A beauty spa is not a licensed clinic by the Ministry of Health.
An aesthetic clinic has a Ministry of Health licence. All that means is that a Ministry of Health licensed clinic needs to comply with the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act and regulations, i.e. types of treatments offer must be evidence-based, advertisements must be factual and supported by clinical evidence, and doctors doing treatments must be certified to perform certain procedures.
So, hopefully the standard of practice and care for these clinics are enforced by the Ministry of Health. This however, does not apply to beauty spas or aesthetic centres.
As for the claims made by the beauty spas, they do not have to be supported by clinical evidence. They can be anecdotal claims of effectiveness. Many such spas are commercially-driven.
As for your facial pigmentation, you will to arrange a consultation with a doctor who is trained aesthetics or skin. There are many sorts of pigmentation that can affect the facial skin. Melasma, for example, is one that can be aggravated by pregnancy and sun exposure.
I will be happy to clarify any points if you have any questions. I hope you found the information helpful for you to make an informed decision about your prospective treatments.
Thank you.
Dr Benjamin Yim
