Review: Astute Medical Centre tightened my Saggy Skin with its Facial Harmony Program (Part 2 – Recovery & Results)

Hi guys, you’ve seen me gone through the Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre. To recap, this anti-aging treatment can be described as a liquid facelift because it makes use of botulinum toxin and filler to give saggy face a natural lift.

Today, I’m going to share with you my recovery journey and most importantly, the results.

> RELATED: What is Facial Harmony Program? | Consultation & Injections

 

And no, I’m not just showing you the results immediately after treatment. Based on my experience, I know the initial result may not be conclusive as minor swelling can plump up the skin and make us look younger. So, the before-after photos you see in this post are the results after full recovery.

Did my saggy and aging skin succeed in getting a natural lift from this minimally-invasive treatment? Do I look visibly younger? How long was the down-time? Let’s find out.

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Recovery from Facial Harmony Program (by Astute Medical Centre)

I’ll be honest with you that I went through an emotional roller-coaster when recovering from the Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre. It went from liking the result initially, to regretting going through the procedure and finally enjoying the full effect of the natural facelift.

You can take this day-by-day recovery as a reference to how you may feel after going through an aesthetic procedure like this. The most important takeaway is to be patient as results take time to show, and we need time to heal.

So, if you are ready, we’ll go through Day 1 where I experienced the bulk of the emotional volatility.

Day 1 – A Day on the Emotional Roller Coaster

Immediately after treatment, I made my way to a hawker centre where I had my dinner. There wasn’t any pain and I didn’t find the need to avoid the crowd even though I was without makeup.

Out of the 50+ injection points, only a few were faintly visible on my forehead and temples. The rest, including the “mosquito” bumps (as a result of Dysport Dermalift) had subsided quickly even before I left the clinic.

But Being Under Bright Light Bothered Me

After dinner, I continued to do my grocery shopping and that’s when I realized how uncomfortable I felt under bright, white light.

My mind was messing with me and I felt self-conscious. I thought everyone was looking at me just because I knew how many times my face was poked. But the marks were barely visible (after I verified with a mirror). I’d looked perfectly normal.

To give an analogy, it’s like a drug trafficker feeling panicky and perspiring profusely at the immigration due to his psychological fear. He knew what he did and thought people would guess it too.

TIP:  Try to schedule Facial Harmony Program in the late afternoon or at night and avoid having any social events thereafter. Even though there’s no downtime, it’s not easy (for me) to overcome the psychological barrier.

3 Hours Post-Treatment: “I Looked Different?”

The numbing cream started to lose its effect 3 hours post-treatment and I started feeling mild tenderness when I smile or laugh. That was also the time when I reached home and was able to examine my face thoroughly under various angles.

I couldn’t get used to my enhanced face. My brow bones bulged out as if they had been kissed by mosquitoes, while my cheeks protruded and made my temples look sunken.

I expected myself to look younger, not different. But you know what, I was too impatient (the results will improve with time).

By the way, all these “changes” were only visible to myself because my partner said he saw nothing except for an enhanced nasolabial folds and more angular face.

I guess it’s understandable why I notice things that’s not obvious to others because I’ve stared at my face for a few decades. I would need some time to get used to the “modified face”.

5 Hours Post Treatment: Soreness Upon Touch

5 hours after receiving the liquid facelift treatment, I felt mild bruise-like sensation when I smile or touch my face. As such, I’d to use very light pressure when washing my face. I also skipped flossing that night.

Thereafter, I continued to work through the night without facing any discomfort as long as I refrained from smiling.

8 Hours Post-Treatment: I’m Regretting!

Now, if you’ve read this post, you’ll know that I have a habit of sleeping late. Therefore, I was still awake 8 hours post-treatment (at 4am) and I think the discomfort level was at its peak. That was the time when I regretted going for the treatment because I couldn’t get to sleep easily.

To be fair, the aching feeling was only apparent after I went to bed. Although the pain level was a 4/10, it was not welcomed as I was in the state of trying to relax and fall asleep. Furthermore, sleeping face-up is a challenge for me because I’m a side-sleeper. 

At this point, I was short-sighted and thought the discomfort would last forever. And I regretted going for the treatment.

TIP: I highly recommend that you sleep early like everyone else so that you can sleep through the peak of the soreness. 

Day 2 – Feeling Amazing!

When I woke up, I was amazed at how quickly I’d recovered. Within a span of just a few hours, my mood switched from regrets to happiness.

There wasn’t any hint of pain and it felt like yesterday’s late-night episode was just a dream. I brushed and flossed my teeth as usual, and laughed all I want without feeling any pain at all. On hindsight, I felt silly and short-sighted over yesterday’s mood swing.

Here’s why I was so happy on Day 2. Er.. I thought I looked so much younger and prettier. :) My nasolabial folds were almost gone and I looked like a fresh-faced youthful girl in my late twenties, perhaps? Alas, my deep tear troughs gave my age away as this area wasn’t treated.

