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A woman reading a patient guide before aesthetic treatment in Singapore
Patient Guides · Informed Consent · What to Expect Before Treatment

Patient Guides: Before Your Treatment

Know what you are agreeing to.

Consent is more than a signature. These plain-language guides from Dr Sin Yong explain, for each family of treatment, what it does, what usually happens afterwards, the rarer risks and the alternatives — including doing nothing.

WhatsApp to Enquire →Key facts ↓
4 questions
What, effects, risks, alternatives
Doctor
Explains in person
Written
Consent and aftercare
No rush
Time to decide
Assessed and treated by Dr Sin Yong, Medical Director · MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edinburgh) · MSc Aesthetic Medicine (London) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff) · Designated DEKA Centre of Excellence

Before any treatment you should understand four things: what the procedure does and does not do, the common effects such as swelling or redness, the rare but serious risks, and the alternatives, including no treatment. At IN Eternity Clinic, Dr Sin Yong explains these at assessment, and you sign consent only once your questions are answered.

Key facts
  • Informed consent: you agree to a specific procedure after hearing what it involves, its likely effects, its risks and the alternatives.
  • Your history matters: medicines, supplements, pregnancy or breastfeeding, cold sores, keloid scars, previous filler and recent procedures can all change the plan.
  • Photographs: clinical photographs are taken only with your consent and kept in your medical record.
  • Time to decide: you can take the written plan and quote home; consent can be withdrawn at any point before treatment begins.
  • Not always suitable: a treatment may be declined if it is unlikely to help or if another option would serve you better.
  • Where: IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, Singapore.
Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong, Medical Director, IN Eternity Clinic · Last updated
Injectables

Anti-wrinkle injections, fillers and collagen stimulators

What you are agreeing to. Anti-wrinkle injections use botulinum toxin, a prescription medicine, to relax specific muscles for a few months. Fillers and collagen stimulators place a gel or particles under the skin to restore support. Common effects: swelling, tenderness and bruising for days. Rarer risks: asymmetry or a temporarily heavy brow or eyelid after toxin; lumps, infection and, rarely, filler entering a blood vessel. Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase; calcium hydroxylapatite, polycaprolactone and poly-L-lactic acid cannot. Alternatives: skin-quality or energy treatments, or no treatment.

Guides: anti-wrinkle injections, jaw slimming, dermal fillers, cheek filler, nose filler, Sculptra, Radiesse, Ellansé, filler correction and thread lift.

Two people reading a patient guide together before treatment
Illustrative image. Not a patient of IN Eternity Clinic.
Skin boosters

Rejuran, Profhilo and needle-free boosters

What you are agreeing to. Small amounts of polynucleotides or hyaluronic acid are placed in the skin to support hydration and quality; they do not change shape. Common effects: small bumps and redness at the injection points for a day or two. Rarer risks: bruising, infection, and reactions to an ingredient. Alternatives: needle-free delivery, medical facials or a skincare plan.

Guides: Rejuran, Profhilo, skin boosters, needle-free Deep Synergy Booster and Hydrafacial.

“Consent is not the form. It is the conversation before the form, and you are allowed to end it without booking anything.”
— Dr Sin Yong, Medical Director, IN Eternity Clinic
Lasers

Resurfacing, pigment and hair-removal lasers

What you are agreeing to. Laser energy is absorbed by a target — water in skin for resurfacing, pigment for spots and tattoos, hair follicles for hair removal — to create a controlled effect. Common effects: redness, swelling, crusting or flaking depending on depth. Rarer risks: post-inflammatory pigmentation (more likely in Asian skin), blistering, infection, cold-sore reactivation and, uncommonly, scarring. Alternatives: gentler settings over more sessions, topical treatment, or no treatment.

Guides: DEKA Tetra CO2 resurfacing, acne scar treatment, pico laser, laser toning, melasma, laser hair removal and tattoo removal.

