I visited more than 10 beauty establishments over the course of the last four years and never have I felt so at home at a facial salon.
Enter D’Skin Lab – A leading Singapore-based beauty chain that specialises in anti-aging and skin rejuvenation treatments.
Besides introducing medical-grade equipment and in-depth massages into their facials, D’skin has also formulated their own line of beauty products to optimize and complement the results of their treatments. Talk about commitment to their craft!
As such, it’s no surprise that their no-frills bespoke facials sometimes make me so calm, I feel like I’ve ascended to beauty heaven.
I’m not even exaggerating.
Their therapists’ deep understanding of their customers’ needs and consistent attentiveness really helps you release all that pent up tension and ‘intensely’ relax after a long day at work. I defy you not to fall asleep during their treatments!
Most importantly, I like that the prices of their treatments are clearly stated on their menus when you walk in so there are no hidden expenses or ‘surprise’ bills after the treatments.
You know what they always say – People will stare, so make it worth their while. Read on to find out why D’Skin could be your stairway to heathy porcelain skin!
As you probably already know, most salons use standard salon brand products and tailor their treatments around the efficacy of the products. This is fine but in cases where you have more unique skin problems like sensitive skin, mild eczema or skin allergies, you might require a more careful selection of products coupled with more sophisticated treatments.
As such, standard products and treatment processes may hinder the treatment results or even fail to tackle skin problems more efficiently.
I was utterly impressed when the D’Skin therapists told me they had come up with their own line of products for their treatments. This is fantastic as they would know exactly what ingredients were used to produce the products and prevent any possible allergic reaction. They would also understand the efficacies of these ingredients and be able to better select the products that are in line with the objectives of their treatments. This makes treatments more effective and customizable to different skin concerns.
To top it off, we can also purchase their range of aftercare products to complement the ones used during treatments.
This means we can continue to benefit from the goodness of the treatments even when we’re at home!
Another plus point that sets them apart is their consultation process.
Most salons conduct their skin analysis through quizzes or visual assessment, D’skin takes it up a notch by introducing a standalone PC-powered skin assessment system called the Soft Plus.
It analyses our skin’s pH, hydration, sebum, elasticity and melanin level to determine the appropriate treatment for your skin.
Beauty tip!
Always remember that a thorough skin examination is an imperative step before any facial treatment. You wanna make sure that your treatment does not aggravate any existing skin problems and is adjusted to your skin’s needs. I’m always a fan of facial salons that conduct a consultation and skin analysis before executing their treatment. If the salon does not do that and proceeds to give you a seemingly cookie cutter treatment, vacate yourself from the premises immediately!
Back to my D’Skin review…
The Soft Plus machine also takes into account your age to evaluate if your skin is aging faster than your actual age.
This probe from the machine was pressed gently against my skin to check these various conditions – my skin’s pH, hydration, sebum, elasticity and melanin levels.
From this, it shows that my skin is generally more hydrated which caught me by surprise because my skin is mostly dry and flaky.
My therapist Carol, probed further and we realized the discrepancy was caused by the shower I took before the facial. Haha! So my skin appeared a little more hydrated and ‘normal’ during the examination.
From the detailed assessment, Carol concludes that my skin is generally normal in terms of hydration, elasticity and keratin but problematic in the sebum control department.
This comes as no surprise as I’ve always had visible large gaping pores but wait? What has keratin got to do with good skin again?
After some googling, I learnt that keratin occurs naturally in our bodies and plays a big role in healthy skin. Naturally, keratin is produced by cells called keratinocytes, and just like collagen or elastin, this protein helps keep the skin firm and forms a protective layer to maintain healthy skin.
This barrier helps keep out pathogens and helps minimize serious damage from other environmental factors. Since prevention is key to healthy skin, finding the best keratin treatment that has the right ingredients can help maintain the protective barrier to keep skin healthy longer.
Whoa! I didn’t know keratin was so vital for healthy skin
Enough introduction. Now let’s head to the cozy treatment room! Whoopee!
Heated beds and leg pillows are always a good idea!
To give you a better idea of my skin condition, here’s a rare ultra close-up photo of my skin.
I think the key problems are clogged pores (Did you see that strawberry nose???), neck lines and dull skin. I’m happy with the freckles for now. 😛
Carol starts the treatment with a double cleansing routine to prep my face for the products later.
To sum it up, she used a makeup cleanser to remove my sunscreen, then she exfoliated my face with a scrub and steamed it to loosen the debris on the surface.
Now that my visage is squeaky clean, I’m ready for the most dreaded part of the facial – extraction!!!
Eek! Hold on tight!
To totally clean out my pores with an extraction tool will require a large amount of elbow grease. Remember the strawberry nose?
