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WHETHER TREATING HAIRloss and skin problems at her clinicalong Orchard Road or helping

underprivileged farmers withundiagnosed silent diseases in far-flung

places in Cambodia andThailand,

Dr Tyng Tan, Clinic Director of The

Aesthetics and Hair Clinic, makes ither mission in life to put her patients'

interests first and foremost.

Although her first training was

in surgery and anaesthesiology, DrTan's special interest lies in hair loss

treatments. "I see more people withthis condition, and I enjoy diagnosing

and treating them," shares Dr Tan.

"Hair problems are not as dull and

straightforward as just balding!"

tained under DrJohn Cole, the

Head of the Cole Hair Tiansplant

Group in the USA, Dr Tan runs a

specialised hair clinic in the country,

offering medical hair loss treatments

and hair restoration. The Aesthetics

and Hair Clinic also offers skin care

procedures, ranging from simple acne

treatments to more complicated ones

like square jaw reduction.Dr Tan obtained her Bachelor

of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

(MBBS) from the University College

London. She spent 10 years working inEngland, covering postings in medicine

and surgery. When she came back

to Singapore, she started specialist

training in anaesthesiology. But itwasn't long before she discovered that

her passion lies in aesthetics and hair

transplants. She obtained her Diploma

in Dermatology from the UK, and

is also certified in the operation ofAesthetics Lasers, Fillers, IPL and

Chemical Peeling and Thermage CPT.

Married with a young son, Dr Tan

believes that the most imPortant thing

about her profession is honesty. "I hope

that I can pass down important values

like humility and empathy to my kid."In her free time, the young doctor

enjoys going on medical missions to

help the less fortunate.

Among all other specialties, whatrtaractedyou to aesthetics andhair transplantslDrTan: I first experimented withaesthetics as a bride-to-be seeking

to look her best on her wedding day.

It got me fascinated as previously,

like many others, I have associated

medicine with treating the sick. ButI soon realised that there are many

healthy people out there who may

not be happy with their current

looks - be it face, hair or body. As adoctor, I wanted to be able to help

them improve themselves and their

self-confidence. I was also inspired

along the way by various good mentors

whom I trained under.

You have trained under DrJohnCole, who is one of the pioneeringdoctors in hair transplantation.What was the experience like,andwhatwas the most importantlesson youVe learned from him?DrTan: It was really surreal and an

Dr Cole, as I respect him greatly for '- - '

his work and contribution to the hair

transplant community. He was really

easy to work with and so meticulous

about the details and precision ofhairtransplantation. He is really patient

and supportive, something I am really

grateful for. The most important thingI learned from him was the importance

to strike a work-life balance and not to

let work consume me.

When and why did you eventuallydecide to startyour own practice?DrTan: I finally decided to start out

on my own in 2011, with my husband

and family's support. Running my

own practice gave me better work ho

flexibiliry something which I greatly -appreciated after the birth of my son!

What are the common cases yousee/treat at the clinic?DrTan: As my special interest

lies in hair, I see more people withthis condition. Being a woman, I'malso constantly seeking to improve

my exterior, so I empathise withmy patients who are from all walks

oflife. For the older patients, the

concern tends to be with wrinkles

and sagging skin. For the young

patients, the problems are usually

acne, acne scars, and tattoo removals.

Both men and women are now more

honour to have

the chance to train unC

U ".vn"ulth IJUNE 2014 wrruw ezyhealth com

a relatively new treatment that involvesinjecting PRP into skin or hair topromote regeneration and regrowth. Itis already popular in Europe and theUSA and parts of Asia, like Korea and

Japan. However, it is still being studiedin Singapore and is pending Ministryof Health (MOH) and Health Sciences

Authority (HAS) approval, so it is notyet available here.

What do you do to relax and getaway from your hectic schedulelDrTan: I enjoy spending timeplaying with my son, and I make

sure my husband and I have

'couple'time together to catch upafter a week of busy schedule. Weplan short staycations twice a year

during special anniversaries.

Please share with us yourmissionary trips and medicalmissions abroad.DrTan: My husband and I met ona missionary trip abroad, so voluntarywork holds a special place in ourhearts as it was what first broughtus together.Tiavelling to places likerural Thailand and Cambodia is an

eye opener. We couldn't imagine thepoverty and lack ofaccess to basic

necessities, like clean water and food.Most of the people we came in contactwith were farmers struggling to makeends meet, and health was obviouslynot a priority to them. They were not

looking after their well-being, and theyhave a lot ofundiagnosed silent diseases,

like diabetes, high blood pressure, andliver problems. We workwith localhealth authorities who help us delivercontinued healthcare to these group ofpeople after we leave.

You have a successful practice,and you seem to enjoy a work-lifebalance. Is there anything else youwant to pursue in lifelDrTan: Growing up, I never felt thatthere was something I wanted to learnthat my parents held me back from.I'm very lucky in that aspect. I hopeto be a good mother and daughter, butI'd a-lso like to learn a bit of financialmanagement from my brother who is

really good at numbers. My parentsgive back financially to the society ona monthly basis. While I'm not able tocontribute much of that at the moment,I do put time aside each month todo voluntary work locally. I hope mycontributions will increase gradually overthe years, and I hope to bring my son

along when he is older. *h

3m @f *rfee te

aware of the importance of skin care'-- -yorl.rge. age, and it makes skin

{uvenation laser very popular.

What are the common mistakesand bad habits people often dowhen it comes to hairloss problemsand skin conditions?DrT[n: A lot of the patients I see feelthat their oily scalp causes their hairloss. This is a common m1th. This is nottrue - unless there is underlying scalp

diseases like seborrhoeic dermatitis. Theuse of sun block is very important insunny Singapore. We see different tlpesof hlperpigmentation on the face due tothe under-usage of sunblock. Some are

hard to treat medically, but would have

been much easier to prevent!

Yesthetics is an ever-evolvingindustry. How do you make sureyou keep yoursefabreast with newthe techniques and technologies?DrTan: I attend at least two localconferences and one overseas conferenceon aesthetics per year to keep up to date

with the latest developments of these

techniques and technologies. It is also

a greatway to befriend other doctors inthe same profession and swap ideas.

Are there any exciting trendsor breakthrough treatments ortechnologies in hair loss and skincare in the last couple ofyears?DrTan: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is

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