In Hong Kong, the fast-living, hard working pace of life can cause stress, wreak havoc on your health and cause pre-mature aging.

What can you do about it? Why not take a trip to Thailand to decompress and rejuvenate? Hiphongkong personally endorses Spa Samui, a detox retreat, Absolute Sanctuary a yoga retreat/ health retreat in Ko Samui and Rasayana Retreat a raw food haven and colon hydrotherapy spa in Bangkok.

For those of you who want to turn back the hands of time and recapture the look of fleeting youth, we highly recommend Apex Skincare Center in Bangkok for all kinds of natural and non-invasive anti-aging treatments that work. Apex Skincare Center has so many big guns in their anti-aging arsenal that after a consultation, you can choose whatever combo works for you. Below, Dr. Nanapat, the clinic founder and resident doctor, explains which procedures are the most popular.

About Dr. Nanapat
In 1994, after 10 years studying and working in the US, Dr Nantapat founded APEX Profound Beauty, a clinic combining the very latest laser technology with creams and medication for advanced skin care. “At that time clinics in Thailand were only dealing with skin problems such as melasma and acne so I wanted to introduce the newest techniques for beautifying and anti-aging’ explains Dr Nantapat.

The aging process is something we have all had to live with. But we have entered an era where we have the knowledge and the tools to retain youthful good looks. Dr Nantapat says, “There is an increasing trend for both men and women to undergo some form of rejuvenation to reduce facial wrinkles, lines and blemishes. Naturally people want to look better with as little down time as possible.”

What are Dr Nantapat’s top-five, all-time, eat-your-heart-out-I’m-gorgeous treatments?
 

NUMBER ONE: BOTOX

Dr Nantapat Says: “Botox is my top treatment for dramatic quick results.”
By now most of us know that Botox it is a toxin produced by the botulinum bacteria. Injected in small amounts into the body, it makes muscles relax and lines disappear. It is effective in treating expression areas.
The upper face responds very well to Botox, diminishing lines around the eyes (crows feet), vertical frown lines between the eyebrows, and worry lines on the forehead. It can also be administered near the eyebrow to produce a brow lift- opening up and brightening the eyes.
There are new indications with Botox all the time. In the lower face it can be used to soften vertical lines on the upper and lower lip and even elevate the tip of the nose. And for loss of jaw line definition, there is the ‘Neferatiti Lift,’ (named after the famous Egyptian Queen, renowned for her beautiful long neck). Botox is injected to counteract the action of neck muscles that pull down on the face, making the jaw look sharper and tighter.

Botox treatments last for up to six months and can be done in half an hour.
 

NUMBER TWO: FILLERS

Dr Nantapat Says: “Fillers are like a retirement investment scheme- when you invest one unit of collagen your body invests another- it’s good to start young because your body produces a lot.”
Facial fillers have become one of the most popular and successful treatments to hide the effects of ageing. They are injected to fill skin depressions, flatten wrinkles and plump the lips. Also to lift an area of the face: to lift the jowl, collagen is injected into the cheekbone and under the eyebrow to give an eyebrow lift.

Facial fillers have a subtle affect on the facial features giving a younger and more rested appearance and injecting collagen builds a very strong structure. There are three categories of fillers- temporary, semi permanent and permanent.

Types of Fillers:

Collagen has been used since the mid 1970’s to soften lines around the mouth, augment lips and erase acne scars. Collagen is a protein found naturally in the human body supporting the joints, bones, ligaments, and skin. A small percentage of people are allergic.

Hyaluronic Acid is a basic component of the human skin so is very safe. Combined with the potential longevity of its effects, (6 to 9 months) it has become one of the most popular non-surgical treatments. Unlike other procedures that fill wrinkles, hyaluronic acid lets the skin cells ‘float’ making it suitable for deep wrinkles around the mouth and in the cheeks. Treatments take about 20 minutes and last up to twelve months.

Semi-Permanent Fillers are a mixture of hyaluronic and plastic beads. They are not yet USFDA approved for the general population. They last longer than temporary fillers- about three to five years, but there is a higher chance of forming lumps and bumps or of having an allergic reaction. They are not recommended for the lips, “If it goes wrong it could look really ugly,” warns Dr Nantapat.

Permanent Fillers contain silicon and polyacrylamide and are becoming popular because they are- well permanent. The problem is the possibility of migration- if the filler moves to another area, or becomes lumpy it is impossible to remove without surgery. Dr Nan cautions, “Basically I don’t recommend this group unless there is a serious reason like disease.”

NUMBER THREE: THERMAGE

Dr Nantapat says: “Thermage is a revolution in beauty technology. Up until 20 years ago we could clear up some pigmentation, make the skin a bit smoother- but nothing that would lift the skin apart from surgery.”

Thermage is the only non-invasive procedure that helps to tighten and contour the skin and soften wrinkles in one treatment. There is no surgery, injections, and little to no downtime. Dr Nantapat tells me, “Radiofrequency (RF) technology delivers RF safely and homogenously into the deep layers of the skin, while cooling the surface. It works by stimulating your body’s natural skin renewal process, tightening existing- and forming new collagen. Sagging or wrinkled skin becomes smoother, tighter with a younger looking appearance.”

