Aesthetic treatment glossary the terms explained in plain words

Basics

Everyday treatment terms

Non-invasive: A treatment that works through the skin surface without needles, cuts or injected products, such as a facial, ultrasound or microwave energy.

Minimally invasive: A treatment that breaks the skin in a small, controlled way, such as injections, threads or needle-based microneedling; in Singapore these are performed by a doctor.

Downtime: The period after a treatment when the skin looks visibly treated, for example red, swollen, flaking, crusted or bruised, before you feel comfortable returning to usual activities.

Contraindication: A reason not to have a particular treatment, or to postpone it, such as pregnancy, an active skin infection, certain implants or certain medicines.

Fitzpatrick skin type: A six-point scale, from type I to type VI, that classifies skin by how easily it burns or tans in the sun; many people in Singapore are types III to V, which tan readily and are more prone to pigment changes after treatment.

SPF / PA: SPF measures protection against UVB, the rays that cause sunburn, while PA (from PA+ to PA++++) is an Asian rating for UVA protection, the rays that drive tanning, pigmentation and skin ageing.

Maintenance: Sessions spaced further apart after an initial course to help hold an effect, because collagen, fat and pigment keep changing with age, sun and lifestyle.

Anatomy

Skin layers and facial structure

Epidermis: The thin, constantly renewing outer layer of skin, where surface pigment, dullness and rough texture sit.

Dermis: The thicker layer beneath the epidermis, made mainly of collagen and elastin, where fine lines, scars and deeper pigment sit.

Collagen: The main structural protein of the dermis that gives skin firmness; production slows with age and sun exposure, and many treatments aim to stimulate new collagen.

Elastin: The protein that lets skin spring back after it is stretched; years of UV exposure damage it, and it is slow to rebuild.

SMAS: The superficial musculoaponeurotic system, a fibrous and muscular layer beneath the facial fat that surgeons tighten in a facelift and that medical HIFU is designed to reach.

Retaining ligaments: Fibrous anchors that tether facial skin and soft tissue to bone; as they loosen with age, tissue slides down to form jowls and folds.

Subcutaneous fat: The fat layer under the skin that you can pinch; non-invasive body contouring targets this layer, not the visceral fat around the organs.

Energy devices

Ultrasound, radiofrequency and microplasma

HIFU: High-intensity focused ultrasound, a medical treatment that focuses ultrasound into tiny heated points in the deep dermis and SMAS to contract tissue and stimulate collagen without cutting the skin.

Microfocused ultrasound (MFU): Focused ultrasound delivered at set depths of up to about 5 mm, forming small thermal coagulation points while the surface layers are left intact; some devices add real-time imaging of the layers.

Monopolar RF: Radiofrequency in which current flows from a single treatment tip to a return pad elsewhere on the body, heating a broad and relatively deep volume of tissue to tighten collagen.

Bipolar RF: Radiofrequency in which current passes between two electrodes on the same tip, so heating stays shallower and more localised.

RF microneedling: Fine needles that deliver radiofrequency heat directly into the dermis, combining controlled micro-injury with heat for pores, scars and texture; it is a medical treatment.

Microplasma: Energy that turns air at the treatment tip into tiny plasma sparks, creating controlled micro-injuries at the skin surface for resurfacing and tightening; SKINTIGHT uses this approach.

Pulsed ultrasound: Ultrasound delivered in sequences of pulses through the skin rather than focused into coagulation points; SKINLIFT uses multi-sequential pulsed ultrasound and is not medical HIFU.

Body

Body contouring terms

Microwave (UHF) body contouring: Ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic energy that heats fat more than the surrounding tissue, so treated fat cells are cleared gradually; SKINSHAPE uses Miglou UHF microwave technology.

Ultrasound body contouring: Guided ultrasound energy directed into compact pockets of fat to disrupt fat cells; SKINUSHAPE uses guided ultrasound on the Alma PrimeX.

HIFEM: High-intensity focused electromagnetic technology that triggers strong, involuntary muscle contractions, far more than you could perform voluntarily, to tone and strengthen muscle; SKINSCULPT uses HIFEM.

