If you’ve tried acupuncture before, you know what it entails. It’s basically a physician sticking needles at specific points in your body to relieve pain, et cetera. In more recent years, electroacupuncture has also become a popular treatment. That’s where acupuncturists use a needle carrying a small electric current to enhance the treatment.
In the last few years, European aesthetic companies have been working on similar techniques in treatments. Today, Thomson Wellth Clinic in Singapore offers this treatment. It’s called needle shaping and it has a wide spectrum of uses. Needle shaping can eliminate fine wrinkles to improving skin quality and even as a face-lifting technique.
Dr Darryl Chew of Thomson Wellth Clinic explains how it works. “We insert silver-tipped needles on various parts of your face. A small current is passed through these needles, and the result is that it causes the collagen fibres under the skin to tense. We use the needles to twist and tighten the fibres.” The treatment triggers added collagen production from your body, so improvements are au naturale.
The process of needle shaping uses between 40-100 needles and takes around 1 hour. It can be slightly painful at times, like if you’re over-stretching a muscle. Dr Chew applies a numbing cream to ease the pain. Another benefit of the treatment is that it allows him to reach very fine lines even under the eyes, that’s usually difficult to fix without more invasive methods.
Over the next week or two, your skin immediately feels more taut and healthy. But the manufacturer of the Vibrance machine, GMV, explains that it can be used for all sorts of aesthetic services, from lip volume enhancements to cheekbone reconstruction. It depends on what you want improved, and where the doctor uses the needles.
There’s no downtime to be experienced from the treatment. Post-shaping, your skin gains a slightly rosy glow, as if you’ve been in the sun for a bit. The skin continues to improve over the next few weeks. Each treatment lasts between six months to a year. It depends on your age and the condition of your skin when you start treatments and your own personal skincare habits over time.
After my trial, my skin quality did steadily improve, though Dr Chew used a mild current so changes were not as dramatic as we’ve seen in other cases. Breakouts reduced significantly and skin tone evened.
Thomson Wellth is the only clinic in Singapore at the moment offering needle shaping as a treatment. Contact them to find out more, including pricing.