Glossary
80 terms that recur in the reviews — the layers of skin, the physics of lasers and radiofrequency, the names of fillers and scars, the regulators, and the five verdicts — each defined in a sentence, with a sentence on why it matters and the review where it is used.
- Ablative laser
A laser that vaporises the outer layers of skin (epidermis and some dermis), such as CO₂ and erbium YAG.
Ablation gives the largest change in texture and the longest downtime; it is the yardstick other resurfacing is measured against.
- Acrochordon
The medical term for a skin tag: a soft, benign, pedunculated growth, usually at the neck, armpit or groin.
Skin tags are harmless; removal is cosmetic, and any growth that changes or bleeds should be examined rather than removed in a salon.
- Androgenetic alopecia
Pattern hair loss driven by androgens acting on genetically sensitive follicles, in men and women.
It is the diagnosis behind most 'hair thinning' marketing; treatments that work act on the follicle cycle or on the androgen signal.
- Assessment
The in-person consultation at which a practitioner examines the problem and decides what, if anything, to do.
Every review on this site ends the same way: suitability is decided at assessment, not by a page.
- Biostimulator
An injectable that works by provoking the body to make its own collagen over months rather than by filling space directly — poly-L-lactic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite, polycaprolactone.
The result is gradual and cannot be dissolved, which changes who it suits and how it should be planned.
- Boxcar scar
A broad, sharp-walled depressed acne scar with a flat base, like a small crater.
Boxcar scars respond to fractional resurfacing and RF microneedling, less to subcision.
- Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA)
A biostimulatory filler made of calcium-based microspheres in a gel carrier.
It gives immediate volume and later collagen, but it is not reversible with hyaluronidase.
- Cannula
A blunt-tipped tube used instead of a sharp needle to place filler or thread.
Blunt placement lowers, but does not remove, the risk of injecting into a vessel.
- Caution (verdict)
Evidence, regulation or risk profile does not yet support routine use.
Caution is not a ban; it means the person offering it should be able to say why it is justified for you.
- Cavitation
The formation and collapse of micro-bubbles in tissue under ultrasound energy, used by some body devices.
It is the mechanism behind many salon 'fat cavitation' machines, whose fat-reduction evidence is weak.
- Chromophore
The target in tissue that absorbs a given wavelength of light — melanin, haemoglobin or water.
A laser only treats what its chromophore is; this is why one device cannot do everything.
- Coagulation
Heating tissue enough to denature protein without vaporising it; the basis of most tightening devices.
Coagulated collagen contracts and triggers remodelling; too much coagulation is a burn.
- Collagen remodelling
The months-long process in which heated or injured dermis lays down new collagen and reorganises the old.
It is why energy-based results peak at three to six months, not at the end of the session.
- Cryolipolysis
Cooling fat to a temperature that kills fat cells while sparing skin; 'fat freezing'.
The fat loss is real but modest and local, and paradoxical fat growth is a rare, documented risk.
- Dermis
The thick middle layer of skin beneath the epidermis, where collagen, elastin, vessels and glands sit.
Most tightening, scar and texture treatments act here; depth of effect decides what changes.
- Downtime
The period after a treatment in which the skin looks visibly treated — red, swollen, flaking or bruised.
Downtime tracks the depth of the injury, and therefore usually the size of the result.
- Dyschromia
Any uneven skin colour, including sun spots, melasma and post-inflammatory marks.
The right treatment depends on which pigment problem it is, which is why a diagnosis comes before a laser.
- Epidermis
The outer, self-renewing layer of skin, about as thick as a sheet of paper.
Treatments that stay in the epidermis (peels, light lasers) have short downtime and limited effect on scars or laxity.
- Erythema
Redness of the skin from dilated vessels; expected after most treatments and persistent in rosacea.
Transient erythema is normal; prolonged erythema after a laser can precede pigmentation in darker skin.
- Established (verdict)
A long clinical track record; results depend on selection and technique more than on the device.
Most of the field sits here: the question is who performs it and for whom.
- Exosomes
Tiny vesicles released by cells that carry proteins and RNA; sold as topical or injected 'regenerative' products.
In Singapore they are not approved for injection, and the human evidence is early.
- Finasteride
An oral medicine that blocks conversion of testosterone to DHT, slowing pattern hair loss in men.
Prescription-only, with sexual side effects in a minority; the other medicine with strong hair-loss evidence.
- Fitzpatrick skin type
A six-point scale of how skin responds to sun, from I (always burns) to VI (never burns).
Types III to V, common in Singapore, carry a higher risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation after energy treatments.
- Fluence
The energy delivered per unit area by a laser, in joules per square centimetre.
Fluence, not the brand, decides whether a setting is effective or dangerous for a given skin type.
- Fractional
Delivering energy in a grid of microscopic columns, leaving untreated skin between them.
Fractionation shortens healing and lowers risk; it also means several sessions instead of one.