Cryolipolysis: Fat freezing, a medical treatment that cools pinchable fat to a temperature that injures fat cells while sparing the skin; the body clears the injured cells over the following weeks to months.

Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia: A rare side effect of fat freezing in which the treated area becomes firmer and larger instead of smaller; it usually needs a surgical opinion.

Visceral fat: Fat stored around the organs inside the abdomen; body contouring devices do not reach it, and it is reduced through diet, activity and medical weight management.

Lasers

How lasers work: pulse, wavelength and target

Selective photothermolysis: The principle behind most aesthetic lasers, in which a wavelength absorbed by one target, such as pigment or blood, is delivered in a pulse short enough to damage that target while sparing the surrounding skin.

Chromophore: The target in the skin that absorbs a laser's light, mainly melanin (pigment), haemoglobin (blood) and water.

Wavelength: The colour of laser light, measured in nanometres (nm), which decides which chromophore absorbs the energy and how deep it travels.

Nd:YAG: A laser crystal that emits 1064 nm light, which passes deeper and is absorbed less by surface pigment, making it a cautious choice for darker skin; frequency-doubled, it emits 532 nm for surface spots.

Q-switched: A laser that fires pulses lasting a few nanoseconds (billionths of a second) to shatter pigment and tattoo ink, mainly through heat.

Picosecond: A laser with pulses lasting hundreds of picoseconds (trillionths of a second), which breaks pigment mainly through a pressure, or photoacoustic, effect into finer particles.

Laser toning: Low-energy, wide-beam passes of a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser over the face across a course, used for uneven tone and melasma.

Resurfacing

Resurfacing and hair removal lasers

Ablative laser: A laser that vaporises thin columns or layers of skin, giving stronger remodelling for scars and wrinkles at the cost of more downtime.

Non-ablative laser: A laser that heats tissue beneath an intact surface, with less downtime but usually more sessions.

Fractional laser: A laser that treats the skin in a grid of microscopic columns and leaves untouched skin between them, so the skin heals faster than after full-surface treatment.

Fractional CO2: A 10,600 nm ablative fractional laser, strongly absorbed by water, used for acne scars and textural ageing; recovery usually involves several days of redness and flaking.

Er:YAG: An erbium-YAG laser at 2,940 nm, absorbed by water even more strongly than CO2, so it removes tissue with less spread of heat into the surrounding skin.

Thulium and erbium-glass: Non-ablative fractional wavelengths, 1,927 nm and 1,550 nm, used for surface pigment, texture and pores; FSX Laser uses these.

Laser hair removal: Long-pulsed lasers, such as 755 nm alexandrite and 1064 nm Nd:YAG, that target the pigment in hair follicles to reduce regrowth over a course; 1064 nm is the safer choice for darker skin.

Pigment and redness

Pigmentation and redness terms

PIH: Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the brown marks left after acne, injury or an over-aggressive treatment; it is common in Asian skin and usually fades over months with strict sun protection.

PIE: Post-inflammatory erythema, red or pink marks after acne caused by small dilated blood vessels rather than pigment, so they do not respond to lightening creams.

Melasma: A chronic, often symmetrical brown patchiness on the cheeks, forehead or upper lip, driven by UV, visible light, heat and hormones; it can be controlled but tends to recur.

Hori's naevus: Also called ABNOM, a bluish-grey or brown speckled pigment deep in the dermis, usually on both cheeks; it is common in East Asian women and needs laser rather than creams.

Solar lentigo: A flat, well-defined sun spot or age spot from years of UV exposure, usually on the face and the backs of the hands.

Hydroquinone: A lightening cream that is prescription-only in Singapore, used by doctors for melasma in short, supervised courses.

Rosacea: A long-term condition with facial flushing, persistent redness, visible vessels and sometimes bumps, often triggered by heat, sun, alcohol and spicy food.

Scars

Acne scar types and scar procedures

Ice pick scar: A narrow, deep acne scar, usually under 2 mm wide, that tapers down into the dermis like a puncture.

Boxcar scar: A round or oval depression with sharp, steep edges, like a small crater; it can be shallow or deep.

Rolling scar: A wider, gently undulating depression caused by fibrous bands tethering the skin to deeper tissue.

Atrophic scar: Any scar that sits below the surrounding skin surface, as most acne scars do.