Managing Expectation: Even though I felt happy on Day 2, I was awaiting the bruise to form and the “youthfulness” to retreat a little. As you see, the initial swelling – although invisible to the eyes – can plump up the face and make one look younger.

Filler Lumps Softened Considerably

The lumpy feel on the cheeks and brow bones softened considerably and the face took on a more natural curvature. I thought my face was more defined – higher cheek bones and raised brow bones. I didn’t need a highlighter to bring out the shine on these areas.

My middle cheek hollowness was also reduced.

The injection marks didn’t bother me too as they were barely visible – I went out for breakfast without any makeup.

Day 3 to Day 6 – Where’re the Bruises?

Day 3 to Day 6 were uneventful. I was expecting bruises to form during this period, but didn’t spot a single one. Am I complaining? Of course not! :)

I’m just really impressed and surprised. Like not even a single tiny bruise especially when I’m known to bruise easily.

No Downtime indeed! Based on my experience, the Facial Harmony Program was truly a no-downtime treatment. Well, perhaps except that late-night episode when I chose to sleep at ungodly hours which happened to coincide with the peak of the soreness. 

Even though I didn’t suffer any bruises, please note that minor bruising is a common side effect of filler/botox procedures. So, it may vary from person to person. It’s better to expect it than not.

Great Reduction in Tenderness

By Day 3, the face feels as normal as when it was before I went for the treatment. I could wash my face applying normal pressure.

By Day 4, the faint injection marks on the forehead were almost gone. And all filler points have softened except for the left cheek, which for some reasons, seemed to take longer to recover.

TIP: Do not panic if different parts of the face recover at difference pace. Give it 2 weeks before you establish if you like the result.

Out of the blue, my partner said this to me, “I’ve found a young girl with no wrinkles.”

LOL! He’s a lucky chap! :)

He added that my skin color was nice (huh?). Personally, I noticed firmer and bouncier skin. “Diong Diong” was what I’ve written in my beauty diary and I use this to describe the sound of a spring.

All in all, I noticed the following improvements by Day 6:

• Reduced nasolabial folds and marionette lines
• Firmer skin
• Lifted brows and cheeks bones
• Reduced hollowness in lower cheeks

Day 7 – More Radiant Skin

On Day 7, I met up with a friend and she said I looked better and more radiant. At this point, I kept wondering why people commented that my skin looked better. I’d thought this treatment gives volume and shape. But does it improve the skin and its radiance?

Well, perhaps when the skin is plumped up, it would draw and reflect light better? I think so.

Oh, I do recall that the Dysport Dermalift was said to improve skin collagen? Maybe that’s why I could see my skin looking more taut. Or is the multiple Dysport injections also doubling up as a skin needling procedure?

One thing I didn’t love was how the laugh lines emerge gradually after the skin was allowed to heal. Therefore, I grew from someone in her late twenties (Day 2) to thirties (Day 7)? :)

Still, it’s at least 5 to 8 years off my age of 40+. And I think it should be expected because two syringes (2ml) of filler is insufficient to fully fill up the hollowness of the entire face. Many require this amount just to deal with one area of the face.

Dr Desmond Chin from Astute Medical Centre did mention during the initial consultation that I would need more filler than what this Facial Harmony Program offers if I want to look perfect – like fill up the temples and laugh lines etc.

 

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Final Results: Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre

As there wasn’t any bruise, I stopped recording my observations until Week 2. That’s when I noticed a visibly slimmer face.

Now, I wasn’t expecting The Facial Harmony Program to give me a slimmer face because the botox (dysport) was injected only skin-deep, unlike jaw reduction procedure when the masseter muscle is injected.

I’m truly loving the result by now! 

Finally, the 50+ jabs and discomfort experienced on Day 1 all seemed worth it!

The bulging brow and cheek bones also recovered fully and they looked like baby fat instead of mosquito bumps.

Week 3 to 4 – Continued Improvement (Firmer Skin)

Look at the photo I took on Day 21. It’s been a long time since I looked this good on photos.

Can you see how firm and sharp my face was? Where’s all the saggy skin that I had just a few weeks ago? I’m really delighted with this subtle facelift I’ve gotten without having to deal with any downtime.

It is Day 28 today (when I’m writing this). I met up with a buddy for lunch and she told me that I looked good. I probed further and she mentioned two keywords – “Radiant” and “Younger”. She said she saw me in a distance and thought I could pass off as a tertiary student (she works in a tertiary school and we met in the school).

Now, my friend didn’t need to praise/please me because we’ve known each other for 30 years. So I take this as a validation of the effectiveness of the Facial Harmony Program. Of course, I don’t think I can pass off as a student lah! I’m a bit more self-critical. I think I look like I’m in my 30s. Maybe you guys can tell me how old I look like now (more photos below)?