- FUE
Follicular unit extraction: harvesting hair follicles one by one for transplant rather than as a strip.
It leaves dot scars rather than a line and is the method behind most modern hair transplants.
- Glabella
The area between the eyebrows, above the nose.
A high-risk zone for filler because its arteries connect to the eye's circulation.
- GLP-1 receptor agonist
A class of prescription medicines (semaglutide, liraglutide, tirzepatide) that slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite.
They produce substantial weight loss and, with it, facial volume loss — the origin of the term 'Ozempic face'.
- HCSA
The Healthcare Services Act, under which the Ministry of Health licenses clinics and regulates healthcare advertising in Singapore.
It is the legal basis for the advertising rules every compliant clinic and publication follows.
- HIFEM
High-intensity focused electromagnetic energy, which makes muscle contract supramaximally; the basis of Emsculpt.
The effect is muscle tone and a small fat change, not weight loss.
- HIFU
High-intensity focused ultrasound: sound energy focused to a point that heats tissue at a set depth.
Depth is fixed by the cartridge, so the operator's choice of depth for a given face is what matters.
- HSA
The Health Sciences Authority, Singapore's regulator of medicines and medical devices.
A device or drug used in a Singapore clinic should be HSA-registered for that use; the reviews state when it is not.
- Hyaluronic acid (HA)
A sugar molecule that holds water, used cross-linked as the commonest dermal filler and uncross-linked in skin boosters.
HA fillers can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, which is their main safety advantage.
- Hyaluronidase
An enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid, used to dissolve filler, including in emergencies.
Every clinic that injects HA should hold it; it is the reason HA is the reversible choice.
- Hyperpigmentation
Darker patches of skin from excess melanin — sun damage, melasma or post-inflammatory marks.
Each type has a different driver and relapse pattern; melasma in particular is managed, not cured.
- Hypertrophic scar
A raised scar that stays within the boundary of the original wound.
It responds better to injections and lasers than a keloid, which it is often confused with.
- Ice-pick scar
A narrow, deep acne scar that looks like a puncture.
Too narrow for lasers to reach; TCA CROSS or punch techniques are the usual answer.
- IPL
Intense pulsed light: broad-spectrum flashes filtered to a range of wavelengths; not a laser.
Useful for redness and sun spots on lighter skin; riskier for pigment in darker skin types.
- Isotretinoin
An oral retinoid prescribed for severe or scarring acne.
It is the one acne medicine that reliably produces long remissions, with monitoring and strict pregnancy prevention.
- Keloid
A raised scar that grows beyond the original wound and does not regress.
Keloids recur after simple excision, so treatment combines injections, laser, pressure or radiotherapy.
- Laxity
Looseness of skin and its supporting tissue; the 'sagging' people describe.
Mild laxity responds to energy devices; marked descent needs volume, threads or surgery.
- Lipolysis
The breakdown of fat cells, by heat, cold, ultrasound or injected agents.
Device lipolysis removes a fraction of a local fat layer, never body weight.
- Maintenance
Repeat treatment at intervals to hold a result that would otherwise fade.
Honest marketing states the maintenance interval; most energy and injectable results need it.
- Melasma
A chronic, relapsing pigmentation of the face driven by hormones, sun and heat, mostly in women.
It worsens with aggressive lasers; the evidence favours sun protection, topicals and gentle, repeated treatment.
- Microneedling
Rolling or stamping fine needles into skin to trigger a wound-healing response.
Adding radiofrequency to the needles turns a superficial treatment into a dermal one.
- Milia
Tiny white keratin cysts just under the skin, often around the eyes.
They do not respond to creams or squeezing; a small incision or a laser point removes them.
- Minoxidil
A topical or low-dose oral medicine that prolongs the hair growth phase.
One of two medicines with strong evidence for pattern hair loss; it works only while used.
- Monopolar radiofrequency
Radiofrequency current passed from a single electrode through tissue to a return pad, heating the dermis in bulk.
It is the mechanism behind Thermage, Oligio and Volnewmer and the basis of the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift.
- Nasolabial fold
The crease running from the side of the nose to the corner of the mouth.
Filling it directly often looks worse than restoring the midface above it.
- Neuromodulator
A botulinum toxin injection that temporarily relaxes a muscle.
The generic name for 'Botox'; several brands exist and dose, not brand, decides the result.
- Nevus (mole)
A benign cluster of pigment cells; most people have 10 to 40.
A mole should be assessed, and ideally examined after removal, because melanoma can mimic one — laser removal without histology is the risk.
- Non-ablative laser
A laser that heats the dermis without removing the surface.
Less downtime and smaller change per session than ablative resurfacing; several sessions are usual.
- Occlusion (vascular)
Filler blocking an artery, starving the tissue it supplies.
The most serious filler complication; recognised by pain and blanching, treated urgently with hyaluronidase.