Subcision: A doctor-performed technique that passes a needle or cannula beneath a tethered scar to release the fibrous bands pulling it down.

TCA CROSS: Chemical reconstruction of skin scars, in which a doctor places high-strength trichloroacetic acid precisely into individual ice pick or narrow boxcar scars to stimulate collagen from the base.

Keloid: A raised scar that grows beyond the edges of the original wound; people prone to keloids need extra caution with any procedure that injures the skin.

Injectables

Fillers, biostimulators and other injectables

Hyaluronic acid (HA): A sugar molecule found naturally in skin that holds water; cross-linked HA gel is used as dermal filler, and lighter HA as a skin booster.

Dermal filler: A gel, most often HA, injected by a doctor to restore volume or structural support, for example in the cheeks, chin or tear troughs.

Hyaluronidase: An enzyme a doctor injects to dissolve HA filler, used to correct lumps or overfilling and as emergency treatment if filler compromises a blood vessel.

Tyndall effect: A bluish tinge under the skin when HA filler is placed too superficially, especially under the eyes, caused by the way light scatters through the gel.

Vascular occlusion: A rare but serious filler complication in which product blocks or compresses a blood vessel; it needs immediate treatment, which is one reason fillers belong with a trained doctor.

Wrinkle-relaxing injections: Prescription injections that temporarily relax specific muscles to soften expression lines, such as frown lines, or to slim an enlarged jaw muscle.

PLLA: Poly-L-lactic acid, an injectable collagen biostimulator that is absorbed gradually while prompting the skin to build its own collagen over months.

PCL: Polycaprolactone, a collagen biostimulator in a gel carrier that gives some immediate volume followed by gradual collagen stimulation.

Thread lift: Absorbable threads, often PDO, placed under the skin by a doctor to reposition tissue and stimulate collagen.

Skin science

Boosters, regenerative terms and skincare actives

Skin booster: A treatment that spreads hydrating or regenerative material, such as light HA or polynucleotides, evenly through the skin to improve hydration and quality rather than to add volume.

PDRN: Polydeoxyribonucleotide, short DNA fragments usually purified from salmon or trout, studied for supporting skin repair; it is used in Rejuran® facials and injectable boosters.

PN: Polynucleotides, longer DNA chains than PDRN that form a more viscous gel, used in injectable boosters for thin or crepey skin.

Exosome: A tiny vesicle released by cells that carries proteins and genetic signals; in aesthetics it appears mainly in serums, the evidence is early, and the US FDA states there are no FDA-approved exosome products.

Needle-free booster: A booster delivered past the skin's outer barrier through a specialised applicator without puncturing the skin; it does not reach injection depth.

Niacinamide: A form of vitamin B3 that supports the skin barrier, can reduce oiliness and helps even out pigment; the studies most often cited used 2% to 5%.

Retinoid: The family of vitamin A ingredients, from retinol and retinal in cosmetics to prescription tretinoin, that speeds skin renewal and improves fine lines and acne over months.

Glutathione: An antioxidant the body makes, sold for skin whitening as pills, creams and drips; evidence for lightening is weak, and in Singapore whitening injections are not allowed outside an approved clinical trial.

AHA and BHA: Exfoliating acids; alpha-hydroxy acids such as glycolic acid loosen dead surface cells, and the beta-hydroxy acid salicylic acid also clears oil inside pores.

Chemical peel: An acid solution applied to remove layers of skin in a controlled way; superficial peels have little downtime, while deeper peels are medical and carry more risk of PIH in Asian skin.

SkinRev treatments

SkinRev Lab treatment names

SKINLIFT®: SkinRev Lab's 30-minute, needle-free lifting session using multi-sequential pulsed ultrasound for mild to moderate jowls, nasolabial folds and the jawline; it is not medical HIFU.

SKINTIGHT: Microplasma tightening and resurfacing on the Alma PrimeX for crepey texture, fine laxity and enlarged pores, priced per zone.

SKINSHAPE: Body and lower-face contouring with Miglou UHF microwave energy, priced per 15 × 15 cm zone.

SKINUSHAPE: Guided ultrasound on the Alma PrimeX for deeper, more compact pockets of fat.

