What works, what doesn't
Every one of the 153 treatments reviewed, sorted by verdict. Aesthetics International is a curator, not a catalogue: each verdict is reached against the same six questions, from the published studies rather than the marketing, and revised when the evidence moves. Within each verdict, treatments are ordered by how often people in Singapore search for them.
VettedUsed within an Aesthetics International protocol; mechanism, evidence and limits reviewed. 4
EstablishedLong clinical track record. Results depend on selection and technique more than on the device. 70
PromisingPlausible mechanism and early evidence. Reasonable to try with realistic expectations. 28
TrendPopular for reasons that are mostly social. Harmless at best; manage expectations. 27
CautionEvidence, regulation or risk profile does not yet support routine use. 24
Start from the concern
- 21Acne scars: what works
- 16Pigmentation and melasma: what works
- 15Eye bags and dark circles: what works
- 20Sagging skin and skin tightening: what works
- 11Hair loss and thinning: what works
- 16Cellulite and body contouring: what works
- 14Double chin and jowls: what works
- 20Wrinkles and fine lines: what works
- 20Pores, texture and dullness: what works
- 11Neck lines and 'tech neck': what works
- 18Acne: what works
- 6Moles, warts and skin tags: what works
- 11Redness and rosacea: what works
Head to head
Vetted4 treatments
Used within an Aesthetics International protocol; mechanism, evidence and limits reviewed.
- Pico laserThe variable that matters is depth, not brightness, and pigment already deposited is only half the problem; the inflammation producing it is the other half.Lasers
- HIFUHIFU or radiofrequency is the wrong question — they do not do the same job, which is why 3D Facial Reconstruction uses both.Energy devices
- RF microneedlingThe tissue plane, not the device, decides whether you tighten skin or remodel fat. The brand war is a distraction from that.Energy devices
- Monopolar radiofrequencyThe device delivers heat; the protocol decides where it goes and in which order. That is the whole difference between tightening and lifting.Energy devices
Established70 treatments
Long clinical track record. Results depend on selection and technique more than on the device.
- PDRN and polynucleotidesThe injected courses are a sensible part of a skin plan; the salmon-sperm facial is mostly the microneedling doing the work.Injectables
- NiacinamideIt will not change a face, but it makes everything else in the routine easier to tolerate, which is worth more than most hero ingredients deliver.Skincare
- Retinoids: retinol, retinal and prescription retinoidsThe mistake is not choosing the wrong retinoid; it is quitting in week three.Skincare
- Azelaic acidFor the Singapore face that is red, bumpy and marked all at once, it is often the first thing we reach for before any device.Skincare
- Ultherapy and Ultherapy PrimePrime is a better instrument, not a different treatment.Energy devices
- ProfhiloOne of the few injectables where 'natural' is built into the design.Injectables
- Hair transplant: FUE and DHIThe question to ask any clinic is who holds the punch, because the donor area is the one thing you cannot grow back.Surgery
- Vitamin C serumsThe serum works in the morning under sunscreen; the bottle that has gone the colour of tea is a different product from the one you bought.Skincare
- Laser hair removalIt is reduction, not removal; the sessions that matter are the ones matched to your skin colour, not the ones sold in the package.Lasers
- BlepharoplastyThe decision is about diagnosis: a low brow, a hollow or a fluid problem each look like 'tired eyes' and only one of them is fixed with a blade.Surgery
- Milia removalThe error is spending months on products that cannot reach a cyst under intact skin.Procedures
- 'Ozempic face'A real condition with an established approach: volume first where it is genuinely missing, lift where tissue has descended, and restraint throughout.Conditions
- Skin tag removalThe only judgement needed is confirming it is a tag; after that, it is scissors and a minute.Procedures
- Wart treatmentPatience beats escalation for most warts.Procedures
