A relaxing facial at the spa is a great way to unwind, but to achieve visible results in a jiffy, go for a medical facial instead. It is most suited for time-starved clients who want lasting, immediate results, says

Dr Karen Soh, medical director of Privé Clinic, who takes a bespoke approach to prescribing treatments that suit an individual’s skin needs. “A medical facial provides a clinical approach to treatment and is more concerned with the outcome,” says Dr Soh. “Increasingly, facials are incorporating lasers and fractional devices to regenerate the skin and increase collagen levels, as well as including treatments that involve tiny injections of hyaluronic acid to brighten and firm the skin.”

With celebrities such as singer Alicia Keys and actress Emma Watson embracing the no-make-up trend even for public appearances, it looks like 2017 will be the year of the bare-faced beauty. Many women would love to have a radiant, even-toned complexion. But common beauty concerns such as acne, scars and pigmentation lead them to reach for concealer and foundation.

To achieve smoother, youthful-looking skin, Desire Aesthetics offers Sciton Broad Band Light technology, which rejuvenates skin and precisely treats pigmentation, acne scars and broken capillaries. For a natural, healthy glow, Pauline Ng, managing director and founder of Porcelain, The Face Spa, also suggests treatments such as the OxyRevive or Pick Me Up facials. Or head to the urban beauty sanctuary SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus, and try the Aqua Pure Facial for glowing, radiant skin. The treatment features a gentle vacuuming tool that gives skin a thorough, non-invasive cleansing as well as a customised combination of premium SK-II products, addressing your specific concerns.

Many women go for eyebrow embroidery or other brow-shading services for convenience and to give more definition to their sparse brows. For full, well-defined brows that are not too darkly coloured, Erabelle has introduced new nano applicator tips for its Erabrowlogy service to craft better-looking brows. These tips are three times finer than regular ones, allowing the artist to vary the thickness of the strokes for more natural-looking brows.

Erabelle uses a semi-permanent soft-shading technique in which colour pigments are embedded in the top layer of the skin. Unlike tattooing, the colours are lighter—so you will not look too severe—and they do not look blue-green with time. In addition, the colours gradually fade after two to three years, so you can alter the shape of your brows to better suit changes in your features.

If the pain of a Brazilian wax is stopping you from heading to the salon, the new ScanAway IPL (or intense pulsed light) treatment by Honeypot Wax Boutique might change your mind. This hair-removal treatment is touted to be almost painless, unlike traditional IPL sessions that have users describing the sensation as a “rubber band snapping” against the skin.

Ow Shin Yann, founder of Honeypot Wax Boutique, says this new technology uses a “much lower dosage” of light energy, resulting in a less painful experience and recommends this for those who have a very low threshold of pain. There is also the option to enjoy post-IPL skincare with a skin-loving infusion treatment, in which yuzu extract and vitamin C are infused to combat ingrown hair and to brighten the skin tone.