Jamie Yeo, Joanne Peh defy ageing and rebuild collagen with Ultherapy
Emcee Jamie Yeo reaping benefits of ultrasound treatment
No matter how good you think former radio DJ Jamie Yeo looks on her Instagram feed, she still feels the ravages of time.
After turning 40, the local social media influencer and host-emcee noticed a loss of collagen in her face, which she said has thin skin and is naturally bony, causing it to lose its youthful vigour.
In June, Yeo tried Ultherapy, the world's only US Food and Drug Administration-cleared ultrasound treatment that aims to lift skin in a non- invasive way and rebuild collagen. The price of one session ranges from $3,000 onwards and is available only at certified medical clinics.
The 42-year-old mother of two children aged nine and two told The New Paper: "You can't buy a skincare product or make-up to hide (the loss of collagen). I needed something a bit more intense.
"I love that Ultherapy's effects look natural and last for a year. It is not really changing your structure, just turning back the clock to how your skin was five years ago. You just look fresher, but there isn't a big difference per se.
"There is some pain, heat and discomfort, and it is costly, but I was sold by the testimonies."
Yeo was speaking at the Discover your Ultimate Skinvestment with Ultherapy session last week organised by German aesthetics and neurotoxin company Merz Aesthetics, alongside celebrity ambassador Joanne Peh and Dr Sylvia Ramirez, medical and scientific director of Cutis Medical Laser Clinics.
Yeo feels that opting for fillers is a "slippery slope".
"When it goes away, your skin gets looser and looser. And you inject more and more. My greatest fear is looking unnatural. But ask me again when I am 60," she said with a laugh.
How you treat your body is vital for your skin too, she added.
"Eat well, drink less and don't stress so much. I have a lot of home-cooked (food) on weekdays. My plate consists of a quarter carbs, a quarter meat, and half veggies or fruit. Plus one fresh organic egg daily. Our whole family eats this way.
"I get plenty of sleep, because at a certain age, you can't sleep for two hours and still look fresh."
While Yeo exercises only once a week, she tries to brisk walk and take the stairs when she can.
BEAUTY TIPS
As for beauty tips, she believes less is more.
She said: "I use the Lancome Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate Serum and a Eucerin cleanser daily, and a Eucerin non-greasy sunblock when I go out. I also take vitamin C, a UV shield cordial and hair supplements every other day.
"Less foundation is better than more - to avoid cakiness. And don't be too shy about freckles, zits and scars. Sometimes the process of trying to hide them is worse than having them."
As for local actress Joanne Peh, 36, she has been reaping Ultherapy's benefits since undergoing a session last November.
She said: "I never thought you could stimulate the growth of collagen and how important it is to have a treatment that goes beyond the usual layers of our skin. The effects last so long because it goes in so deep. I can see the difference in my IG feed - how I looked a year ago and now."
She added: "It does save you a lot of time. I don't have to use a lot of make-up or conceal as much. It gives you that extra boost in confidence because you know you don't have to do a lot to look as good."
Peh, who has two kids aged four and two with actor-husband Qi Yuwu, has been "very happy" with the results.
During the filming of her Toggle period series Last Madame, in which she plays a brothel boss, she admitted she "smoked (for the part), ate badly on set and slept badly", yet eventually "emerged still looking good".
She referred jokingly to the nude sex scene she shares with Taiwanese actor Jeff Chou: "If my co-star has something nice to look at, it is easier for him to get into character, right? And close-ups cannot turn the audience off."
Peh feels Ultherapy can benefit men too. She managed to get Qi - who she said is "bonier" than her and looks gaunt when lacking sleep - to give it a shot.
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