How many days to plan in Singapore, treatment by treatment
Medically reviewed by Dr Sin Yong · Last reviewed · 3 min read
Most overseas visitors need fewer days than they expect for the treatment itself and more days than they expect for the decision. A consultation, a night to consider the written plan, the treatment and, where the treatment calls for it, a check before departure fit into three to five days for most injectables and devices. Thread lifts and resurfacing lasers are better planned with a week. Programmes that need several sessions, such as acne scar revision or hair loss, are usually planned as a series of shorter trips.
Dr Sin Yong, invited to share his clinical expertise at the CLASSYS Global Customer Summit, Seoul.
Key facts
Shortest useful visit
Two days: assessment on day one, treatment on day two if you decide to go ahead
Most injectables and devices
Three to five days, including a check before you fly where needed
Thread lifts, resurfacing lasers
About a week
Multi-session programmes
Planned as several shorter trips, weeks apart
Before you book flights
Send a WhatsApp message with your dates; the consultation is booked around them
These are the stays usually planned for a first visit. They allow for a consultation, time to consider, the treatment and the check that the treatment needs. Your own plan is set after assessment, and it may be shorter, longer or staged across visits.
Histology result by message or teleconsultation; anything needing action is discussed directly
Three ways to plan a visit
A two-day visit. Day one is the consultation and assessment, with the written plan to take away. Day two is treatment, if you have decided to go ahead and the treatment suits a short stay, such as anti-wrinkle injections, HIFU, monopolar RF or a single laser session. If you have not decided, day two can simply be a second conversation.
A five-day visit. Consultation on day one, treatment on day two or three, and a check before departure on day four or five. This suits filler, filler correction, combined plans and anything where an early check matters. It also leaves room to rest after treatment rather than flying straight away.
Two or more trips. Some problems are better solved in stages: dissolving filler before deciding on anything else, or a series of laser or microneedling sessions weeks apart. The first trip is the assessment and the first stage; later trips are planned once the first stage has settled. Between trips, progress can be followed by photographs sent by message.
Illustrative image. There is no pressure to decide on the day of the consultation.
What to do before you book flights
Send a short WhatsApp message to +65 8023 7170 with the area that concerns you, how long it has been there, what has already been tried and the dates you can be in Singapore. Photographs help plan the length of the consultation; they do not replace examination, so treatment plans and quotes are only given after you have been seen. Clinic hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and Saturday 11am to 3pm, Singapore time (GMT+8).
Check the entry rules for your passport on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority website, and submit the SG Arrival Card, which ICA accepts within the three days before arrival, free of charge on its official website or the MyICA app. Plan to arrive the day before the consultation if you are coming from far away; jet lag and a consultation do not mix well.
Medicines, records and what to bring
Bring a list of your medicines and supplements, the names, areas and dates of any earlier aesthetic treatments, and any aftercare sheets or receipts from those treatments. If you take blood thinners, have a history of cold sores, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have an event planned soon after your trip, say so in your first message; each of these changes what is advised.
Fees are given in writing after the assessment, itemised by treatment, area and product, and the quote can be taken home. This practice does not publish fees, and Singapore’s healthcare advertising rules restrict promotions and inducements; the how fees are quoted page explains what changes a fee.
“Plan the decision, not just the treatment. A day to think is part of a good visit.”
Dr Sin YongOn planning a visit from overseas
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes, when the treatment is suitable and you have already had time to consider it. Most visitors find it easier to take the written plan away overnight and come back the next day.
Three to five days is usual for the first stage. Dissolving filler can need a second session after about two weeks, which is often a second trip.
Usually not, because sessions are spaced weeks apart to let the skin recover. Programmes are planned as several shorter trips, with progress followed by photographs between them.
It depends on your passport. Check the requirements on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority website before booking, and submit the free SG Arrival Card within the three days before you arrive.
No. Plans and quotes are given in writing after an in-person assessment, because the cause of a concern decides what is suitable.
References
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority: SG Arrival Card. source
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority: visa requirements. source