- Fractional CO₂ resurfacingThe laser is a controlled injury; the skill is choosing how deep and how dense for this skin, not how much the machine can do.Lasers
- Hyaluronic acid dermal fillersPlaced deep, in the right compartment, by someone who can dissolve it, HA filler is the most reversible structural tool in aesthetics. The problems come from the under-eye, from top-ups without reassessment, and from anyone who cannot name the artery they are avoiding.Injectables
- Masseter slimming injectionsThe jaw is a muscle you use a thousand times a day; weaken it as much as the face needs and no more.Injectables
- Skin boostersDull skin is a collagen problem — boosters hydrate the surface while collagen work happens underneath.Injectables
- Chemical peelsThe result is written in the depth and the priming, not in the brand on the bottle.Procedures
- GLP-1 medicines for weight lossThe weight loss is real and well measured; so is the regain when it stops. The face it leaves behind is a separate decision, better made once the weight has settled.Conditions
- Laser tattoo removalThe laser does the shattering and your immune system does the removing; neither can be hurried by a brand name.Lasers
- Sunscreen: Korean formulas, mineral vs chemicalThe filter debate is a texture debate in disguise: the sunscreen that works is the one you will put on again at lunchtime.Skincare
- Deep plane faceliftWhen the face has truly descended, surgery is the right tool and the deep plane is a sound version of it. The skill is in knowing which faces are there yet.Surgery
- Dark circles: pigment, vessels or shadowBrown is pigment, blue is vessels, grey is shadow; the money is wasted when the treatment is chosen before the diagnosis.Conditions
- Microblading and nano browsThe strokes are honest for a year; after that you are managing a fading tattoo, which is why the restrained version is the one to choose.Cosmetic
- Isotretinoin for acneThe side effects are real and mostly manageable; the pregnancy rule is absolute.Conditions
- Finasteride and dutasteride for hair lossThe side-effect debate is loud and the trial numbers are small; the right conversation is a frank one with a doctor, not a thread.Hair
- Minoxidil: topical and low-dose oralIt works while you take it and only then; the tablet is more convenient than the foam, not more magical.Hair
- Oral antibiotics for acneThree months with a retinoid alongside is the job; if acne returns each time it stops, the next conversation is isotretinoin or, for women, spironolactone.Conditions
- Lip filler and 'Russian lips'Lips are a proportion, not a quantity; the border is the first thing to go when volume is pushed.Injectables
- Jawline and chin fillerBefore adding anything to the jaw, ask whether the line is blurred by descent or by fat; filler fixes neither.Injectables
- 'Tech neck' linesHorizontal lines, vertical bands and loose skin are three different necks; the mistake is treating all three with whatever was bought that month.Conditions
- Thermage for the eyesIt tightens eyelid skin by a degree you notice in the mirror more than in a photograph; the eye problems it cannot touch are the ones people most want fixed.Energy devices
- Double cleansing and oil cleansingThe question is not whether to double cleanse but whether your first cleanser rinses off; the ones that do not are the ones that clog.Skincare
- TCA CROSS for ice-pick scarsA drop of acid in the right pit does more than a thousand laser shots over it; the same drop in the wrong place makes a bigger pit.Procedures
- Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis)Cheap to treat, easy to miss, and likely to come back in the heat.Conditions
- Thread liftsLifting restores position, not volume; mistake one for the other and a face looks pulled.Procedures
- Fat freezingReducing fat under skin that has already lost its recoil leaves the same outline and looser skin — settle which is dominant first.Body
- BBL and IPL photofacialThe light is broad and so is the risk: fair skin gets a photofacial, tanned skin gets a burn, and the marketing about genes is a footnote.Lasers
- Korean HIFU variantsThe question is never Shurink or Ultraformer; it is whether your face needs lifting at depth, and who is reading the anatomy.Energy devices
