How Plinest helps in improving 4 skin quadrants?
Managing aging skin, maintaining healthy, clear complexion and looking younger are major concerns for anyone seeking to look attractive and healthy.
There’s a saying that beauty is only skin deep; and it’s what’s on the “inside” that truly counts. Well, our body insides are certainly important, just as mental health is, but for your physical being, your skin is the first layer of defence against potential infections such as virus and bacteria. Another major protection it provides is from the sun’s rays – specifically ultraviolet light, which can damage cells.
Thus skin health is important not only for your appearance, but also because as the largest organ of the human body, your skin performs many life essential tasks.
In this article, Dr Lim Ting Song expresses his thoughts on basic procedures for maintaining skin health as well as the appropriate aesthetic treatments if your skin requires specific care or protection.
“Skin quality is an important component of human attractiveness. Someone with “good skin“ is perceived to be more attractive. But how do we define ‘having good skin’?
In aesthetic medicine, we categorised skin quality into 4 main criteria as a method for us to review a person’s skin and make appropriate treatment options,” Dr Lim explained.
Aside from the standard routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising, people with skin issues such as acne, sagging skin and pigmentation may require customised medical aesthetic care to treat, control and improve their skin quality.
“In general, people only start focusing on the skin once there is an abnormality or at least a perceived problem. However, consistent care could optimise or improve the skin and reduce severity of most skin issues. In many cases, basic aesthetic treatments can make a big difference,” Dr Lim added.
So what is good skin quality?
According to Dr Lim and a panel of 10 world-recognised and experienced dermatologists/aesthetic physicians (source to citation below), skin quality can be described in 4 main categories – skin tone evenness, skin surface evenness, skin firmness, and skin glow.
Analysis of a patient’s skin based on the categories below can help clinicians determine the appropriate treatment option(s) and the tissue or skin layer(s) to address.
But first, how does aging affects the skin?
Age-related skin changes can occur in all tissue layers – from the outer epidermis to the dermis and deeper subcutaneous fat layer. Below are the changes that occurs:
1. Skeletal aging – refers to loss of bony support. A decrease in volume decreases support and contributes to an aged appearance of the face
- Changes in bony support also alter the position of the retaining ligaments and muscles which leads to loosening of facial structure. This accentuates increased laxity and the appearance of volume loss
- Age-related changes in fat tissue in the face lead to volume loss and sagging
- The elasticity of skin decreases with age due to collagen and elastin loss.
- An increase in surface roughness is possible due to decreased water and sebum content in the skin, which contributes to the development of wrinkles, including but not limited to periorbital wrinkles (crow’s feet) and forehead and glabellar lines (frown lines).
The age-related deterioration is most pronounced after the age of 40 but insufficient skincare and lifestyle habits can wreck havoc on the skin at any age. This creates the need for safe, efficient and effective aesthetic procedures to repair and enhance skin quality.
At Clique, we have always emphasised on the need for a consultation prior to any quotes or recommendations. This is important because once our doctors are able to see and check the skin, they can begin to ascertain a patient’s skin quality.
Studying and analysing a patient’ skin using the 4 skin quadrants as below allows for an effective and safe treatment plan.
Skin Tone Evenness
An even skin tone is clear and free of dark spots and blemishes.
The parameters under this category are:
1 Pigmentation – refers to the overall coloring of the skin. An even skin tone is defined as uniformity in skin pigmentation and even distribution of pigments (no colored/blotchy patches)
2 Erythema – redness on skin due to increased blood flow
3 Coloration/Discoloration due to sun or disease
Treatment for skin tone evenness:
Lifestyle adjustments such as sun protection via the use of topical creams can help. Lasers such as Sylfirm X has been proven effective to reduce pigmentation while Plinest injections can improve skin complexion.
Skin Surface Evenness
Skin with smooth feel and free of scars, lines and hair is considered skin with good surface.
How we measure skin surface evenness:
- Pores – how visible the size of pores
- Crepiness – thin, wrinkled skin similar in appearance to crepe paper. Most common on arms, legs, neck, and under eyes.
- Wrinkles and lines – Lines in the skin caused by mechanical pressure, skin dehydration, or continuous muscle movement.
- Scars – usually affected by injuries. Acne scars are distinct from other scar types.
- Hair – visible facial hair will affect skin surface evenness
- Clarity – Clear skin without black and white heads, pimples, and spots (red or brown rough age spots)
Treatment options for improving surface evenness:
Our doctors recommend a combination of lasers and Sylfirm X for treating scars and unwanted hair. Plinest injections can improve skin clarity. Wrinkles and lines can be reduced with botulinum toxin (Xeomin) and Ultherapy helps to smoothen out age lines.
Skin Firmness
Firmness comprises all viscoelastic properties of the skin and underlying tissues.
The parameters that we constitute skin firmness are:
- Elasticity – The ability of the skin to return to its original position
- Tautness/Tightness – The resistance of skin against mechanical force
- Hydration – The water content of the epidermis
Treatment options for improving surface evenness:
Skin elasticity is mainly addressed with biostimulators, including Radiesse and Plinest combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers such as Boletero. Other treatment options for improving elasticity include Ultherapy which improves skin laxity, is safe in all skin types, and does not cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Skin Glow
Skin glow can be described by several synonyms, including radiance, luminosity, brightness, vibrancy, and complexion.
Treatment options for improving skin glow:
The recommended treatments to improve glow includes HA fillers, bio-regenerative injectable (Plinest) and biostimulators. These can improve hydration and have biostimulatory properties which improves glow.
Conclusion:
Our skin can be affected by multiple tissue layers so it’s important to note that surface appearance and quality can be due from; and be impacted by deeper structures or tissues underneath our epidermis. This means that topical approaches (creams, elixirs, scrubs) targeting the surface skin level may not be sufficient. Instead, improving skin quality in all 4 quadrants require a holistic, multilayer treatment strategy.
The skin quadrants and treatment options presented here allows doctors to establish when aesthetic treatment is appropriate and which treatment modality can be used to ensure optimal results.
We hope that this article helped to educate you about your skin. During consultation, our doctors will go into details about each quadrant, and you would be able to make informed decisions about which part of your skin that you would most like to improve on (eg, skin tone evenness). Our doctors can then determine the appropriate treatment option(s) and the tissue or skin layer(s) to address.
The treatments recommended is likely a combination of several procedures to target multiple issues. You can be assured that your treatment plan is tailored to achieve your desired results!
Citation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34163203/
