Easy Dew - Simple solution for Asian skin....

                             

Happy Chinese New Year Peeps..... It seems like the New Years are pretty much closer together this year with a mere 1 month apart of each other. In Malaysia, Chinese New Year is celebrated with massive decorations, fireworks, reunion dinners, loh sangs and dragon dances. This year is the year of the horse and everyone is feeling the spirit of the wooden horse energising efforts of productivity for the year.

So to start of this year,  I would like to introduce a new medical cosmetic product from Korea. It's called Easy Dew.

Well, what is so special about this range of products? The Koreans are known for their enthusiastic approach towards medical aesthetics and the in depth research and development of products and techniques. EGF is not a new player in the world of aesthetics. Initially the technology was used mainly in scar treatment to aid treatment and reduction. The development of Easydew followed from a request of a patient receiving diabetic foot treatment from a sister product called Easyef dermal solution. Seeing as how the product was able to help with her healing diabetic wound, she wondered how it would affect her face. Dr Jun-Pyo Hong, M.D. , a plastic surgeon of ASAN Medical Center decided to take up the challenge and presented a cosmetic R&D proposal to Daewoong Pharmaceuticals. Together, they developed a medical cosmeceutical that helps to prevent post treatment unwanted side effects while maximizing treatment efficacy starting from the cells using the skin restoration mechanism of the protein EGF that exists in the system. Although initially the skincare range was designed for post procedures, we do find that it works for most normal to dry skin with very marked improvements.

This product came out in Korea in the year 2012 and has made quite an impression in the medical cosmetic world. Using the latest technology of DW-EGF, allows the creation of a stable safe skincare that gives wonderful results. 

So what are the effects of DW-EGF to our skin? Here's a simple diagram to demonstrate:

Here is a control study on the skincare that show's the improvements within weeks. 

Well, we did our own study with the product. We had 5 subjects who volunteered their faces. Each subject was given a treatment ranging from PRP to peeling to Dermaqueen facials and was given a sample of the products with instructions to use on only on the left side 2x daily. The study was suppose to go on for 4 weeks but after the 2nd week, we decided to stop because all of the participants experienced the left side being lifted more than the right side, thus was looking more obvious as the day went. Overall all 5 participants found that the product was easy to apply. The texture suited more of the Normal to Dry skin. All of the participants noticed an improvement as early as the first week, and the improvements seen were the skin textures, pores, lightening of pigments and lifting effects. Even after stopping the products after only 2 weeks of usage, the tightening effect lasted for another good 2-3 weeks after. 

I took a set to try out. The cleanser was pretty good. A small amount was required to clean the whole face and it strips of all the oil from your face. The active soothing serum is perhaps one of my favourites. The light texture serum absorbs almost immediately into the skin leaving it soft and smooth. I had an Obagi peel done on my face prior to using this product, and I do feel that it does reduces the downtime. Usually my face will peel for 5-7 days on Obagi Blue Peel Radiance, but this time round, I had minimal peeling or redness for 3-5 days. However, the most highest concentration of EGF is found in the Easydew EGF Repair Control which is also the most expensive product for the range. It comes in a long fancy bottle. You only need a little bit of cream to apply to your whole face. I loved the texture and how it absorbs almost instantly without a sticky feel. After these 2 steps, you may want to maintain with a good moisturiser. This range comes with 2 types of moisturiser - The Easydew Renewal Intense Moisturiser or the Easydew Renewal Moisturiser. The Intense moisturiser is designed for more elderly or dry skin and is a tad too rich for people below 45. However, if you have very dry skin, this is perhaps a good solution for you. It comes in a 50ml packaging but you will just need a small amount to apply on your face and neck. The Renewal moisturiser is a less thick cream which is more suitable for younger or oily skin. I've also tried out the sunblock which is an SPF 40 with both UVA and UVB coverage. My verdict, its a good sunblock but I think it made me look a bit white. Although it may feel sticky in the beginning, but it absorbs within minutes and the stickiness disappears. It also has some EGF in it that helps to lighten pigmentation.

So now we come to the most important bit, the price. To be honest, it is not exactly cheap. But for the results it can show within 2 weeks I would say its worth every penny. Especially when too many cosmetic products promise so much but delivers so little. The price for each product is between RM 88 - RM 160 with the Easydew EGF Repair Control priced at RM 268 per bottle. If we were to compare to the other cosmetic counter products like Lancome, La Mer or SK II, the price is acceptable. The best part is, there is also a trial kit you can purchase to try out this product before making a decision. 

This trial set consists of 6 items is only RM 248/= and consists of a toner, Active Soothing Serum, Repair Control EGF, Renewal Moisture, Sunblock and BB Cream. These products are available in the clinic with preorder, so if you are interested to purchase or try out, please feel free to contact as at 03-21440080 / 0142233268 or email your enquiry to faceworksclinic@gmail.com. You can also Like us on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/FaceworksClinic ) and send your enquiries there. 

Dermclar Liposomes - Virtual Mesotherapy

Its been awhile since I have time to actually sit and write my blog. Motherhood definitely takes the toll onto most of my time with both my girls in school, hence more attention need to be given to the sprouting young ones. Its the Chinese New Year holidays, and finally I have some time on my own.

Last January I launched a new product in my clinic called Dermclar Liposomes. This is a very unique product from Spain which requires no needle injections. Sounds interesting? Well the results are more interesting. Before I go on about this new product, let me explain a bit about mesotherapy. Mesotherapy is the practice of injecting products into the dermal or subdermal layer and involves multiple injections per site for better distribution. The common uses are for skin hydration, PRP implantation, adipocyte destruction (but injecting into the subcutaneous layer directly to the fat), tightening or even nutrient injection to correct things like pigmentation and texture. 

