“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” as the adage goes. People often use this saying to mean that something which may not look beautiful on the ‘outside’ could be beautiful on the ‘inside’. Unfortunately in the modern day world that we live in, beauty is often a standard of one’s being. In our society, looking good or at least presentable is almost everything. According to the newest 10th Global Aesthetic Market research report from Medical Insight, Inc., total sales of aesthetic products covered in the report reached USD3.8 billion in 2009. It was reported that this will reach more than USD6.8 billion by end 2014. In the Asia Pacific region, the article “Asian Aesthetic Market Report” by Alison Sahoo for The Aesthetic Guide — November/December 2010 reports that the Asian aesthetic market enjoyed the total sales of USD163.9 million in 2009 for devices and disposables. What does this all mean? It tells us that consumer spending for aesthetic treatments in Asia surpassed that USD164 odd million figure! That, in Ringgit Malaysia, comes close to 500 million.

According to industry players in Malaysia, this phenomenal trend has apparently been growing rapidly since 2005 in Malaysia. While there are no official figures on how much the Malaysian aesthetic industry is really worth, some estimate it to be in the region of RM100m. Besides cosmeceuticals, BTA (more popularly known as Botox) and dermal fillers, energy based devices or equipment have played a very large part in satisfying the needs and demands of the average Malaysian (and the odd expat). However, most of the money spent seems to be going into non-invasive laser energy or light-based treatments, more popularly known as pulsed light and laser procedures. The number one treatment sought from such equipment is for the removal or diminishing of pigment in the skin. By this, we are referring to the results of sun damage from superficial freckles, uneven skin tone to deeper, darker, more stubborn conditions such as Melasma (the “mask of pregnancy”). If you are an avid sun-worshipper or play outdoor sports like golf often, you would likely have some kind of sun damage spots on your skin. This usually results also in an overall dullness or worse, some spots being much darker than others.

Enter the Medlite C6 laser system which many aesthetic doctors use to treat exactly such pigmentation issues and more. A session is as quick as 20 minutes and many have reported a total elimination of those dark spots. This laser treats pigmentation so well that it can also rid conditions such as Nevus of Ota, Café Au Lait and Melasma – marks which many think are permanent. Incidentally, this laser is also the World’s Gold Standard for Tattoo Removal.

Dr Jeswender Singh of Dermlaze at Damansara Uptown, an aesthetic physician who uses the Medlite C6 laser, says that his patients are very satisfied with the results of the treatments. He comments, “Most of my patients experience textural improvement to their skin, usually rid of dullness, epidermal and even deeper dermal pigmentation that have made them look older than they actually are.”

Dr Chen Tai Ho of Mediviron UOA, Jalan Pinang, agrees, “Women, especially Caucasian ones, are prone to superficial pigmentation like freckles. If not taken care of, and with continuous and prolonged exposure to the sun, these marks usually just go darker and then cause uneven skin tones that even make-up may not be able to hide. The Medlite C6 eliminates these marks very easily, effectively and painlessly.”

How does it do this? Simply because this particular laser is designed to target melanin – which is the pigment that determines our skin color. For example, it can be said that a dark-skinned person has more melanin than a fair one.

For deeper pigmentation problems like Melasma, several treatments would be required, depending on the severity of the condition. However, patients usually see significant improvement from the 3rd to 4th treatments. “I had what is known as deep dermal Melasma after the birth of my son. I tried over the counter creams, expensive serums, even prescriptive ones but they didn’t work. Isuffered this for almost 5 years before a friend took me for this Medlite C6 treatment – and in 7 sessions my Melasma was 70% reduced,” shares a 43 year old Irish patient living in Damansara Heights.

Dr Lim Yew Cheng of Gleneagles Medical Centre agrees that the Medlite C6 procedure is a very popular one. “My patients ask for this treatment by name, since it has been around for many years and is known to work. I even have several patients who are so fond of the treatment that they visit once a month just to get their fix,” he laughs.

Medlite C6 sessions can be as frequent as once a week or as infrequent as once every three months. Patients unfailingly report experiencing a glow after each treatment. The best news for those of us considering this treatment is that there is absolutely no downtime. According to Dr Jeswender, Dr Chen and Dr Lim, patients may be pink from between 3-4 hours. They can apply some make-up after the treatment and go out to lunch or back to work! This is probably why this treatment is usually known as the lunch time super-facial. Got pigment?

If you are interested to find out more, you may contact the doctors above or call Innomed at 03.7956 9198 – the distributor of the Medlite C6 laser for a full list of practitioners who offer this treatment. www.conbio.com

Source: The Expat May 2011 
This article has been edited for Expatgomalaysia.com
Get your free subscription and free delivery of The Expat Magazine.