DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 2

Part 2

11 Jan., 09

I really couldn’t tell how long the subcission’s downtime took. I think it was about 7 days cause I really can’t tell if it was the redness of the needle point made or was it my old scars. All I knew, it was way better now since the horrible 1^st day of subcission made on my face.

Anyway, today is my 2^nd session – Fraxel laser. Before starting, the assistant washed my face twice with a mild cleanser and gently ~ ~ ~ very….gently dabbed it all away. It was so good I tell you….felt almost like a baby touching my face. Soft and gentle…..aaaaahhhhhh……

Ok…so…as I was saying…got washed, dabbed and in came the doctor. He was in his jolly mood as usual. We shake hands, “how are you? I’m fine” for awhile and then on with the treatment. Now, the word “laser” probably is quite scary to some of you. I don’t know….I personally think that laser sounds cool but after going for it, I beg to differ my opinion. The doctor did a few test shot on the side of my jaw (just to see how I react)…….you know what….I don’t know what’s needles are to my skin cause EVERYTIME (oklah…it’s only the 2^nd time) I go for treatment I keep getting the “needle sensation”, if you know what I mean. The laser felt HOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!! It was as though I was shot by countless burning, red hot needles on my face! Now, I’m not exaggerating. It’s true! Perhaps I had a low pain threshold, I don’t know but the laser hurts! Well…..it’s still bearable though. I didn’t start shouting and crying on the “operation bed” (that’s what I called the bed I’m lying on….just to give a little “advanced” feeling to it). Imagine a tiny machine gun that was fired in a straight line and each shot, probably, 10 – 20 burning needles were sent to your skin. It was exactly how this felt. The doctor did half of my face 1^st, then smeared ice cold gel on the area. It was instant relieve man! You know…it’s like going for a 10km run and the very first thing you were given was ice cold water. It’s bliss at that moment! And so the doctor did the second half of my face, put ice gel over it and done. The whole session took bout half an hour. Then, I was left in the room for like 10 minutes with more ice cold gels to cool down my burning skin and was “discharged” from the “operation theatre”. And oh, I was advised by the doctor to use nothing but just moisturizer, sun-block and mild cleanser for the next 5 days.

Now, comes the climax….looking into the mirror. I closed my eyes, stepped in front of one….take a DEEP breath…slowly, open my eyes and……………………………………

…….

…….

…….

….Ok….it was not that bad. My face was fine. No bleeding, no scars, not distorted…..it was just a little redder than usual. But really….there was no change on my face at all besides the burning sensation that still lingers. So, I made a deep sigh of relieve. Thank God. But I warn myself to not be so happy yet! I was told it will form scabs on my face tomorrow. And now…my heart is beating so fast every time I think on how I will look the next morning. Just hope I will be fine. God! PLEASE…..make me look fine tomorrow. If there are going to be scabs, PLEASE make it look not obvious. PLEASE…….*counting the hours for the next day light* Worse to worse…..I’ll have to skip class tomorrow. And this is the price to pay for beauty. Sigh…..

13 Jan., 09

Take a fine sand paper and feel it. Well, that’s exactly how my skin on my face is right now. Ok, it’s the 2^nd day after my Fraxel. So far, there’s nothing UGLY bout my skin. No obvious raised bumps, no redness, no pimples, no scars. The only thing that concerns me is just the roughness of my skin. I was told by the doctor that I will develop scabs throughout my face and that scared the shit out of me. During the last 2 days, I was so nervous on how I look that I couldn’t even sleep well and the 1^st thing that I do when I woke up was to look into the mirror. Hey…I’m not being vain ok. It’s just that…..try to imagine lah…..how would you feel if there’s something seriously wrong with your face and it doesn’t look natural? My classes were commencing throughout the week! I can’t be looking like…..I don’t know…..ugly, maybe, in front of my whole course mates, lecturers and college mates! It would be very traumatic. SO…..THANK GOD that my face looks fine.  Under bright light, there’s nothing wrong with my face. So, the doctor was right…there wasn’t any downtime. But if you notice it very veeeeerrrrryyyyyy closely, you probably can see many tiny-weeny “goosepimples” on my face. I can’t really see it but the friend who knew I went for face treatment said he can see them. Not only when I told him to look very closely and under lighting that contrast my skin tone to my surroundings. So, it’s not noticeable really. Well…..not sure till when will this roughness lingers. All I hope it will turn smooth soon and applying oil (I used “Bio-Oil” instead of moisturizers to give it a little more boost on moisture) on my face doesn’t really look….nice…..cause it’s oily. I even get comments like “why are you sweating?” and I shy away and smiled….”hehe…cause it’s hot! Phew…*takes out handkerchief and dab unseen sweats*”

DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 1

Now, I've written this post years ago but never had the courage to publish it until now! It is my experience of a journey to beautify my skin (not that it is super beautiful now! But better lah...) at DermaGenesis (now known as Skin Club @ Menara Hap Seng, Kuala Lumpur). Rather than it being chucked and occupying my laptop's hard disc space, I think it is better for me to share it to all of you..... Enjoy! And please... don't squeal! :P


Disclaimer: "DermaGenesis: My Experience" will be broken up into 3 parts and was written few years back. If you found out any disturbing personalities that may or may not depict the current me, please ignore, as it was written in ignorance. And cherish the present, better me! :D *wink*

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Part 1

27 Dec., 08

I am a person who likes the finer things in life and looking better is not an option, it is a must. And I can tell you that I am fed up with the way my skin looked. It’s oily, red spots all over and numerous scars on it!!!!! Every morning I look into the mirror, I pray to God to grant me a flawless looking skin, 99% if not 100% flawless…..and this prayer had been my routine ever since my 1^st break out when I was form 4, which is 5 years ago. Once in a while I’ll break down and cry and blame God for what skin He gave me! I’ve tried countless products, facials and medications but my problem lingers like a bad smell after you come out from a smoking restaurant. My skin changes like the tide in the sea. It goes from good to bad to worse; then, to slightly better and better and finally became horrible again! I don’t know bout you guys….but for me, there’s 2 things one should never compromise!!! That is 1) Hair. 2) SKIN!

