So you made the unwise decision to stay out a bit too long in the damning sun without sufficient SPF, and you’re regretting it big-time because your skin now feels burnt and damaged. We could lecture you about the perils of not applying sunblock every day and making sure you reapply when you’re going to be staying out, but we know there’s no use crying over spilt milk – so here’s a constructive solution.
The answer lies in Porcelain Spa, a homegrown aesthetics brand that had its humble beginnings in a HDB bomb shelter about two decades ago. The expert behind Porcelain is veteran aesthetician Jenny Teng, who today runs the business with her daughter, with Porcelain having evolved into a luxury brand that prides itself on its bespoke facial services, with its very own skincare range as well.
Back to the topic of rescuing our skin from sun damage: one of the facials Porcelain Spa offers in its menu is the Sun Rescue Facial. It’s all about calming, repairing and hydrating skin that’s been stressed out by sun exposure, with the key parts of the treatment being cryotherapy and an oxygen infusion.
Once you’re settled into the treatment room, it begins with a double cleansing with Porcelain’s own makeup and facial cleanser; and as long as your skin isn’t sunburnt, the therapist will follow that with a massage exfoliation using the Revive Natural Skin Refiner.
Here’s where things get cool, literally. A CryoProbe machine is used to bring down the skin’s temperature to -10 degrees Celsius by placing a device with a flat metallic surface over the skin. It’s not so cold that it’s unbearable, and when applied onto the skin with Porcelain’s Soothe Aloe Recovery Gel, it’s positively soothing. The purpose of this part of the treatment is to get the blood vessels in your skin to start dilating and constricting, to promote circulation and get the skin cells regenerated; plus, the cold helps reduce pore size.
Following that is a refreshing oxygen spray that’s really as fine as a mist; it comes infused with a serum that the therapist will select according to your skin needs, and for us, it was a lovely-smelling rose serum to aid hydration. The treatment then concluded with a soothing gel-based cucumber mask, a shoulder massage, moisturiser, and a layer of sunscreen – everything’s done within 60 minutes, so it’s the kind of facial that perfectly fits within your lunch hour. Another thing we really liked about the Porcelain products used during the treatment was that they all felt so gentle, and as our therapist informed us, aloe vera features significantly in the formulations, so they’re great for stressed-out and sensitive skin.
Post-facial, our skin felt a whole lot more hydrated, for sure; but the impressive thing was, for once, heading out without makeup didn’t feel daunting. That’s because our enlarged pores were no longer, well, enlarged, plus our complexion was now emitting a newfound radiance. Now we understand why Porcelain advocates avoiding applying foundation after treatment, and even has their staff go without it as well – yes, you won’t clog your pores this way, but their facials lets you be able to go without it with a peace of mind anyway.
Main image: instagram.com/porcelainfacespa. Porcelain Sun Rescue Facial, $267.50 for 60 minutes. Available at Porcelain, The Face Spa, 15 Cantonment Road. Book an appointment at porcelainfacespa.com.
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