Putting that on the face

Laser therapy for a skin glow-up has become more accessible — and affordable — but doctors caution that hype can often outpace medical reality

- Louisa Lim

When Singaporean actor Thomas Ong made his small-screen comeback in the Mediacorp drama I Believe I Can Fly in February, he looked every inch the "diamond bachelor" of his role.

Currently streaming on mewatch, the series revolves around five middle-aged men (played by Ong, Chen Hanwei, Brandon Wong, Yao Wenlong and Cavin Soh) and the ups and downs they experience in their lives.

But behind Ong's glow-up was a gritty reality — one involving blood, laser beams and days of recovery.

The 56-year-old star, whose last TV drama was 2020's Super Dad, revealed he had let himself go in the past five years and neglected his appearance.

To prepare for I Believe I Can Fly, he spent three months and thousands of dollars on laser treatments — to the point where his face was covered in blood after each session.

Ong tells The Straits Times he underwent the Fractional Q-switched Picosecond laser treatment, a high-powered procedure that creates thousands of microscopic injuries in the skin using vibration rather than heat.

"The laser shatters the skin at a cellular level," he says. "As blood vessels rupture, they bleed from the micro-columns. My face was covered in blood."

The pay-off? Once healed, these tiny wounds are supposed to trigger the skin's natural repair process, stimulating collagen production and resulting in firmer, smoother skin.

His confession might have raised a few eyebrows, but it also struck a chord.

Aesthetic lasers — once reserved for red-carpet regulars and the wealthy — have become a booming industry in Singapore and around the world.

According to Indian market research company Grand View Research, the global market for aesthetic lasers in 2024 was valued at approximately US$1.6 billion (S$2.1 billion), with forecasts indicating a strong annual growth rate of 16.9 per cent through to 2030.