HydraFacial Perk Lip: what it does for dry lips, and what it cannot change

What it is

What HydraFacial Perk Lip is

Perk was launched by The HydraFacial Company in 2017 as a system that pairs a quick in-clinic exfoliation with products to use at home. It comes in three versions, for the face, the eyes and the lips. Perk Lip is the lip version.

Instead of the main HydraFacial handpiece, Perk uses a patented roller-flex applicator designed for small, delicate areas. Gentle suction lifts away dead skin cells and debris while antioxidants are delivered to the surface. After the treatment, you take home a vial of product to continue with.

The manufacturer describes the treatment itself as taking around 10 minutes. At SkinRev Lab, we allow about 15 minutes, including preparation. It can be booked on its own or added to a HydraFacial in the same visit.

Why lips get dry

Why lips get dry, flaky and lined

Lips dry out easily. Licking them, sun, wind, long hours in air-conditioning and some lip products all strip water from the surface, and dead cells then build up as flakes and rough patches.

In a 2022 study of 109 people with chronic cheilitis, a long-term inflammation of the lips, flaking was present in 90.8% and chapping in 74.3%. Their lips lost more water through the surface than matched controls, and working in an environment that alternated between indoors and outdoors was a risk factor. That pattern will be familiar to anyone moving between Singapore's heat and air-conditioned offices.

Fine vertical lines on the lips have two causes. Some are dryness lines, which soften when lips are smooth and hydrated. Others come with age, sun damage or smoking, and reflect changes deeper in the lip that a surface treatment cannot reach.

The 15 minutes

What happens during Perk Lip

If you are having a HydraFacial in the same visit, Perk Lip usually comes at the end. Your lips are cleansed, then the applicator is glided across them in short passes, lifting away loose dry skin under light suction. A serum is applied as it goes, and a finishing product is pressed in.

Most people feel a light pulling and a cool, slightly tingly sensation. It should not be painful; tell your therapist if anything stings, and the pass can be lightened.

Straight afterwards, lips usually look smoother and more even in surface texture, and lipstick goes on more smoothly. If your lips feel at all irritated, use a plain balm for the rest of the day instead of colour.

Suitability

Who Perk Lip suits, and what it cannot do

Perk Lip suits people whose lips are dry, flaky or rough, people who want smoother lips before an event or photographs, and people who already have a HydraFacial and want the lips treated in the same visit.

• It does not add volume or change the shape of the lips. Volume is a medical treatment, assessed by Dr Sin Yong, MBBS (Singapore), MRCS (Edinburgh), MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff).
• It does not lighten lips that are dark from pigment, sun or smoking.
• It is not a treatment for cheilitis. Lips that stay cracked, sore, scaly or itchy for weeks need a doctor's review.
• It should not be done over an active cold sore. Wait until it has fully healed, and tell us if you get them often.
• If your lips react to lip products, mention it. Flavourings such as peppermint oil in lip balms are a recognised cause of allergic contact cheilitis.

Booking and aftercare

Booking Perk Lip, and caring for your lips afterwards

At SkinRev Lab, #B1-28 CityLink Mall by City Hall MRT, Perk Lip takes about 15 minutes and can be booked alone or with any HydraFacial tier. It is priced separately from the tiers; ask at the counter or on WhatsApp at +65 8266 9585. Open daily, 11am to 8pm.

• Use the take-home product as directed.
• Apply a plain, fragrance-free balm several times a day, and an SPF lip balm outdoors.
• Try not to lick or peel your lips; both make dryness worse.
• Before an event, book Perk Lip two to five days ahead, the same window as a HydraFacial.

Sources

References & sources

1. Wang Y, Lin L, Wang Y, et al. Analysis of clinical presentations, lip transepidermal water loss and associated dermatological conditions in patients with chronic cheilitis. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):22497. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-27115-9
2. Tran A, Pratt M, DeKoven J. Acute allergic contact dermatitis of the lips from peppermint oil in a lip balm. Dermatitis. 2010;21(2):111-115. doi:10.2310/6620.2010.09040
3. Beauty Packaging. The HydraFacial Company launches Perk skin care system. 12 April 2017.

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