Review/Facial: Sugar Therapeutics Treatment at IDS Clinic

As much as I want to have a smooth complexion, it somehow never feels quite as smooth as I want it to be. I’m thinking eggshell, but what I have is probably closer to a kiwi. Although my skin often feels so much smoother after using my favourite masks (Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Mask, GlamGlow YouthMud, Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, Kose Infinity Deep Clear Mask), the effects wear off after a week or so, and I have to repeat the process again.

When I first heard about this treatment at IDS Clinic, my interest was piqued. Called the Sugar Therapeutics Treatment, the 3-step treatment is said to smoothen the surface of your skin and even helps in removing the peach fuzz.

Note: This treatment is not suitable for those suffering from acne/problematic skin. It’s suitable for those looking for an instant visible whitening and have relatively problem-free skin. Read on to find out why.

The “weapon” of the day –  a tub of sugar paste that’s really similar to malt candy . It’s edible! I even had a taste of it. The texture is really thick and gooey, kinda like molten sugar/honey. Just a smidgen is enough for the entire face.
— Step 1: The Sugar Peel —

Using sugar paste, the therapist applies the glob to your skin (about a finger’s length) at one time, spreads it out and then pulls it off quickly. It’s kinda like ripping off a bandaid, but those really sticky ones

Note: This stings. I have a low, almost non-existent threshold of pain. To be honest, I also found it slightly abrasive – I mean, just imagine applying masking tape/duct tape to your skin and then pulling it off. Now multiply that by 50x (cos it has to be repeated on every portion of your skin).

However, the rationalisation behind this method is that the sugar paste is lifting off the topmost dead skin cells in order to reveal the newer, younger skin cells beneath, thus resulting in visibly fairer skin.

This is also said to remove the fine surface hair from your face, so it can result in a smoother face that allows your makeup to be applied more smoothly, and to stay longer.

As you can see, the sugar paste is reallllly sticky and gooey, so it takes considerable effort by the therapist to spread it on the skin.
And voila! Can you see the obvious difference in skin tone? Both were taken under the same spot lighting.
— Step 2: Application of Whitening Serum + Vitamin C —

Yes yes, me sans makeup is not a pretty sight to behold. This is me after my entire face has been sugar pasted, and a layer of whitening serum + vitamin c has been applied

— Step 3: Whitening Mask + Cryo Stamping —

In order to calm the skin down, the last step involves a cooling whitening mask placed over your skin with a cryo stamp machine being used. The applicator head (cold probe) is very , duh, cooling and is moved in gentle circular motions over your entire face (over the mask in order to enhance the penetration and efficacy). This whole process is called Iontophorosis and is done at -15 degrees in order to minimise any irritation. This was actually my favourite part of the entire treatment – it was so cooling and soothing that I dozed off pretty quickly :D

— The Grand Reveal —

So what do you think? There’s absolutely no filters and no editing  done to these photos (you can totally tell from the dark eye circles that are so obvious).

Yes the skin is visibly brighter and fairer, like whutttt. It’s so obvious that I’ve upped one shade.

My skin definitely felt smoother and some of the peach fuzz was removed.

The next day, the makeup did sit a lot more easily on the skin – it really glided on.

There is not much of a downtime (except for some very, very mild redness). I’m attributing this to the cryo-treatment at the end of it.

You can even do this over lunchtime, as it takes about 30-45 minutes in total.

However, it can be slightly abrasive and harsh to the skin – I mean, there’s definitely some pulling of the skin (just imagine the ripping off of the masking tape x 50), so I wouldn’t recommend doing this too often (say, 1x a month). This is also the reason why it’s not suitable for troubled skin. When I was doing this treatment, I had several acne hotspots on my chin and jawline, so my therapist avoided that portion.

Even though the cryo stamping did soothe my skin to a certain extent, make sure to follow up with a calming lotion of sorts on the day itself (I used the CNP Laboratory Mugener Ampule Intensive Facial Soothing Solution), and try to stay out of the sun for at least 24 hours. After all, that’s almost “fresh new” skin that you’ve got – don’t be hurrying to get a tan or expose it to the harmful sun rays.

Overall, it’s a pretty interesting new concept – it’s kinda like an Instant-exfoliating session to immediately reveal brighter skin.

Available at IDS Clinic, #05-07 to 10, Novena Specialist Center, 8 Sinaran Drive, Singapore 307470