- Mole removal: laser, shave and excisionThe scar from a shave is small; the cost of a missed melanoma is not.Procedures
- Spironolactone for adult female acneSlow to start, reliable to maintain.Conditions
- Acne scar types: ice pick, boxcar and rollingMost faces need all three, in order.Conditions
- Erbium YAG resurfacingErbium removes exactly what you tell it to and little more; whether that is better than CO₂ depends on whether you wanted the heat.Lasers
- Pimple patchesThat alone prevents more scars than most serums; the rest of your acne still needs a plan.At-home
- MicrodermabrasionIt polishes the surface and nothing more, which is exactly the right tool on the days nothing more is wanted.Procedures
- Back and body acneThe traps are fungal folliculitis mistaken for acne and scrubbing that makes everything worse.Conditions
- Facial asymmetryThe first question is whether the asymmetry is unusual at all.Conditions
- Emsculpt NeoFor the rest, map the fat and skin first — the plane decides the tool.Body
- Fotona 4D'Laser facelift' is marketing; 'laser toning and tightening' is what it does, and it does that well.Lasers
- Sweat injections for hyperhidrosisIf sweating stops you shaking hands, this is one of the few treatments in aesthetics with level I evidence; if it only threatens a blow-dry, that is a different conversation.Injectables
- FraxelIt trades depth for recovery, which is the right trade for most faces and the wrong one for deep scars.Lasers
- Stretch mark treatmentsRed marks respond; white marks soften; the word 'removal' belongs to the advertisement, not to the studies.Lasers
- Keloid treatmentInject before you cut, and never cut alone; the scar that grows back larger is the one someone removed in one step.Conditions
- Filler dissolving and 'filler fatigue'Dissolving is not regret, it is a reset; what you do next, with energy rather than more gel, decides whether the fatigue comes back.Injectables
- Eyebrow transplantEstablished and not reversible, which is exactly why the shape should be chosen for your face and not for this year's brow.Surgery
- Subcision for rolling acne scarsIt earns its reputation on rolling scars and nowhere else.Procedures
- Hand rejuvenationThe hand that only had filler still looks its age in sunlight.Injectables
- Preventive 'baby' neuromodulatorsWith the caveat that natural has a technical definition: movement preserved, proportions unchanged.Injectables
- Nefertiti lift and platysmal bandsIt relaxes a muscle; the skin and fat of the neck are a separate conversation, which is where VF Lift – Vertical Facelift and Time Freeze come in.Injectables
- Temple fillerThe temple is quiet work: nobody notices it was filled, they notice the face looks rested.Injectables
- Nasolabial fold fillerThe fold is where the face is falling, not where it is empty; fill the cause, then decide whether the line still needs anything.Injectables
- Cellulite release: Avéli and subcisionA dimple is a tether, and the only treatments that last are the ones that cut it.Body
- Lip lift surgeryIn a long-philtrum face it is an elegant operation; in a short one it is a scar and a regret. Measure first.Surgery
- Facial fat graftingIn the right hands and the right face it is excellent; in a face that needed lifting it is more weight on the way down.Surgery
- Cheek and midface fillerMost faces that look 'done' were not filled badly on one day; they were filled reasonably on many days, and the filler stayed.Injectables
- Vbeam for rednessIt removes vessels well and removes rosacea not at all, so plan maintenance into the expectation.Lasers
- FaceTite and BodyTite'Scarless' describes the incision, not the recovery or the risk, and it tightens skin without lifting what has descended.Procedures
- truSculpt iD and SculpSureNon-invasive fat reduction is honest work at small scale; the brochures are the problem, not the physics.Body
- Scalp microneedling for hairThe needles make the medicine work better; they do not replace the diagnosis or the medicine.Hair
Promising28 treatments
Plausible mechanism and early evidence. Reasonable to try with realistic expectations.