Under-Eye Wrinkles Improved Significantly!

It was also on this day that I noticed something I didn’t expect. My under-eye wrinkles have reduced significantly, especially on the outer eye areas. I almost have no wrinkles there right now.

 

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Benefits & Results: Facial Harmony Program

Here’s a summary to capture the improvements observed after going through the Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre. I’ve listed them based on when I noticed the benefits:

• Reduced Nasolabial Folds (Laugh lines)
• Reduction in Cheek Hollowness
• Raised Cheekbones
• Raised Brow Bones
• Firmer Skin
• Slimmer/More defined face
• More Radiant Looking
• Reduced Undereye Wrinkles (Outer corners)

Let me show you some before-after photos of the Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre. The AFTER photos were taken on the 3rd and 4th week. I’ll add some commentary. :)

Before-After Photos (Front Profile)

Sorry, guys. Got to cover my eyes because I’m shy – um…if some scam company wants to steal my image (see story), I want them to leave my ugly photos alone. :)

Okay, noticed the middle cheeks appear less sunken and lifted in the AFTER photo?

Before-After (Side Profile)

From this side-profile photos, you can see that the nasolabial folds and marionette lines are still present in the AFTER photo, but not as deep.

The raised brow bone and cheeks also reflected light better (I did not use highlighter in all the photos here).

Before-After (Front Smiling)

This photo shows the most significant difference. The face in the AFTER photo is distinctly sharper and slimmer even though I didn’t laugh as hard as in the BEFORE photo. :)

Remember, this procedure is not a jaw-reduction procedure. So, I’m really delighted with the face-slimming effect.

Before-After (Vain Shot)

Actually, these are not vain shots. :) They were taken to showcase some products that I’ve reviewed (will be reviewing).

The BEFORE photo was taken 4 months ago during a photoshoot for this review. Compare it with the AFTER photo and you can see a significant reduction of my under-eye wrinkles. I think that’s because the botox (dysport) that’s injected to the peripheral of the face also relaxes the outer eye areas.

Another thing you can see is the higher cheekbones and reduced nasolabial folds in the AFTER photo.

 

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Price of Facial Harmony Program (Astute Medical Centre)

The Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre is currently priced at S$1,960 (at time of writing), a discount off its normal price of S$3,160.

Is it cheap? Well, all aesthetics treatment aren’t! :)

Based on what I know, a syringe of filler typically costs around S$1,000 in Singapore. This procedure comes with two syringes of filler plus a Dysport Dermalift Treatment. So the pricing seems to be reasonable based on industry benchmark.

 

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Conclusion: Should You Try Facial Harmony Program (Astute Medical Centre)?

Let me help you by asking you the following questions:

• Does aging or saggy skin bother you? Do you aspire to look younger? 
• Can you withstand multiple needle injections on your face? 
• Are you looking for a no-downtime aesthetics procedure? 
• Are you okay with results that last up to 1 year? 

Did you answer “Yes” to the above questions? 

If you did, then this procedure is something that you can consider, especially if you were thinking of going under the knife. Do however note that this procedure can only treat mild to moderate laxity which typically applies to people between the age of 30+ to 45.

And please do not expect a miracle because no skin is cut off in this procedure. Did you notice that I mentioned I look 5 to 8 years younger and not by 15 to 20 years (which would bring me back to my 20s)?

In case you wonder how long the effect would last, filler is known to last for 9 to 12 months, while botox lasts for about 4 months. Continued use of botulinum toxins is said to extend the length of its effectiveness.

Would I try Facial Harmony Program Again? 

If you asked me during the first week of recovery, I may be undecided. Today, I’m going to confidently say, “Yes, I’ll do it again!” In fact, I may even get addicted to it.

I love how natural the result is and how it involves no downtime. No one knew I had anything done since Day 1, unless I told them about it. I also love the unsolicited compliments that kept coming in which validated the effectiveness of the Facial Harmony Program (not a placebo effect).

This Facial Harmony Program by Astute Medical Centre met my skin concerns (i.e. saggy and aging skin) and gave me firmer and more radiant skin. I wished my nasolabial folds can be better filled, but I understand it’s something that I’ll have to top up for if I want to shave another 10 years off my age. :) Rating: 4/5

> MUST-READ: What is Facial Harmony Program? | Consultation & Injections

If you are keen, the consultation fee of S$50 is waived as at time of writing. You can just pop by and speak with the specialists. And don’t forget to subscribe and get the $500 voucher before you go down.

 

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That’s all for today’s review. Hope you’ve found this post informative and useful. Yes, there are so many ways to make one look younger. Based on my experience, aesthetics procedures can work its magic fast and produce visible results. OTC skincare on the other end – well – is mostly good for maintenance or subtle enhancements.

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