Spare 30 minutes of your time and you could end up with a facelift without the surgery or lose at least three centimetres off your waist.

Simply Aesthetic is a clinic that provides non-surgical medical aesthetic treatments to help clients look and feel better without having to go under the knife. Treatments are prescribed by managing director, Dr Christine Cheng (left in main pic), and consultations are by appointment only. Most procedures take minutes to perform and involve little or no recovery time.

I got the chance to try out two popular procedures - Nano Perfector and Ion Magnum.

Nano Perfector: Facelift without the surgery

The Perfector is a non-invasive, skin rejuvenation computerised device that builds new tissues, lifts sagging muscles, purifies and detoxifies, transforming the skin with a youthful glow.

The physics behind its workings is through a sophisticated and unique "artificial language" that channels high definition signals via nanocurrents onto the skin's cells, gently persuading them to repair themselves. Biological processes such as increasing collagen, blood circulation and regenerating new tissue are unlocked. The treatment is face-lifting, purifying and detoxifying. It can be used for, among other treatments, diminishing pigmentation, facial rejuvenation and reducing dark circles and puffiness around the eyes.

The treatment began for me when the Simply Aesthetic assistant applied a thin layer of conductive gel. The process works with her placing these 'magic gloves' on my face and 'lifting' the skin upwards. The nanocurrents are applied either via metal wands, a pair of silver gloves or a copper face mask. Dr Cheng pointed out that I did not need the metal wands - due to my youthful skin, of course - the silver gloves would suffice.

After the treatment,  friends' reactions were that my skin was glowing. And it lasted for another two days. The assistant performing the procedure did mention that my face was not in dire need of any treatment so whatever result I get may not be too significant. Pardon me for re-emphasising my young face, but it was true. Though the difference was slight, I felt that my face was uplifted with a more defined jaw line, reduced laugh lines around my mouth and nose area, a lift to the ends of my eyebrows as well as definite glow.

Ion Magnum: Shake that fat off

At the same time as the 'magic gloves' were working, the Ion Magnum was working its fat-burning ways on me, and its work was cut out for it!

The Ion Magnum is a device that builds muscle using fat as its main energy source (something that I have a lot of around my middle area!). Its benefits include a high tech compact workout, - Dr Cheng pointed out that each 30 minute session is more effective than many hours of training in a gym - fast effortless inch loss and reduces visceral fat.

How this works is metal plates are strapped onto treated areas - for me it was the stomach area - and painless muscle contractions are created at regular intervals. Painless - yes, uncomfortable - extremely! My toes kept constantly curling up and my face kept scrunching up everytime the vibrations went off. The intensity is turned up over a few minutes to maximise muscular activity.

The first round of vibrations concentrated in the middle area mainly round the belly button region, which was bearable for me. Then, the concentration changed to an all round intensity where the muscles were worked all round the back to the front middle area. I could also the feel the vibrations down to my knees with the first round but when the intensity got higher, the shaking was felt down to my calves. The third and final intensity felt like a wave movement which I could not bear. The assistant had to switch it back to the second intensity for me.

While the vibrations worked their way through my fat, I also had to concentrate on breathing. You have to breathe out when the vibrations start and breathe in during the interval, which proved difficult for me. With my toes flexing up, my face scrunching up and the 'magic glove's also doing their thing - I was not in an easy position!

The verdict

Despite feeling really uncomfortable and not being able to handle the last bit of intensity, I lost an average of 3 centimetres altogether. Pretty good for 30 minutes. Before the plates were put on me, I was measured in circumference in three places - two centimetres above my belly button, around my belly button and two centimetres below my belly button. I lost 4cm above, 3cm in the middle and 2cm below. The fat loss can last for a few days but if you eat fatty foods quickly enough and don't take care, the fat obviously comes back, says Dr Cheng.

An interesting experience especially for a treatment virgin like myself. I can't say I enjoyed the Ion Magnum but the fat loss was satisfying and worth the discomfort.  No pain, no gain, right? My jeans and belts don't feel as snug as they used to! I also feel that the effects of the Perfector are still present on my face so it's a face-lift I approve of - I am also a skeptic when it comes to surgeries and youthful "miracle" work.

For a 30 minute session, the Nano Perfector costs $400 and for a 30 minute session, the Ion Magnum costs $600.

To book an appointment with Simply Aesthetic:

Call: 6732 5527
Email: consult@simply-aesthetic.com
Visit: UE Square Shopping Mall #03-21, 81 Clemenceau Avenue, Singapore 239917
Website: www.simply-aesthetic.com