- Topical tranexamic acidIt treats the inflammation that makes melasma, which is the half of the problem lasers cannot touch.Skincare
- Juvelook and PDLLA hybridsChoose the injector for restraint.Injectables
- 'Oral sunscreen': Polypodium and astaxanthinThe pill raises your threshold for damage a little; the cream and the hat do the work.Supplements
- Hair thinning: PRP, exosomes and laserDr Sin Yong's H2LT and Luminescence protocols treat the follicular environment — a third route, separate from circulation and the androgen pathway.Hair
- At-home IPL hair removalIt is a maintenance tool that asks for a weekly habit; the hair returns the month you stop.At-home
- Collagen supplementsThe trials show a small, instrument-measured improvement in hydration; they do not show a face that looks different. Collagen is built in the dermis by energy and retinoids, not banked by the glass.Supplements
- SofwaveA different job from HIFU and from monopolar RF — not a replacement for either.Energy devices
- EmfaceMuscles are not what descends.Energy devices
- TixelA useful tool at the surface; it does not change what is happening underneath.Energy devices
- Yellow laser (577 nm)Expect a few sessions, not a subscription.Lasers
- Emtone and Exion for celluliteCellulite is a tether, not a texture problem, and heat alone does not untie it.Body
- Laser vaginal rejuvenationThe FDA warning was about the marketing, and the marketing has not improved much.Procedures
- EndoliftDecide the plane first; everything else is downstream of that decision.Procedures
- Clear + Brilliant and MoxiTreating pigment early is sensible; calling it prevention is a story the evidence has not yet told.Lasers
- 'Skin botox' and micro-toxA good adjunct in an oily-skin plan; a poor substitute for the laser work that actually changes texture.Injectables
- PRP 'vampire facial'The microneedling does much of the work; the plasma adds a little, and the setting it is done in decides the risk.Regenerative
- Laser GenesisThe wavelength is capable of far more than this protocol asks of it; the gentleness that sells it is also its ceiling.Lasers
- Copper peptides (GHK-Cu)A sensible layer for a face that cannot take retinoids; not collagen in a bottle, which does not exist.Skincare
- PRF and 'EZ Gel'It is a biostimulant with a few months of soft volume; treated as that, it has a place after dissolving, before the next decision.Regenerative
- Agnes RFIt treats exactly what the needle reaches; the question is whether what bothers you is small enough for a needle to fix.Energy devices
- Acne lasers: AviClear and AccureThe data are young and industry-funded, and 'cure' belongs to the press release, not the papers.Lasers
- Fotona NightLaseQuieter is not the same as breathing better; get the sleep study before the laser.Procedures
- Halo hybrid laserThe glow is real and the evidence is one manufacturer trial deep; treat the brand loyalty online as enthusiasm, not data.Lasers
- Ellacor micro-coringThe evidence is early, industry-led and fair-skinned, and 'tightening' is a bigger word than the data have earned.Procedures
- Linear HIFUMapping the fat before you heat it is the whole discipline; the line is only a shape.Energy devices
- LipLase and SmoothEyeBoth do something real to skin texture; neither moves tissue, and the names promise more than the pulses deliver.Lasers
- Hyperdilute RadiesseIt improves the skin's quality by a grade; it does not pick up what has fallen, which is why we pair it with energy rather than sell it as tightening.Injectables
- Emsella pelvic floor chairA chair that does your exercises for you still cannot tell you why you leak.Body
Trend27 treatments
Popular for reasons that are mostly social. Harmless at best; manage expectations.