Why Thermage and not a facelift? “Older people (60 plus) wanting rejuvenation, in most cases need a facelift.” Dr Nantapat explains. “For younger people (40-55) age group, you can get a significant effect through Thermage without surgery. Having surgery too early will result in unnecessary scaring and, if the skin is pulled tight to early... well, no one wants to look like a bird!”

NUMBER FOUR: PLASMA RICH PLATELET THERAPY

Dr Nantapat Says: “For those wishing to delay going under the knife or avoid it altogether, there is good news.”
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is the latest thing in regenerative medicine. Initially PRP was a cutting edge technique used for orthopaedic injuries, used to regenerate ligaments and tendons, shortening rehabilitation time and often removing the need for surgery. In the past 2 years it has been modified to be an anti-aging treatment. Appealing to people seeking a more natural method of facial rejuvenation because their own cells are used.
PRP is a simple process that involves taking about 10-20cc of blood and separating stem cells and plasma from the red blood cells with a centrifuge. This stem cell, plasma cocktail is then injected into the area that needs repair. Stem cells, made in the bone marrow, are the cells that repair everything. Everyone makes these naturally, but the older we get, the less the body can produce. The inflammation resulting from the plasma injection convinces the body that there is trauma. Trauma stimulates the body’s healing response- producing more stem cells for healing by stimulating tissue and collagen.
Many people understand that blood platelets are responsible for blood clotting after injury. But more importantly for PRP, blood platelets also release ‘growth factors,’ which are naturally occurring substance capable of stimulating cellular growth and are directly responsible for tissue regeneration. Dr Nantapat explains, “We also add extra growth factor into the plasma before injecting it, which makes the mix extremely effective- like a ‘secret recipe’ of cell-food nutrients”

PRP is not a painful procedure but numbing cream can be applied to dull the area if the patient is concerned about this. The injection process only takes 5-10 minutes but the numbing cream takes an hour. Then within 1-2 days you start to see results.

It is good for anybody that feels they want a little bit of rejuvenation- and also people with bigger problems. “People with very aged, lack-luster skin and deep wrinkles will require two or three treatments, over a three month period- then you can top it up once a year.” Side affects are minimal- maybe some slight swelling on the injection sight- like an insect bite. As the plasma comes from your own body so there is no possibility of an adverse allergic reaction.

PRP is effective on its own- but it is even more effective in conjunction with other skin-tightening methods like Thermage and Laser. Botox removes expression lines completely- and fillers fill them up so the effect is more dramatic. It is a very effective treatment for long-term prevention or long-term rejuvenation. Our typical client is a woman who isn't afraid of ageing, but who wants to improve her appearance.

NUMBER FIVE: SMART-LIPO

Dr Nantapat Says: “You can expect to go down at least one clothes size. Smartlipo is the best thing in fat removal today. It is for people that are determined to have the body they have always wanted.”

There has been a breakthrough in treating stubborn fat that is minimally invasive, melts fat and tightens skin and causes much less trauma and bruising than traditional liopsuction. This technique is called, Smartlipo or Laser-lipo.

“Medically, the most important benefit of Smartlipo, verses traditional liposuction, is that no general anaesthetic is required,” Dr Nantapat explains. A sedative and local anaesthetic is sufficient to prevent pain. From the patient’s viewpoint, the most significant benefit is that ‘downtime,’ is greatly reduced. They can leave the clinic within three hours. “I recommend a days rest. There is naturally some discomfort- but in theory it is possible return to work. Light exercise can be taken within five to seven days and heavy exercise after three weeks.”

Another real advantage is that the cannula used to remove the fat is very small. This means that there is less bruising, swelling and less chance of unwanted indentations than with conventional liposuction. The cannula is in fact so small it can reach areas that were previously impossible- under the chin, the neck and the knees, for example.

A laser fiber is enclosed within a thin tube is used to rupture and melt the fat cells. These are removed through an attached vacuum hose with minimal bleeding and damage to the underlying tissue. “Some technicians claim that aspirating (sucking out) the fat is unnecessary because the body will eventually absorb it, but aspirating is important because the results are much quicker and ultimately, better.” Dr Nantapat believes.

“Once the fat cells are removed they do not grow back, but I recommend healthy lifestyle choices to maintain the results. Existing fat cells can expand and, of course, the fat cells in other areas can grow.”

DR NANTAPAT’S LAST WORD ON BEAUTY

“Beauty is from inside- everyone has their own unique attractiveness. To me it is so much more than a superficial perfect ‘ideal.’ It is about looking appropriate for your age- you do not have to look 30 when you are 60 but importantly, do you not have to live with lots of lumps, bumps, cracks and spots all over your face.”

“It is important to have a holistic attitude to being beautiful because the most essential ingredient to beauty is health. No matter how flawless your skin is, or how flat you stomach- if you are not healthy, you will not glow, or be vital and vibrant. If you are healthy, you are happy and happiness is beautiful!”