Hey Everyone!
This is the last post I’m doing in Singapore before I head back to Melbourne. It was awesome meeting people at the Physiogel bloggers party and Sarahand Pearlin at Nandos, hopefully I can meet more of you at the end of November!
Just like Sara, I was invited to try out a treatment at Healthtrends Clinic at Ngee Ann City. Out of the three options given to us in the email, I was ready to take on an Acne Scar Reduction not only because I had a few scars from a serious bout of acne at the beginning of the year but I think my asia-ness thought that the $1200 price-tag was an opportunity not to be missed.
Honestly, the night before I was really worried. I researched the Mosiac eCO2 laser and found out that it was the latest and deepest cutting laser and the laser that they would be using for my treatment. I was worried that I was going too far with this one and that I was over-doing it when I really didn’t need it. Thankfully, when Dr. Ram Nath saw my skin condition he quickly customized my own set of treatments that would suit my skin best, but a little more on that later.
Lets first take a look at this clinic in terms of service, comfort, and overall feel. You are after all paying a lot of money for their treatments, you should be treated well. Because, you know I do tell it how it is.
Quaint and I felt a bit cold and hospital like. If I were to be extremely picky, which I sort of am, here is what I would honestly say. Let’s say, I know service when I see it. I came in, and it was weird because it seemed like it was part of a larger spa organization, and it was sort of I came in and turn right to find it sort of thing. Hard to explain, pay a visit and you’ll see. I sat down, and was kindly greeted by one of the staff and then directed to a small room with two sitting chairs and one sink to remove my make-up with. Let me remind you, hen duo qian (lots of money you’re paying, ok?). A client was sitting in one of the chairs already, and I had to remove my makeup in front of her as she watched me with her face also shiny with some sort of mask on it. It felt a bit communal. She didn’t really know how to speak English and wanted to wash her face, while I was kind of in the middle of taking my makeup off and I felt bad because I thought I was in her way..and she was here first. It’s ok though :)
The rooms to the clinic were, well clinical. This isn’t a spa and people shouldn’t mistake this as a place where you can get massaged, with calming music, and beautiful ambience. The rooms felt like a hospital. You lie there, a mismatched blanket thrown over you, the doctor does the work and out you go. Before all that, you fill out forms, sign warnings, all part of a more necessary than comforting feeling. It’s a quick way – good for a lunch break, not for pampering which suits different peoples tastes.
But, afterall, people aren’t always paying for service, they’re paying for hardcore results and people who know what they’re doing right?
And these people do know what they’re doing. A consultation with Dr. Ram Nath, who is serious but funny, was enlightening. A doctor who sort of relished in the fact that I was a newbie at the treatments he chose to give me. :) He said that one of the unique traits about the clinic was that it customises treatments for its customers and that he tends to layer them which is why I received three: a microdermabrasion, IPL (Intensive Pulse Light), and light chemical peel. I was unfamiliar with all three except the microdermabrasion which I found quite similar to the Diamond Peel by Touche Elite, but those three foreign sounding treatments made me a little queasy.
The number of forms I had to sign didn’t help the queasiness either..especially this one..
The first step was the numbing cream so I can’t feel anything, but I ended up feeling most of the things I didn’t want to feel and I can’t imagine not having the numbing cream which takes 20 minutes to fully numb your face. Some patients skip this step to hurry up the process (told you this was a in and out you go). I can’t imagine doing that.
Then came the Microdermabrasion. This is just like the diamond peel as it professionally exfoliates your skin, removes dead skin cells, vacuums it up and you’re left with mighty soft skin. I honestly think that this one hurt a tinsy bit more than the diamond peel even though I think its exactly the same thing but he must have used a higher setting. That pink ring and the yellow stuff on it are my dead skin cells. I know, ew.
Then came the dreaded IPL (Intensive Pulse Light). Here is how the room looked, yep..clinical. The IPL basically in an idiot’s guide to life language, uses a laser to do mainly two things. 1. Break down the melanin underneath your skin layer to disintegrate it and 2. tighten your oil glands so you don’t oil up so much. Sounds good to me! Just..the laser part can go.
Here comes the pain, all dressed in light. i will never do this again. It might have injected light into my skin, but it sure did scare the living daylights out of me. Just imagine this. First, cooling cream (that felt good), then goggles on and then pitch darkness. Just Dr. Ram’s voice, and a ‘here we go’ and BAM. like lightning even though I was closing eyes, a FLASH of bright light appears ( i mean seriously, even when you have your eyes shut?..that means it goes into you!) and a sharp pain coincides with its arrival. Ouch. AHHHH! Owww! AHHH! Yea, its called being scared and hurt at the same time in pitch darkness so you don’t know when its coming. I reckon it would be a good cure for hiccups but in this case, I don’t like surprises. I kind of wanted to stop it in the middle, but then I though of all of you and I was like Roseanne, suck it up. I swear I shook a little every time he pulsed that evil light into me. It only lasted 5 or so minutes, but man was I glad that was over and done with. Dr. Ram says that people do this during their lunch break, I wonder what they’re on.
Then off to another room I went for my Light Chemical Peel to boost radiance and help with any pigmentation. I’ve heard of chemical peels and honestly it sounds a bit intimidating but I was assured that it was only fruit acids. It wasn’t much of a peel either. I held a tube of air to my face to quicken and dry the process as Dr. Ram swabbed a huge cotton bud (quite a novelty actually) over my face. There was a light burning sensation but this was after the IPL and I was just thankful I wasn’t getting flashes of light.
Just a few precautions though. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup or wash my face for the next three hours as the peel is water soluble and for at least 2 weeks, I had to avoid direct sunlight and wear loads of sunscreen. This wasn’t helpful in Hong Kong’s sun where I flew to the next day (made sure I received no treatments with downtime), so I carried an umbrella everywhere I went. I wasn’t the only one though!
The clinic could use another sink, but who cares? [Although it is important because I’m sure there are a lot of clinics who can do these three treatments for you and if they charge about the same, the one with the better ambience wins, its like manicures and pedicures]. But, you’re in there to get a job done, and you’re getting a job done by people who know what they’re doing. And the results? My skin looks better than when I left Melbourne a month ago, I mean I have a zit now but thats inevitable. I peeled tons in Hong Kong, but after the peeling, I don’t see a major difference in my scars but I look radiant I suppose. Dr. Ram says its a gradual process, so maybe I’ll update with a finale picture later.
& Lookee Here, PROMO PRICES, quoted from the email:
What’s more, all readers who join HealthTrends Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/
Promo prices for your readers:
– Acne Scar reduction by Mosaic eCO2 fractional laser. Promo price: $699 per session. (UP $1200 per session)
– Skin Rejuvenation and removal of pigmentation by USA Medlite C6 Laser. Promo price: $215 per session (UP $320 per session)
– Skin Rejuvenation and removal of pigmentation by Rejuvenating Peel by TCA. Promo price: $55 (UP $280 per session)”
AS OF JULY 26, THERE IS A GIVEAWAY ON MY FB PAGE: www.facebook.com/roseannetangrs CLICK LIKE AND COMMENT ENTER ME UNDER THE GIVEAWAY POST TO WIN A FREEEE MICRODERMABRASION, IPL and LIGHT CHEMICAL PEEL. FOR SINGAPORE PEOPLE ONLY. kay thanks. :)
xx Roseanne