- Off-label
Using a registered medicine or device for a purpose other than the one it was approved for.
Common and lawful in medicine when justified, but it should be disclosed, and it is a flag when a treatment is only ever used off-label.
- Package
A block of sessions sold in advance.
Session count should follow assessment and response, not the other way round; the reviews treat pre-sold packages as a warning sign.
- PDO thread
A dissolvable polydioxanone suture placed under the skin to lift or to stimulate collagen.
Threads reposition tissue for months, not years, and are not a substitute for a facelift.
- PDRN / polynucleotides
DNA fragments, usually from salmon, injected to improve skin quality and healing.
The basis of Rejuran; evidence supports skin quality, not lifting.
- Picosecond laser
A laser delivering pulses lasting trillionths of a second, shattering pigment mechanically rather than by heat.
Less heat means less post-inflammatory pigmentation, which matters most in Asian skin.
- Platysmal bands
The vertical cords of the neck muscle that show with age or on grimacing.
They are muscle, so toxin (the 'Nefertiti lift') addresses them where skin devices cannot.
- PLLA
Poly-L-lactic acid, a biostimulatory injectable (Sculptra) that builds collagen over months.
Results are gradual and irreversible; nodules are the risk when it is placed or diluted poorly.
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)
Darkening left behind after inflammation — acne, a burn or an over-aggressive laser.
The commonest complication of energy treatments in darker skin, and the reason conservative settings win.
- Promising (verdict)
Plausible mechanism and early evidence; reasonable to try with realistic expectations.
Expect the evidence to move; the verdict is revisited quarterly.
- PRP
Platelet-rich plasma: a concentrate of the patient's own platelets injected to stimulate healing.
Evidence is moderate for hair and weak for the face; preparation methods vary widely.
- Radiofrequency (RF)
Electrical current that heats tissue by resistance; monopolar, bipolar or needle-delivered.
The delivery geometry decides depth, which decides whether it tightens or merely warms.
- Retinoid
A vitamin-A derivative — retinol, retinal, tretinoin, adapalene, isotretinoin — that normalises skin cell turnover.
Topical retinoids are the best-evidenced skincare ingredient for acne, texture and fine lines.
- Rolling scar
A shallow, undulating acne scar tethered to deeper tissue by fibrous bands.
Subcision releases the tether; resurfacing alone will not.
- Sebaceous gland
The oil gland attached to each hair follicle.
The target of isotretinoin and of the 1726 nm acne lasers.
- SMAS
The superficial musculo-aponeurotic system, the fibrous layer under the facial fat that surgeons lift in a facelift.
Focused ultrasound aims at it; whether non-surgical devices truly lift it is the central question in 'HIFU facelift' claims.
- SMC
The Singapore Medical Council, which registers doctors and publishes the Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors.
Its register is how to check that the person treating you is a doctor; its guidelines are why this site shows no fees or before/after images.
- Striae
Stretch marks: linear scars in the dermis from rapid stretching, red when new (rubra) and white when old (alba).
New red striae respond to treatment; old white ones improve only partly with any method.
- Subcision
Passing a needle or blade under a tethered scar to cut the fibrous bands pulling it down.
The treatment of choice for rolling scars, usually combined with resurfacing.
- Submental fat
Fat under the chin — the 'double chin'.
Treated by fat-dissolving injection, cryolipolysis or liposuction; skin laxity decides which.
- TCA CROSS
Applying high-strength trichloroacetic acid into the base of an ice-pick scar with a fine applicator.
One of the few treatments that reaches a narrow deep scar; several rounds are usual.
- Tear trough
The groove running from the inner corner of the eye down across the cheek.
The highest-complication filler site on the face; the review rates under-eye filler Caution.
- Thermal relaxation time
How long a target in skin takes to cool; pulses shorter than it confine heat to the target.
It is the physics behind choosing a picosecond, nanosecond or millisecond laser for a job.
- Tranexamic acid
An antifibrinolytic medicine that, by mouth or on the skin, reduces melanin production in melasma.
Oral use is prescription-only and needs clotting-risk screening; topical use is gentler and weaker.
- Trend (verdict)
Popular for reasons that are mostly social; harmless at best.
The money is usually better spent on an Established treatment for the same concern.
- Vetted (verdict)
An Aesthetics International verdict: the treatment is used within one of the vetted protocols published here and has had its mechanism, evidence and limits reviewed.
It is a statement about review, not about results, which depend on the person treated.
- Volume loss
Loss of facial fat and bone with age or weight loss, producing hollows and descent.
Much 'sagging' is volume loss; filling the right compartment lifts more than tightening the skin.
- Wavelength
The colour of a laser's light, in nanometres, which decides what it is absorbed by and how deep it reaches.
532, 755, 1064, 1550 and 10,600 nm each do different jobs; the number matters more than the brand.
Missing a term?
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All 153 treatments sorted by verdict, from Vetted to Caution.
What works, what doesn't