Insights + interviews
Good skin health contributes to your overall well-being
The rise and growth of dermatology services can be attributed to more people looking into the health of their skin.
In 2016, the National Skin Centre reported 304,000 outpatient clinic attendances. This was an increase from from 263,000 in 2008 with patients visiting the centre for varying skin conditions ranging from eczema, pigmentation to acne.
Consumers are also becoming more savvy when it comes to their skin health. Many are looking at non-invasive treatments, for their skin such as laser treatments, as a supplement to their normal skin care regime.
However, within this growing landscape, many aesthetic treatments remain as temporary solutions. Due to a lack of education and awareness, patients are not able to determine for themselves what can be effective for their skin.
We discuss this challenge with Dr. Kenneth Thean, Founder of Ensoul Medical Clinic as well as the role of customised solutions for skin health and skin conditions.
the Active Age (AA): How would you define skin health, what areas does it cover?
Dr. Kenneth Thean (KT): The skin is the largest organ in our body, and plays a vital role in protecting us from infection and other harm. In my opinion, skin health is very similar to maintaining your body in good shape via regular exercise.
A healthy body reduces diseases, increases longevity, promotes anti-aging, and keeps you looking good. By exercising regularly, the body stays healthy, and by taking the right steps. The skin stays healthy as well.
Healthy skin is described as skin that functions optimally. Clear skin, nourished skin, hydrated skin and skin free of infection or damage are important aspects of good skin health. To maintain good skin health, you must follow a good skincare routine with a good skin maintenance protocol to provide your skin with the necessary nutrients, protection and hydration to keep your skin looking young and vibrant.
Skin health not only protects against external damaging elements such as free radicals and photoaging but also reduces inflammation, cellular damage, and increases collagen production.
To me, skin health extends beyond looking perfectly photogenic or looking younger.
Choosing to focus on the disease aspects of aesthetics – that is, treating skin conditions such as pigmentation, acne, and acne scars – is a decision we make because we believe that healthy skin is both physically and psychologically important at any age, and good skin health equals a healthy and happy wellbeing.
AA: Why is skin health important, and how does it affect a person’s overall well-being (mental, physical, emotional etc).
KT: As opposed to medical conditions that cannot be seen, patients with skin conditions bear their diseases on the outside for the world to see, and often, they can suffer from severe psychological and social impacts as a result.
Many studies have shown that many disfiguring skin conditions, such as pigmentation, acne, and acne scars, can be depressing and have a low quality of life score. Living with these skin conditions can affect a person’s overall wellbeing, negatively affecting their self-esteem and sometimes even isolating them and hindering their social life.
In my years of experience, I have witnessed many patients who struggle with skin diseases, like melasma or acne, who walk out different people, much happier and confident once they have been successful in their treatments and start seeing significant improvements in their skin conditions from when I first saw them.
When your skin looks good, you naturally feel good.
This is why I am dedicated to treating skin conditions, helping patients improve their skin health and in that sense, improving their quality of life.
AA: How does skin health play a part in your aesthetic treatments?
KT: Our clinic is dedicated to treating disfiguring skin diseases, and this ethos is heavily reflected in the aesthetic treatments we offer. With a repertoire of comprehensive laser and energy-based devices, it allows us to provide tailored treatment plans to improve the skin health of each patient’s skin regardless of the severity of pigmentation, acne, or scarring.
We believe in utilising aesthetic energy based modalities that treat the skin from within. This includes using methods that decreases inflammation and also to stimulate collagen production in the skin to promote the natural healing process that heals, rejuvenates the skin from within.
Our treatments aim to treat disease and also to improve the skin health by treating it from the foundations, targeting the root cause and not to mask it with temporary aesthetic solutions. Focusing on holistic beauty with a strong emphasis on making the skin healthy is always at the heart of what we do.
AA: Why are customised solutions important for skin conditions?
KT: Much like how everyone is a unique individual, it is the same way with skin conditions as well. Every patient different, and no treatment is ever one-size-fits-all.
Customised solutions are important because they are created to match the exact specifications of your skin condition and it allows for more effective targeting of the problem.
For example, we have many patients who struggle with melasma, which is a chronic skin condition that causes dark patches and spots on the face. There is no two person that has the exact same melasma spots.
Melasma is more than just pigmentation. There is also photodamage from excess UV radiation, causing inflammation in the dermis; a defect in the skin’s epidermal basement membrane layer; and abnormal blood vessels in the dermis. Melasma pigments also sit in different depths of the skin. Four different problems contributing in different proportions require a customised approach with many different combinations, of machines, power settings and constant balancing for optimal results.
Therefore, multiple different modalities must be used to successfully treat different severity and types of melasma. It is paramount that a customised solution is crafted for each patient and modified according to response so that we are able to address their individual unique skin problems.
AA: What can a customer/patient expect when they visit Ensoul Medical Clinic?
KT: We always start with a detailed consultation so that we can evaluate, discuss, and explain what can be done for your skin problem, and this allows us to develop a personalised treatment plan where we can schedule the most appropriate treatments that are tailored for your skin’s conditions and needs.
Our clinical treatments are crafted uniquely optimized according to the skin concerns of each patient, combining several modalities to ensure that we deliver the most effective and long-lasting results. In addition to delivering good clinical results, we aim for every single one of our patients to experience their treatments in a most comfortable, private and elegant setting in our clinic.
Photos credit to Ensoul Medical Clinic
