Dr Irenaeus Liu

Doctors will have to see the pigmentation on the lower legs to diagnose it, and confirm if suitable for pigmentation laser or pigmentation cream. There can be a wide range of diagnosis for brown pigment on the lower legs: 1) Birthmarks 2) PIH(post inflammatory pigmentation) 3) Acanthosis nigricans It will be best to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis, and hence the cost.

1)acne scar with crater, firstly, need to assess if the skin has healed well before a gentle subcision of the the crater scar. This is followed by a resurfacing, best by a fractional resurfacing laser. Otherwise a spot chemical peel will do well too. often multiple sessions will be needed for both laser and chemical peels. 2)pigmentation it can be many types of pigmentation, from freckles to Post-inflammatory pigmentation(PIH) to moles. pigment laser work well for freckles, but there is down time for 3-5days. PIH can be treated with nonablative laser and creams.

Dermal Fillers are categorized into the component of the fillers like hyaluronic acid(juvederm/restylane) which last for 6months -18months, or calcium hydroxylapatite(radiesse) or poly-L-lactic acid(sculptra) which last up to 2 years. I used juvederm volbella for the lips. cost about $800. Choose a doctor who has experience with lips fillers.

I use juvederm volbella for tear trough which helps to correct eye bags. For dark eye circles, if it is due to facial remodeling and sunken eyes hence causing the dark eye circles, then this tear trough filler will help well. i use a cannula for tear trough fillers, hence its safer. side effect includes bruising and uneven improvement of eyebags.

Milia seeds are harmless, tiny pearly-white bumps made up of skin protein. Topical treatment include retinoids, such as Differin creams. Chemical peels or ablative laser eg. CO2 laser and dermabrasion are effective for stubborn and extensive milia. The cost of these treatments ($200 – $400) varies amongst clinics, and how extensive the milia seeds are.

thanks for these questions! There are many different types of LASER (Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Mainly 3 types, the nonablative, subablative and ablative. Broadly speaking, it helps skin with wrinkles, pigmentation and scarring. By doing ablative laser(not non-ablative), medically speaking, its using the principle of selective photothermolysis. There is removal of skin in a precisely controlled fashion with resultant minimal surrounding thermal damage. This results in well-organised skin cells with compact collagen and elastic fibers in the skin.

Yes, I understand your concerns because I do get asked similar questions quite often by my patients. You might have been previously prescribed with oral Isotretinoin (eg. Accutane, Roaccutane, Nimegen) for your acne by a doctor previously. This often makes your pores more prominent, and causes your skin to be drier. I would not recommend doing facial and face guasha if you are unsure of the products they are using, especially if you are sensitive to them. This might trigger your acne outbreak. You can consult a doctor for advice on treatments and skin care products. Hope it helps!

It will be best to see the picture of the spots (you can upload it) or know about more symptoms of the spots. Symptoms: Are they itchy? Are the spots red? What factors trigger the spots? It may be pityriasis folliculitis. This condition is caused by a organism called Malassezia, and it is common on oily skin such as the face, neck, upper arms, chest and back. This happens often in our humid climate, like Singapore. The spots are red, often the same size and pustular. Treatment is simple topical cream. Chemical peels help as well. Hope this helps!

Yes these pigmentation are likely post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Chemical peels can be done over these areas. In this way, skin turnover is stimulated and lightening of these pigmentations are facilitated. Non-ablative laser eg. NdYag laser also help with these pigmentations. It has to be a gentle laser setting, which will not worsen the pigmentation, but instead help to break down the melanin deposits. Many sessions of laser will be required.

The pathophysiology of acne is mutlifactorial. It involves infection/inflammation, clogging of pores and over production of sebum(oil). Hence it's not totally wrong of your beautician to say that you need a clean extraction of the clogged pores (comedomes). However it needs to be done well (no introducing of infection), and aftercare is also important. There are other ways to do it to achieve better results. This involves a combination of treatments and medications. Treatments involve laser, gentle chemical peel and waterjet facials. Medications include antibiotics and vitamin A creams.

on the average 3months after botox injection, the effect of botox slides off. By 6 months, its completely gone. However, other factors include the previous episodes of botox and the depth of the botox injection too. The cost of botox depends on the units of botox used which depends on the region of injection, example crow feet, horizontal frown line or glabellar lines. often about 200 to 400. the side effects include bruising, asymmetry of face and “frozen look”. Personally i do not like a face without expression, but to improve dynamic wrinkles.

It will be best for consultation with a doctor to understand your current medical conditions, such as if you are still breast-feeding, the face products/treatments you are using, the other scars on your body and also for a careful examination of the lesions on your face. The picture does not show keloid acne scars. It might be hypertrophic acne scars – I need to have a closer look at it. Treatment for hypertrophic acne scars includes intralesional triamcinolone injections to soften the scars and laser.

this is often seen. need to discuss the skin products you have been using, and the lifestyle eg sports you engaged in. you seem to have two problems. Firstly use appropriate moisturizer for dry sensitive skin like physiogel and anti-inflammatory cream. as for your blackheads, it should be extracted carefully by therapist and given some topical antibiotics. After the dry and sensitive skin condition has improved, can consider a salicylate peel with more moisturizer for sensitive skin.

Yes, freckles start developing in your teens and do get darker. Using sunscreen is essential to prevent them from darkening, increasing in numbers and recurring. Sunscreen has to be applied every 2 – 4 hourly. Pigment lasers are used to remove these freckles, however they might require 1 – 3 sessions of laser treatments. Of course, diligent sunscreen application after laser treatments helps to prevent recurrence. Thanks.

Oil glands in the skin secrete oil which open into oil ducts in the skin. The opening of the oil ducts on the skin surface accounts for the pores. Sometimes it gets blocked and infected. Hence, the activity of the oil glands and the elasticity of the skin is the reason for the pores we see on the skin. So if you want to combat the pores on the skin, we will need to know what causes your problem. 1)If you have history of bad acne, oily skin etc then laser and chemical peels targeting hyperactive oil glands will help.