- Facial cupping and lymphatic drainageA trend that de-puffs for a morning. Your face isn't swollen, it's descending — and suction moves fluid, not the structures that have moved.Viral routines
- Castor oil for skin, lashes and hairA trend with a shine to it, literally. It conditions what is already there and changes nothing underneath — pleasant, cheap, and not a treatment.Viral routines
- Biotin and hair gummiesA trend that treats a deficiency most people do not have. Hair loss is a diagnosis before it is a shopping list.Supplements
- Red light and LED masksA harmless, pleasant adjunct with small, slow benefits. Skin maintenance is a rhythm, not a rescue — this is rhythm, not rescue.At-home and clinic
- Gua sha and face toolsA pleasant trend. Your face isn't losing volume, it's descending — and a stone cannot lift what gravity has moved.At-home
- Brow laminationA trend with real chemistry behind it. A perm is a perm, and the brow has far fewer hairs to spare than the head.Cosmetic
- HydraFacialA good facial, honestly labelled. Between treatments, maintain your results — this is maintenance.Facials
- Rosemary oil for hairA trend built on one small study and a lot of hope. If your hair is thinning, get the diagnosis; the oil can keep the ritual.Viral routines
- The 'glass skin' routineA trend that describes healthy, hydrated skin and then sells ten steps to get there. The result is real; the route is shorter than the videos suggest.Viral routines
- Snail mucinA trend with a pleasant texture. It hydrates, which is honest work; the healing folklore belongs to the snail, not the bottle.Skincare
- Face yoga and buccal massageA trend with one small study and a lot of filming before and after. Your face isn't losing muscle, it's losing fat and support, and exercise cannot put either back.Viral routines
- Lip blushingA trend that is really a tattoo with a two-year half-life. The tint can be lovely; the cold sore and the fade are part of the deal.Cosmetic
- DermaplaningA trend that is mostly a shave. Harmless on calm skin, counter-productive on acne, and not a treatment for anything a laser or peel would be used for.Procedures
- At-home microcurrent devicesA rented look. The lift lasts about as long as the gel is wet, and it detrains the moment you stop. Fine as a ritual; it is not what moves a jawline.At-home
- Oxygen facialA pleasant facial with a scientific-sounding name. The serum does the work and the oxygen does the marketing — maintenance, not treatment.Facials
- Carbon laser peelA trend with a good show. The carbon flash is theatre; the modest surface effect is the laser toning underneath, which can be done with or without the mask. Enjoy it as a facial; plan skin with something that reaches the dermis.Lasers
- Bipolar radiofrequency: Exilis, Venus Legacy, IndibaA trend, and a pleasant one. Comfortable radiofrequency is comfortable because it does not go deep enough to change structure; enjoy it as maintenance and do not count it as treatment.Energy devices
- Rice water and fermented skincareA trend built on a pretty idea. Fermented rice extracts are pleasant hydrators; the glass finish in the videos comes from hydration, lighting and a well-timed ring light, not from rice.Viral routines
- Cold plunges and infrared saunas for skinA trend that is good for the mind and neutral for the face. The glow is a flush; the collagen claim is borrowed from a different wavelength and a different device.Wellness
- Ice rolling and cryo facialsA trend that works for an hour. Cold moves fluid and nothing else; wrap the ice in a cloth, enjoy the morning, and stop before the redness starts.Viral routines
- The 'morning shed' and face tapingA trend. Keep the slugging if your skin is dry; your skincare didn't stop working — your skin changed, and a routine does not reverse that.Viral routines
- Collagen bankingA trend with a kernel of truth and a sales pitch wrapped around it. Daily sunscreen makes everything else work better; that is the only banking with a reliable return.Concepts
- VelaShape and EndermologieA trend with a long history. Massage moves fluid and heat warms collagen for a day or two; neither changes what is holding the dimple.Body
- Skin floodingA trend we can live with. It is moisturising done in the right order, and the right order matters more than the brand of any layer.Viral routines
- Silicone wrinkle patchesA trend that works for exactly as long as it is stuck on. Occlusion is real; reversal is not. The line you see at 4 pm is the one that needs a plan.At-home
- Beef tallow skincareA trend that rediscovered the occlusive moisturiser and gave it a smell. If your skin is dry, petrolatum does the same job with a safety record; if it is acne-prone, keep the beef on the plate.Viral routines
- AquaGold fine touchA trend wearing a prescription. Micro-dosed toxin for pores is a real, short-lived effect; the gold stamp is a pretty way to deliver it, not a reason to pay for it.Injectables
Caution24 treatments
Evidence, regulation or risk profile does not yet support routine use.
