensation. Chances of allergy on sensitive skin types caused by these gels are thus reduced. For best results, you may need six to eight sessions. Depending on the severity of your skin problems, it can be done weekly or once every five weeks.

The Skin Botanique also offers the New Face treatment, a plant-based facial that can be customised to combat various skin problems. Your face is cleansed, steamed with cold-pressed essential oils, then treated with a customised cream mask formulated with botanical extracts. The treatment is reportedly so mild that it’s suitable even for those with the most sensitive skin. Depending on the individual’s skin condition, the Skin Botanique sometimes starts customers off with a few sessions of New Face before putting them on a course of Botanical Photothermolysis.

Dionis Chiua, 30, business business development development manager manager Plagued by adult acne

Dionis started getting clogged pores and breakouts on her forehead last year, which left post-acne scars and dark blemishes. As she wasn’t comfortable taking medication or using chemical-based products, she went for monthly Botanical Photothermolysis treatments last year and started using plant-based skincare from The Skin Botanique, such as the Ultra-light Moisturiser and the Botanical Acne Formula. After the rst Botanical Photothermolysis session, her skin became less oily and she suffered from breakouts less often. Dionis also noticed that her skin tone was more even while her post-acne blemishes and pigmentation were signicantly faded.

Crystal Crystal Lim, Lim, 25, sales executive

Has sensitive, acne-prone skin

Once Crystal stopped her oral course of the anti-acne medication, Roaccutane, she found that her acne condition worsened. She had to deal with painful pimples and the scars that they left behind. So, Crystal went for two biweekly sessions of the New Face treatment last year to help calm her skin, after which her skin became less oily and she suffered from breakouts less frequently. After that, she started on a course of Botanical Photothermolysis to further refine enlarged pores, lighten acne scars and normalise sebum production. To maintain the results, she uses The Skin Botanique Enzyme Cleanser and Clarifying Formula.

Siti Siti Mahmudah, Mahmudah, 23, marketing executive

Woke up to breakouts every day

Siti tried using over-the-counter skincare, but they made her skin more sensitive and aggravated her skin problems. So, she went for four sessions of the New Face treatment, once every three weeks, which calmed her daily breakouts and soothed her skin. She then moved on to a course of Botanical Photothermolysis, after which she experienced no breakouts. Her severe post-acne scarring was also improved. Siti maintains the results with the daily use of skincare products from The Skin Botanique, such as the Enzyme Cleanser and the Botanical Exfoliate, which protects her skin and smooths her post-acne scars.