So Carol applied a blackhead removal mask to lift up the blackheads on the surface first.
The blackhead mask is similar to a pore pack except it does not leave nasty gum on your face and it is extremely effective in removing stubborn blackheads.
Tadah!
I hope I have not made you gag. 😛
The removal process was slightly uncomfortable but Carol made sure she did it slowly and constantly stopped when I cringed. But do bear in mind I might be overreacting since my pain threshold is pretty low. The feeling is like peeling a sticky scotch tape off of your skin so you guys may think it’s entirely bearable.
Here’s my skin right after removing the mask.
My skin is rather sensitive so it looked pretty red after the treatment.
However, it also feels smooth and silky as my blackheads were completely stamped out. Well, at least that was what I thought.
Carol told me there were still some large blackheads and whiteheads lying beneath the epidermis so we’ll still have to go through the traditional extraction step.
Here comes the interesting part – Carol said the extraction process would be carrried out by a trained extraction therapist. Yes. D’Skin actually trains a group of therapists to specialize in extracting blackheads and the certified therapists are then assigned to different facial rooms to address their client’s clogged pore problems.
My face looked as good as new after the process! Noticed the red marks on my chest? The therapist extended the treatment area to my chest to make sure these visible parts of me were not left out. Kudos to that!
Remember this device from my Shou Bust Treatment?
D’Skin is the facial arm of SHOU so similar machines may be used for different areas of your body at times.
In case you’re wondering – this is a safe and non-invasive procedure where light of specific wavelengths is delivered to the skin to stimulate and activate cellular processes deep within the skin layers. This increases the production of collagen and elastin.
In other words, the treatment is performed using a form of light therapy (or photostimulation) which is notable for its high effectiveness with minimal adverse effects.
Pictured above – Carol massaged my face upwards with the device for 30 minutes to lift and tone my saggy skin.
Thereafter, Carol applied this ultra-moisturising mask to calm my skin down.
Don’t worry, my skin isn’t melting like something out of a horror movie, that’s actually the replenishing mask.
At this stage, therapists would usually leave you in the room for about 20 minutes, which is great if you’re sleepy, but if you’re not, it could be a major borefest just lying there counting the seconds.
Just when I thought Carol was going to leave me in the room for her other chores, she stayed and began to give me one of the most soothing head and shoulder massages.
I told you I went to beauty heaven during the treatments. The level of service here is phenomenal, isn’t it?
Thereafter, Carol concluded the facial by applying some toner, moisturizer and one of their best selling products, the UV-Defense sunscreen that promises to block out 99.6% of UVA and UVB sun rays.
My final look! Not too bad eh?
With light:
Without light:
And here’s a more technical representation of my improvement.
Hydration level is now at 100%!
To help you recall, here’s my record before the facial and it was between 60% to 70%.
Amazing isn’t it?
Since then, I’ve been back many times for facials and each visit is as pleasant as the last.
My mom says the best way to tell a good and bad facial spa apart is when the facial treatment extends to your neck and chest area too. Haha! It’s a weird gauge but I think it’s true.
You know like how makeup experts always say don’t forget to put foundation on your neck and chest too as you don’t want the “floating head” effect.
Well, when it comes to skin care, the same logic applies. And a good salon recognises this.
See here for proof:
Here, I’m trying their Miracle Oxy Light treatment that provides the skin with maximum hydration while it lifts and tightens the skin. This special device helps your skin absorb as much goodness from the products as possible.
And guess what? The neck and chest were not spared! Haha!
These days, I noticed my skin looks smoother and a little oilier.
And if you think that’s a bad thing, you’re not quite right. On the contrary, oilier skin is actually a good thing because this means my skin is less congested now and the oil producing glands can function normally, allowing it to naturally lubricate the skin. This in turn maintains a healthy level of sebum, or natural oil.
Your face needs some grease to keep the skin properly hydrated by preventing excessive water loss or absorption.
Nowadays, my skin feels supple and moist. I certainly have D’Skin to thank for my newfound complexion and confidence.
I give it 4 out of 5 Honeyz Stars!
A Special Promo Just For You Belles
Quote Juliana to enjoy a 50% discount for your first treatment at any D’Skin branches.
* Please note that offer is not valid with other discounts or vouchers.
Click here to contact D’Skin for appointments – http://www.dskinlab.com/?page_id=45
Meanwhile, if you would like to find out more about D’Skin’s treatments or products, visit their website at www.dskinlab.com or FB Page at www.facebook.com/dskinSG.
Have fun and keep sparkling!
Your friend,
Juliana
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Disclaimer: Please rest assured that even though the products and services were sponsored, they do not have any bearing on the content of this post. Opinions stated are objective and genuine. Also note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time.