1 / 1
With proper management and care, your natural beauty can shine through at any age. Dr Felix Li explains
We can’t choose not to age, but we can certainly choose how we age. Ideally, we will do so gracefully. According to the internet, that seems to mean drinking more water, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, yet accepting with good humour that–after going through all that trouble–our jowls will still sag, the wrinkles will still come, and the frown lines will threaten to stay.
As an aesthetic doctor who works regularly with age-related concerns in his practice, Dr Felix Li knows that there’s more to graceful ageing than an internet buzzword would have us believe.
The founder of Dr Felix Li Medical Aesthetics Clinic explains: “In our teens, our faces hardly change from year to year. In our thirties, we may start noticing changes every year. In our forties and fifties, there are significant changes to our faces as each year goes by. Throughout all this time, gravity has remained the same. What has changed is the soft tissue support for our faces, which diminishes year on year, speeding up the rate at which our faces change with age.”
In case you missed it: A beginner’s guide to aesthetic treatments, according to a medical expert
Above Dr Felix Li at his clinic
Dr Felix Li at his clinic
1 / 1
According to Dr Li, the loss of soft tissue support usually leads to the downwards and outward movement of superficial fat compartments, resulting in the face appearing broader and heavier towards the bottom. The movement may be restricted in some areas by the presence of retaining ligaments, leading to uneven concavities and convexities that we see as unflattering hollows and bulges. The first signs of ageing usually appear around the eyes and mouth, materialising as drooping upper eyelids, undereye hollows or eyebags, nasolabial folds, heavy jowls, marionette lines, thinner lips, and downturned lip corners.
He is a proponent of arresting these signs of ageing at a young age, saying that the early or mid-thirties are a good time to start thinking about anti-ageing treatments. “If we can restore soft tissue support from a younger age in a way that is closely opposed to the natural process of facial ageing, we may be able to go beyond merely concealing the signs of ageing, to slowing down the rate at which our faces change with age.”
Essentially, it’s a treatment philosophy that looks past the symptoms to the root of the problem. “I do not focus on treating the signs of ageing, such as filling in hollows, or concealing lines. Rather, I prioritise treating the processes that lead to those hollows and lines in the first place.”
Don't miss: Aesthetic Services Are Increasingly Accepted as Anti-Ageing Treatments—Dr Felix Li Explains Why
Above Dr Li says that the first signs of ageing usually appear around the eyes and mouth
Dr Li says that the first signs of ageing usually appear around the eyes and mouth
1 / 1
Giving nature a little push
“The vast majority of my patients are confident and comfortable with the way they look and do not desire a certain facial feature or to look like someone else,” says Dr Li. “However, as they age, they increasingly realise that their faces no longer match their mental image of themselves, and the messages their faces portray and the first impression they leave are no longer in line with how they feel or the emotions they wish to convey.”
For example, drooping eyelids, eyebags, and downturned lip corners may give a sad or tired appearance, even when the individual is in fact active and full of energy. “Most of my patients simply desire a more youthful, contoured, and energetic appearance, and to look like the younger, or best version of themselves.”
Above Dr Li's Felix’s Signature Facelift targets the root cause of the signs of ageing for long-lasting results
Dr Li's Felix’s Signature Facelift targets the root cause of the signs of ageing for long-lasting results
1 / 1
Getting to the root of the issue
Dr Li is known for his expertise in injectables, so filler treatments are by far the most commonly performed, and most popular procedures at his clinic. He describes Felix’s Signature Facelift as a structured and individualised method of injecting fillers based on patient anatomy that consistently delivers predictable and replicable results for patients.
The technique is designed around the philosophy of using fillers to lift and restore support to the face as a whole, reversing signs of ageing, and slowing down the rate at which the face changes with age. This strategy gives results that often last beyond the longevity of the fillers themselves. An interesting observation Dr Li made from the pandemic was that “it was not unusual to see returning patients still looking younger and more lifted than before their previous treatments more than two years ago–after most of the previous fillers have been resorbed by the body."
Above It's important to treat the face as a whole instead of focusing on specific areas, and to combine fillers with other interventions
It's important to treat the face as a whole instead of focusing on specific areas, and to combine fillers with other interventions
1 / 1
It’s all about strategy
A common misconception about aesthetic treatments is that we are limited to options at two different extremes: looking haggard, or to go for treatments, but risk looking “plastic” and “done”. The latter often conjures up images of puffy, overfilled faces, which has led to many experts advocating that less is more when it comes to fillers.
However, in reality, Dr Li is of the opinion that “it must be understood that looking overfilled and unnatural has less to do with the absolute volume of fillers used than the location where the fillers were placed,” he shares. “If volume was replaced only where volume was lost, and support was restored in a structured, anatomical manner to lift the superficial fat compartments towards their natural positions in youth, even in cases where a greater volume of fillers was required, the patient’s face would appear slimmer, smaller and more contoured despite having volume injected into it.”
The key to successful filler treatment is careful planning and understanding of facial anatomy and the process of facial ageing. “Volume loss is not the only component of facial ageing,” Dr Li points out. That’s why replacing volume alone tends to become less effective as time goes by, while repeatedly filling with more volume may lead to the aforementioned "overfilled" or puffy appearance. “Optimally placed fillers can be used not just to volumise, but to restore support and balance to the face. It is also vital to treat the face as a whole, rather than repeatedly treating a single area. Combining fillers with other treatments, such as botulinum toxin or energy-based devices can help target different layers of the face that are all contributing to facial ageing.”
What drives Dr Li are the changes he can see in his patients that go beyond skin-deep. “My work changes my patients' appearances outwardly, but it then also changes them inwardly by improving their perception of self, self-worth, confidence, and attitude towards life. Changing the way my patients look is merely my profession; changing the way they live is what truly gives meaning to my job.”
Dr Felix Li Medical Aesthetics Clinic | 435 Orchard Road, #21-04 Wisma Atria Office Tower, Singapore 238877 | +65 9831 5418
NOW READ
Are skincare and beauty lines backed by doctors better than celebrity brands?
Michelle Yeoh is radiant in her first La Mer campaign
How SKII’s global CEO Lee Sue-kyung wants to inspire young women to break gender stereotypes
