Aesthetic clinics will not be allowed to reopen even after the circuit breaker lifts on June 2, 2020.

This has spelt trouble for a number of business owners, including billionaire Peter Lim's daughter, Kim Lim.

Lim, along with her business partner Elizabeth Leong, founded Illumia Therapeutics and Papilla Haircare earlier in 2020.

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In an Instagram post on May 20, Lim argued that aesthetic clinics should be able to operate post-circuit breaker, and shared some of her struggles in running the business.

Expensive to run aesthetic clinic

According to Lim, aesthetic clinics have purchase top-of-the-line machines to keep up with technology and customer demands.

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Monthly instalments are due even when there is no revenue.

Products such as botox and fillers expire in the fridge as they go unused for months, she added.

"Like many other businesses, the aesthetic industry has been badly hit and having no income for two months is pushing the limit. Now we are told that this will drag on for longer, it’s going to be hard to sustain. [...] Please spare a thought for us, as we are earning zero income and we are expected to pay our bills, our installments, rentals and staff salaries."

Lim previously told 8 Days that the aesthetic clinic has 25 staff.

In a May 1 interview with The Business Times, Lim pre-empted naysayers by explaining that a business cannot sustain itself, even if she has a rich father.

"Of course, I'm very worried because we are a very new start-up. And every new company will surely have difficulties. People assume that my dad is rich so I will be able to maintain the company, but things don't work out that way. A business is still a business and I have to work through this on my own. There are no lifelines or handouts. I'm struggling like everyone else to survive."

At the time, Lim has not laid off any staff, who have been receiving their basic pay.

Suggestions for safe distancing measures

In her post, Lim also questioned why aesthetic clinics are not allowed to reopen when other businesses have been given the go-ahead, even though the clinics maintain "very high standards" that are expected of all HCIs (Healthcare Institutions).

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The clinic has been maintaining premise cleanliness and hygiene, even before the pandemic, she pointed out.

To substantiate her point, Lim suggested several safe distancing measures, such as operating only by appointment, keeping services short, and wearing a face shield on top of the masks.

"I believe that there are other businesses, beyond aesthetic, that are required to extend their circuit breaker measures. They are fighting to sustain their business, maintain livelihood, retain valuable employees and to continue serving customers again.

There should be a BALANCE to everything. Shutting businesses down for an extended period is not the best way to deal with this, we can all learn to support and fight this together in a safe manner too."

You can read her post here:

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Her sentiments have been echoed by the owner of Radium Medical Aesthetics, Siew Tuck Wah.

Siew wrote a lengthy post on May 19 about his financial woes and also argued that certain skin conditions, such as rosacea and acne, require timely treatment.

He stressed that the clinic would not be able to survive much longer if conditions remain status quo.

Easing cautiously

In a Facebook post on May 25, national development minister Lawrence Wong addressed the topic of easing cautiously into the resumption of activities.

As there are still hidden Covid-19 cases in the population, Wong said, it will not be possible for everything to reopen at once.

"We would have liked to say 'yes' to all the requests. But each time we ease up on something, we introduce many more face-to-face contacts and people movement within the community. That in turn means higher transmission risks and the likelihood of more infections."

While many are "disappointed" with the approach, Wong explained that they are prioritising "both lives and livelihoods".

The phased reopening will allow better control over the situation, he added.

Top image via Kim Lim and Illumia Therapeutics' Instagram page