According to Wikipedia :

Mesotherapy (from Greek mesos, "middle", and therapy from Greek therapeia, "to treat medically") is a non-surgical cosmetic medicine treatment. Mesotherapy employs multiple injections of pharmaceutical and homeopathic medications, plant extracts, vitamins, and other ingredients into subcutaneous fat. Mesotherapy injections allegedly target adipose fat cells, apparently by inducing lipolysis, rupture and cell death among adipocytes.^[1]

Coming back to Dermclar Liposomes - It is a new technology whereas the creators have discovered a new transport system called liposomes that allows products to enter the skin deeper than just standard application and reach the dermal and subdermal layers. The results are similar to treatment with mesotherapy minus the downtime, risk of bruising or pain. And with the no needle technology, treatment around the eye areas and other sensitive areas become a lot easier.

How does this thing work again? Well, with the latest technology of liposomes, it enables the product to be carried through the skin to the subcutaneous or subdermal where it takes effect. The liposomes technically replaces injections into the skin (mesotherapy) but delivers the products to the same level hence why it is called virtual mesotherapy. A single application without using any machines shows instant results in 6 minutes. Phoebe, my friend who introduced me to this product actually did a a mock demo on my arm one day when I was sitting in the clinic - she applied the Face-Neck-Low Neck onto my left arm and there was instant tightening after 6 minutes. No machines used. So we left it at that and its been almost 4 months and people can still see a significant difference between the tightness of my left arm compared to my right arm. Gees.

But in order to get a more stable and balanced result, we recommend that the treatment be combined with their Anti-Age Radiofrequency and transdermal delivery device. We usually recommend weekly with an ampule for 5 times and this will give a stable result between 3-6 months. Using the ampules as homecare will also help prolong and maintain the results. For those who are familiar with mesotherapy, you will notice that this is same with the injections where we usually recommend weekly injections 4-8x then maintenance monthly. 

So what other ampules do they have:

Oh yeah, they thought of everything. My personal favourite would still be the face-neck-low neck for tightening since its one of my main concerns (especially arms). Now its even cooler, since they have also brought in their hand held homecare delivery device to give you an easier and more even distribution of the products.

For more information call us at 03-21440080 / 014-2233268 or email to info@faceworks-clinic.com

Secret - Microneedling RF

Last Monday I was visited by two nice gentleman from GTG Wellness to explain to me about Secret - a new microneedling radiofrequency designed for skin tightening, pore size reduction, improvement of wrinkles and give an overall lifting of the face. Sunds like fun? Well, the idea is pretty amazing as well of the results, but the process may not be everyone's cup of tea.

What is microneedling radiofrequency? The concept behind this technology is pretty simple. Using microneedles poked directly into the skin at a certain depth, and radiofrequency energy is then released inside of the skin. This gives a more uniformed deep tissue warming that will then stimulate the collagen cascade to break and uniform thus new collagen fibers are produced. The needle tip contains 25 very small gold needles acting as an internal conductor. Too technical? Well the pictures will help explain better.

First question that will pop into your mind would be - OUCH!. Luckily before the procedure is done, the face is numbed for 40 minutes before starting. The whole face would take approximately 20-30 minutes to do depending on the area and pain threshold. Despite some needle pricking sensation, I only shed a tear towards the end of the procedure that they needed to stack some areas. Immediately after the procedure, my face felt warm and it was red and swollen. They applied some Pep-Bu to help with the healing. Usually, the swelling will subside within 1 day. In terms of my swelling, by bedtime the swelling was down by 50%. Although the secret is said to have minimal to know downtime, it will also depend on your skin type and the intensity of treatment. In my case, I had sensitive skin but we wanted to know how good the intense therapy level was (and since I was pretty cooperative) so we went to the most desirable setting with multiple stacking at problem areas. The next day I woke up, there were thousands of micro-needle marks on my face which I wasn't really expecting. Luckily, it fades off (or probably falls off) in the subsequent days but even on Day 4 it was pretty visible to my eyes. With the swelling gone by Day 1, it is still possible to cover up the needle scab marks with a light concealer. Yes, I said light - because of the uniformed small dots, it'll look like you are slightly tanner from a far and only if you come up close then you notice the needle marks. (Something like having a pixel laser done).

But was it worth it? Well after a long discussion with Jeffery and Kevin - I do admit that despite the needle marks on my face, even after the 1st day I have noticed a reduction in my pore size, and some lightening of PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) after acne on my face. Now its 4 days, the needle marks are slowly dispersing, my neck and face does feel tighter and more lifted although many would argue I wouldn't need any form of lifting, but there is a difference. Probably in my case, the most significant difference seen in this early stage is pore size reduction around my nose and mid cheek areas. The best thing is that it will last me at least 8 months even with 1 treatment and with 2, more than a year. How's that for all the torture?

So to sum up, the Secret RF microneedling can provide:

     1. Non-surgical face lifting lasting 8 months with a single treatment.

     2. Wrinkle reduction

     3. Skin tightening and rejuvenation.

     4. Minimizes pore size.

     5. Reduce the appearance of acne scars or other form of scars.

     6. Brightening of pigmented scars.

     7. Reduces neck wrinkles.

     8. Reduces stretch marks.

     9. Safe for dark skinned people 

Some of the clinical trial pictures done on this machine:

Want to improve your look for this year? The good news is that Faceworks Clinic is hosting this machine for a limited time only i.e. 13/1/2012 (Friday) till 18/1/2012 at RM 800/session (Normal Price: RM 1800/session) for this Chinese New Year Festival. Interested?? Call Us today for appointment at 03-21440080.