Plain booklets and reading glasses on a table, representing patient guides
Illustrative image. Not a patient of IN Eternity Clinic.
Lifting

HIFU, Thermage and radiofrequency lifting

What you are agreeing to. Focused ultrasound or radiofrequency heats deeper layers to prompt tightening and collagen remodelling over weeks to months. Common effects: warmth or discomfort during treatment, redness and tenderness for a day or so. Rarer risks: temporary numbness or nerve irritation, small burns or welts, and fat loss in thin faces if settings are not adjusted. Alternatives: injectables, threads, or a surgical opinion where laxity is advanced.

Guides: HIFU, Ultherapy, Thermage, VF Lift – Vertical Facelift, Time Freeze Laser LCLR® and RF microneedling.

Body and skin growths

Body contouring and removal of skin growths

Body contouring. Microwave or radiofrequency energy treats fat and loose skin gradually. Expect warmth, tenderness and sometimes bruising; results vary and are reviewed over weeks. See Onda Pro, 4K Body Lift and cellulite treatment.

Skin growths. Diagnosis comes first. Benign growths are removed by a method matched to their type; anything suspicious is referred for specialist assessment and laboratory examination rather than removed cosmetically. Expect small scabs and a pink mark that fades. See mole removal, cherry angioma removal, skin tag, wart and milia removal and syringoma removal.

Before you book

Questions worth reading first

Start with your first visit and how we consult. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, read pregnancy and breastfeeding safety; if you take or recently took isotretinoin, read isotretinoin and procedures. To plan around work or events, use the downtime planner. Some treatments are not offered here, and treatments we do not offer explains why. After treatment, the aftercare guides take over.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What should I expect before an aesthetic treatment?

A consultation in which Dr Sin Yong takes your medical history, examines the area and explains the options with their effects, risks and alternatives. Clinical photographs are taken with your consent. You receive a written plan and quote and can decide then or later. Consent is signed only once your questions have been answered.

What is informed consent in aesthetic medicine?

It means agreeing to a specific procedure after you understand what it involves, what it can and cannot achieve, the common effects, the rare serious risks and the alternatives, including no treatment. The Singapore Medical Council expects doctors to give patients enough information, in a way they can understand, to make that decision freely.

Can I change my mind after signing consent?

Yes. Consent can be withdrawn at any point before treatment begins, and you can ask to stop a session if you are uncomfortable. If you are unsure on the day, it is better to say so. The plan can be revisited at another visit, without pressure and without any change to the advice you were given.

What should I tell the doctor before treatment?

Your medicines and supplements, especially blood thinners and isotretinoin (a prescription acne medicine); allergies; pregnancy or breastfeeding; any history of cold sores, keloid scars or poor healing; autoimmune conditions; previous fillers, threads or surgery in the area; and recent treatments elsewhere. Each of these can change what is suitable, and when.

Why might a treatment be declined?

Because it is unlikely to help, because the timing is wrong, or because another option would serve you better. Examples include active infection in the area, pregnancy, recent isotretinoin before certain lasers, or an expectation that a treatment cannot realistically meet. Declining is part of a careful consultation, not a refusal to help.

Are these guides a substitute for a consultation?

No. They explain the general pattern for each family of treatments so that you can arrive at the consultation with better questions. Your own plan depends on your skin, anatomy, medical history and goals, and is set out by Dr Sin Yong in person after he has examined you.

Related at IN Eternity Clinic
Your first visitAftercare guidesHow we consultSafety and sterilisationPregnancy and breastfeeding

Book an assessment

IN Eternity Clinic, 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210. By appointment with Medical Director Dr Sin Yong. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8pm. WhatsApp or call +65 8815 3008.

WhatsApp to Enquire →Call +65 8815 3008
S
Dr Sin Yong
MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edinburgh) · MSc Aesthetic Medicine (London) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff)
International KOL — CLASSYS · HIRONIC · DEKA · ALMA · FOTONA · LUTRONIC
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References

  1. Singapore Medical Council. Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors (2016 edition). healthprofessionals.gov.sg/smc
  2. Health Sciences Authority, Singapore. Infosearch — registered medical devices and health products. hsa.gov.sg
  3. Signorini M, Liew S, Sundaram H, et al. Global Aesthetics Consensus: avoidance and management of complications from hyaluronic acid fillers — evidence- and opinion-based review and consensus recommendations. Plast Reconstr Surg 2016;137(6):961e-971e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000002184

These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.

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