SKINSCULPT: HIFEM muscle toning for one region per placement, such as the tummy, buttocks, thighs or pelvic floor.

SKINLDM: A calming facial that combines LDM (local dynamic micro-massage) ultrasound with a basic facial, for sensitive or reactive skin.

SKINPINK: Needle-free topical brightening for flat, friction- or shaving-related darkening of the underarms, inner thighs, bikini line, intimate area and areola.

HydraFacial Vortex-Fusion: The spiral delivery built into HydraFacial tips that cleanses, extracts and infuses serums in one pass; SkinRev Lab uses the Syndeo system.

Perk Lip / Perk Eye boosters: HydraFacial add-ons that use a separate roller-flex applicator, about 15 minutes each, to exfoliate and hydrate the lips or to care for the delicate eye area.

Rejuran® PDRN Facial: A needle-free facial built around a c-PDRN infusion delivered through the skin, offered in Singapore, Oriental and Korea ranges.

Signature protocols

Dr Sin Yong's protocols and planning terms

VF Lift: Dr Sin Yong's vertical facelift protocol on the Volnewmer 6.78 MHz monopolar radiofrequency platform, planned zone by zone along vertical vectors; he performs it himself at SkinRev Lab, CityLink Mall.

Vertical vector: Planning a lift so tissue is repositioned upwards, in the direction it descended, rather than pulled sideways, which can flatten the face.

Time Freeze Laser LCLR®: A dual-wavelength laser lifting protocol that combines collagen-remodelling tightening with LCLR lipo-remodelling for facial slimming, used for jowls, the jawline and a soft double chin.

LCLR: The lipo-remodelling part of Time Freeze Laser, in which laser settings are calibrated zone by zone to target small areas of sagged fat or settled product while the skin is tightened.

RVR ProLift: Refinement with Vertical Restoration, a thread-based lift in which absorbable barbed threads are placed along vertical vectors, with energy-based lifting added where planned.

S3 Resurfacing: A multi-depth fractional CO2 protocol on the DEKA Tetra Pro for acne scars, treating ice pick, boxcar and rolling scars at their own depths in three phases.

FSX Laser: The Flawless Smooth Skin protocol, using thulium and erbium-glass wavelengths for texture, pores, pigment, redness, mild laxity and superficial scars.

4K Body Lift: A body protocol that delivers radiofrequency through insulated microneedles on the Secret Duo platform to compact, pinchable fat and the skin over it.

4D Scar Reconstruction: A combined scar programme that brings subcision, TCA CROSS, ablative resurfacing and injectable volume together in one plan.

Triplanar: Treating three tissue planes, deep support, middle volume and surface skin, in one coordinated plan rather than one layer at a time.

3D Facial Reconstruction: Dr Sin Yong's triplanar facial protocol, planned at three depths: structural lifting, mid-layer volume, and surface skin quality.

G Lift: An intimate wellness protocol that uses fractional laser energy to stimulate collagen in vaginal tissue, performed discreetly by a doctor.

Luminescence Laser: A laser protocol used for hair restoration and, on the skin, for shallower facial scars, melasma and firming loose body skin.

Sources

References & sources

1. Fitzpatrick TB. The validity and practicality of sun-reactive skin types I through VI. Arch Dermatol. 1988;124(6):869-871.
2. Anderson RR, Parrish JA. Selective photothermolysis: precise microsurgery by selective absorption of pulsed radiation. Science. 1983;220(4596):524-527.
3. Manstein D, Herron GS, Sink RK, Tanner H, Anderson RR. Fractional photothermolysis: a new concept for cutaneous remodeling using microscopic patterns of thermal injury. Lasers Surg Med. 2004;34(5):426-438.
4. Fabi SG. Noninvasive skin tightening: focus on new ultrasound techniques. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2015;8:47-52.
5. Manstein D, Laubach H, Watanabe K, Farinelli W, Zurakowski D, Anderson RR. Selective cryolysis: a novel method of non-invasive fat removal. Lasers Surg Med. 2008;40(9):595-604.
6. Jacob CI, Dover JS, Kaminer MS. Acne scarring: a classification system and review of treatment options. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001;45(1):109-117.

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