- Glutathione 'whitening' pillsA small, temporary shift in a melanin index is not a reason to take a daily pill of unknown long-term consequence — and the drip version is a reason to leave the clinic.Supplements
- Mewing and 'looksmaxxing'Mewing does nothing to an adult face; bonesmashing breaks it; and the real harm is a rating system that teaches boys their face is a score. A doctor's job here is to recognise distress, not to operate on it.Viral routines
- IV drips and NAD+Nothing in a drip lifts, resurfaces or tightens, and 'whitening' infusions carry risk for no reliable benefit.Wellness
- Collagen stimulatorsThe decision deserves the slowest consultation in aesthetics.Injectables
- Buccal fat removalGreat at thirty, ageing at forty-five — and irreversible. Most round faces have a cause that is not the buccal fat pad.Surgery
- Underarm and intimate-area lighteningLaser hair removal and less friction do most of the work; 'whitening' is marketing.Lasers
- Liquid rhinoplastyIf the request is 'smaller', the answer is a surgeon.Injectables
- Under-eye fillerPuffiness after filler is not one problem but four, and ultrasound tells them apart — before anyone injects, the question is hollow or bag.Injectables
- Lash growth serumsThese serums work because they contain a drug, and the drug reshapes the eyelid as surely as it lengthens the lash.At-home
- ExosomesExplained without the hype: a promising biology, an unregulated market. Wait for standardised products and independent trials.Regenerative
- Fat-dissolving injectionsThe licensed drug works in the right chin in exchange for a swollen fortnight; everything sold under the same name in a salon is a different substance with a borrowed reputation.Injectables
- Laser toning for melasmaPigment already deposited is a deposit; inflammation is what keeps producing it. R2 Glow exists because turning the energy up feels like progress and often triggers rebound.Lasers
- Forehead fillerA shape change sold as routine, in a zone the blindness literature names repeatedly. If done at all: hyaluronic acid, deep, slow, small volumes and an injector who can dissolve it immediately.Injectables
- At-home dermarollersDepth is the whole question: at a quarter of a millimetre you are exfoliating with extra steps; at one millimetre you are wounding the dermis with a reused, non-sterile tool and whatever is in the bottle beside it.At-home
- BB GlowIt is a whole-face tattoo with cosmetic-grade pigment and a salon needle — and the day you want a pigment laser, the foundation you had implanted becomes the problem.Cosmetic
- Fox-eye thread liftA thread can hold skin where you pulled it for a season; it cannot change the shape of an eye. The faces in the reference photos were born that way, or posed that way.Procedures
- Plasma pen 'fibroblast'It is a grid of small burns sold as a lift, and on the skin tones most of Singapore has, the burns outlast the lift.Energy devices
- 'Trap tox' and 'Barbie botox'A longer-looking neck bought by weakening the muscle that holds your shoulders up is a poor trade for most people, and nobody has studied what years of it do.Injectables
- Renuvion J-PlasmaIn a careful surgeon's hands it adds tightening to liposuction; in a careless one it adds burns, and the regulator had to say so in writing.Procedures
- The 'O-Shot' and intimate PRPThe first proper trial arrived in 2026 and was a pilot; everything sold under this name before it was marketing with a syringe.Regenerative
- Non-surgical BBLThere is no non-surgical way to add meaningful volume to a buttock safely; the biostimulator version is subtle and the filler version has killed people.Body
- Hyaluron pen 'needle-free filler'A jet of unknown gel at unknown depth is every filler risk with none of the control.Injectables
- Skin fasting and the 'caveman method'Fewer products is often good advice; no water is not advice, it is a dare. The skin does not need a fast, it needs a cleanser it can tolerate and a routine short enough to keep.Viral routines
- 'Stem cell facelift'Nothing with 'stem cell' on the consent form has lifted a face in a controlled trial. Ask what is in the vial; if the answer is a brand name and a promise, leave.Regenerative
How a verdict is reached
Mechanism
Is there a plausible route from what the device or product does to the change claimed?
Evidence
Independent, published studies — not only the manufacturer's — and how large the effect really is.
Regulation
Registered with HSA for the use described, and performed by the right person in Singapore.
Selection
Who it suits, who it does not, and whether the marketing admits the difference.
Reversibility
What happens when it goes wrong, and whether it can be undone.
Limits stated
Whether the people offering it will say what it cannot do.
Verdicts are editorial and unpaid. “Vetted” means the treatment is used within one of the protocols published here and has had its mechanism, evidence and limits reviewed; it is not a claim about results, which depend on the person treated. The right treatment for any one person is decided at assessment.