“I’m going to the doctor – for my facial”

Communications manager Cecilia Tan, 33, used to visit beauty salons for facials.

But since last year, Ms Tan began visiting Neuglow, an aesthetic clinic run by Healthway Medical Group, for chemical facial peels to improve her complexion.

Never mind that the peels cost $600 per session – at least six times what salons charge.

She said: “Doctors have been professionally trained, and unlike salons, there’s no hard-selling or pressure to sign packages. It’s a real stress-free environment.”

Miss Tan is among a growing number of people flocking to aesthetic clinics to look good, doctors said. Aesthetic clinics, run by general practitioners, are commonplace these days and they are going head-to-head with beauty salons.

Popular services include laser treatment to rejuvenate facial skin, Botox jabs and hair removal.

Dr Shiau Ee Leng, medical director and founder of the ClearSK Aesthetic Centres, told The New Paper on Sunday that many of her clients were disappointed with their experiences in beauty salons.

She said: “They experienced over-claims, hard selling and hidden costs. Some customers developed skin problems such as burns or scarring due to untrained beauticians using inappropriate machines.”

Roaring trade

Business is so good that ClearSK, which currently has four outlets, is to open a fifth clinic in Orchard Central in early March.

Dr Shiau foresees aesthetic clinics giving beauty salons a run for their money.

She said: “This is already happening in most developed countries like the US, France, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, as the more affluent and educated prefer the better results and more professional aesthetic clinics’ services.

“The charges by clinics are often more transparent and manageable.”

Dr Cindy Yang, one of Neuglow’s doctors, said the clinic sees a year-on-year increase of 20 per cent in patients.

She said: “We get patients from all age groups. We even have parents who bring their teenage children to us to treat their acne problems.”

Echoing the same sentiments is Dr Ivan Tan of Nu.Reflections.

Dr Tan, who has been practising for 10 years, said: “A decade ago, you could only do things like facelifts or go under the knife. For those, you had to visit a plastic surgeon and anything less invasive would be done at a beauty salon.

“Now, with things like Botox, lasers and fillers, there’s a whole range of treatments bridging the gap between salon facials and plastic surgery. The void is being filled by general practitioners who are trained in dermatology.”

Spurring demand for aesthetic treatments is of course, the need to look good.

Dr Tan said: “Baby boomers are in their prime and they have the money so they are willing to spend to look good. Media exposure has created awareness and now, even younger people come to us to maintain their appearance and prevent wrinkles and pigmentation.”

There is also a perception that clinic sessions are safer than those in beauty salons.

Many of Dr Tan’s patients had bad experiences in salons. He said: “Salons can make all sorts of claims, but the advertising that doctors can do is restricted because if we say something, we must be able to back it up.”

Dr Tan pointed out that while doctors are regulated by the Singapore Medical Council, salons are not.

Dr Kelvin Chua, medical director of SkinLab Medical Spa, an aesthetic clinic, said 75 per cent of his customers used to visit beauty salons.

He said: “We do foresee aesthetic clinics giving beauty salons a run for their money as people get more and more educated and they would naturally trust professionals.

“Their demand for results and a safety margin also get higher. Thus, they would rather go to an aesthetic clinic than a salon.”

Do your homework

Still, experts say those who plan to seek treatment at aesthetic clinics need to do their homework before undergoing procedures. (See report)

And the salons are not too disturbed by the challenge.

Despite the growing popularity of such clinics, spas and beauty salons think there is still room for them to survive.

Ms Ann Lee, chief executive of Adonis Beauty Consultants, said: “Of course, with some people going to aesthetic clinics, these doctors are also competing with us.

“But there will always be customers who prefer to maintain their looks with normal facials because they may not like the idea of regular Botox jabs.”

Mr Adren How, managing director of ONLYaesthetics, a centre specialising in non-invasive treatments, feels the only edge that aesthetic clinics have over salons is a doctor’s presence.

He said: “Smaller beauty salons normally do not have the funding for expensive and newer technology, thus, in this age, it will be difficult to follow through against the bigger players.

“So we bring in quality newer technology which produces results. Only this way are we able to earn the trust of our customers.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.

By Crystal Chan