This article is part of a series on aesthetic doctors. For more reviews, click HERE.
You would think that a successful doctor would be happily resting when he is about to reach his seventies, wouldn’t you? Well, not Dr SK Tan. The 67-year-old is full of gusto as he recently set up IDS Clinic, his brain child after having sold off the DRx group of clinics that he founded years ago.
IN THE WAITING ROOM
The first thing I realise about the waiting room is how big it is. The huge space is attributed to the fact that IDS Clinic occupies four retail spaces in Novena Specialist Centre (situated just behind Velocity).
I was getting comfortable on the sofa when Chester Wan, the manager, spoke to me and gave me a tour of the clinic. Housing nine rooms in total, the clinic has 20 staff and two doctors; with a third one joining at the end of the year.
Giving me the low down of the clinic and its services, Chester was happily telling me how a majority of Dr Tan’s patients have been following him since his DRx days. I also found out that Dr Tan is an avid skills master, having learnt the art of tattooing, and winning a gold medal in bowling at the Asian games in his younger days. After what was more than an hour of conversation, Dr Tan was finally ready to see me.
CONSULTATION
The consultation room was pretty big (even for a private clinic), and I was joined by thirty year-old Dr Heng (the other clinic doctor), Chester, and a clinic assistant as well as Dr Tan.
After reiterating my clogged pore dilemma to Dr Tan, he began asking the usual questions about my skin care habits, and the products that I was using. He didn’t seem very satisfied with my answers, but nonetheless told me what I was experiencing was normal; as I was still young and experiencing unstable hormones.
Dr Tan said that for all patients, his first course of action would be to treat the problem with his skin care range first, before moving onto lasers and other types of treatments. For my case, Dr Tan recommended the clinic’s complete range of products that will tackle my clogged pore concerns. What surprised me though, was how Dr Tan said that clogged pores aren’t caused by external extremities (dirt from the environment et cetera), instead, it was what was produced from the body that made my pores filled with gunk. I had to say this made my eyebrows raise.
TREATMENT
Following his advice, Dr Tan prescribed an entire skincare regime from his clinic. All the products were not prescription-grade, so you can technically “buy them over the counter” if the clinic allowed you to. What is unique about them however, is that some of his products are patent-pending.
HAPPILY EVERY AFTER
The range of products prescribed to me included the brand’s famous Pore and C+Plus. The highly raved Pore is a blend of botanical ingredients and green tea extracts, which Dr Tan said will help to reduce the amount of blackheads and whiteheads on my oily T-zone area. C+Plus on the other hand, is supposed to lighten my scars and even out skin tone all over. Used in combination, they were supposed to give me baby smooth skin in a month. I personally couldn’t wait to get home and melt the blackheads off.
RECOMMENDED FOR
Dr SK Tan’s IDS Clinic is recommended for the person on a budget. Although the products seem pricey (C+Plus costs $150), they are meant to last for a good six months. Furthermore, having practiced medicine for more than forty years, Dr Tan is also very experienced in skin care concerns. The wallet-friendly price coupled with the experience of Dr Tan, makes IDS Clinic a great value-for-money option.
PRICE: $$
WAITING TIME: 2-3 weeks for an appointment / 45 mins to 1 hour in clinic
To read more on our Aesthetic doctors series, click here.
Dr SK Tan is the founder of IDS clinic at 8 Sinaran Drive, #05-07 to 10, Novena Specialist Center Singapore 307470. For more information, visit www.idsclinic.com/ and follow the brand on Facebook.