First impression is important…and heck it sure is!!! Come on, the 1^st thing you look when you see somebody is his/her FACE!!! And how can anyone NOT care bout how he/she looks when you bloody know it that face gives such a lasting impression???

Well, today’s blog is about my experience to a well established, quite famous and a little on the high end treatment centre (note that I use treatment NOT facial centre cause it is done by qualified DOCTORS and NOT stupid beauticians) called DermaGenesis. It is located at Desa Sri Hartamas but will be located to a bigger, better, more luxurious building at Menara Hap Seng in Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. They provide complete skincare solution; total makeover & facial recontouring; facial lines & wrinkle reduction; permanent hair removal; slimming & spot reduction; cellulite reduction; and anti aging & wellness. The programme that I got my enrolled with is Scar reduction programme for my face. DermaGenesis caters for everyone and treatments are customised according to each individual needs. Mine includes 2 Subcision, 3 Fraxal (laser) and 4 Intense Pulse Light (IPL). These are customized to me after a consultation with the doctor as well as the CEO of DermaGenesis, Dr. Morthi. The types of scar I had was quite a few ice-picks, some box scars and mostly rolled-out scars. None of these are hard yet (thank God) so…the treatments mentioned earlier suited me the best.

Subsicion means the doctor will use a very fine needle to break off fibrotic tissue that holds ice-pick scars (reason why scars are depressed, these fibrotic tissues are holding them down). Of course….this will involve pain and bleeding and produce scabs. Which means there is a few days of down time involved. Fraxal is laser….which is used to stimulate collagen synthesis again at the site of scars. While IPL will remove any unsightly pigmentations, marks, minimize pores and shrink sebaceous glands.

Notice there is NO facials involved? As I’ve said, DermaGenesis is NOT a facial centre. In fact, it is an advanced cosmetic procedure centre. Now….I bet some of you are asking bout the price already. Of course, I was waiting for this too when I 1^st went for the consultation. Well…..it may be a little high for those who are on a tight budget but really…..for such advanced treatment, I consider it to be fairly reasonable. Ok ok…..I’ll quit yakking… My programme costs me RM 1760. Hey hey…. don’t go spraying blood on your computer screen now! Listen….. the usual price is at RM 4050! But I was a given a discount (50%!) and a complimentary IPL….so in the end the total amount that I need to pay was RM 1760. I’ve got to admit, it is a huge amount for a student to fork out but then think again….. what I am doing can be considered as part of cosmetic surgery procedure….. and professional doctors are handling your case with state-of-art machines. So, don’t you think it is quite reasonable?

Anyway…I’ve went for my 1^st session today. Subcision….

Went at 1.30pm, started at 1.45pm. The assistant wiped my face with alcohol at 1^st. Then on with local topical anaesthetic. The doctor came in, took pictures of my face (I’ve always wanted to have a before and after picture taken….Hehe…. :P). Wipe my face with antibiotic creams and spirit and on he goes with his needle…

It hurts I tell you…..but it was bearable. Anyone of you been for facials before? It feels like those stupid beauticians picking your pimples all over again. I even let a tear drop. Paiseh….the doctor was like “are you Ok?” and wiped it off for me. Hey…..at least I didn’t scream in pain….I was holding it. During the consultation, he said it will feel like ant bite but heck! It’s nothing like it!!! It just hurts…. But for the name of beauty….I’ve willing to go for it….

Right….so after 20 minutes, he is done with the poking and I was swept again with some alcohol (I think) and more antibiotic creams, in fear of infections due to the open wounds. I thanked the doctor….went out to the restroom. Pee a little….wash my hands and look up into the mirror…………………………………….

*A whole solid minute of silence*

I stare and stared at myself in the mirror…..I LOOK HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! There were so many cuts here and there and blood are still oozing out!!! I could almost scream right there and then! My heart broke a little and start taking hand towels and dap onto the blood. My face was lacerated! Well….it’s not THAT bad lah. But still I look like I’ve involved in an accident and glass shreds cuts into my face! “How am I going to step out from the toilet???” And what make things worse was….I need to take public transport back to Seremban!!!!!!!!!! Haha…..it was hell I tell you! Thankfully I had my friend with me and he drove me right at Pasar Seni and from there, I dashed to get into the bus and just stay away from the stares of others. I looked like a monster.. and this is probably the worst day of my life. But my friend did consoled me to not think bout it….it is the end result that you want….not the mid progress that looks good. “In the end, your skin will look flawless….and so I trust him and hang on to my face until I got back home.

Of course, my mom was shocked to see all those scabs on my face. I can tell it in her eyes. She was quite disappointed. She came and asked me why does it looked like this….but I assured her it is normal. Poking needles into your face will DEFINITELY cause bleeding and form scabs. My grandma, however, was pretty calmed bout it. She sees through all those scabs and looked at my scars….and say she can see the results! My scars were not as deep anymore! Of course, that made me happy (at last….SOMEthing for me to feel good). My dad was unhappy of course…..even more angry when he knew the amount I paid to get my face done. Sigh…..but it is MY money! I hardly spent so…this is the 1^st time I spend more than RM 300.

I hope I did the right choice by choosing DermaGenesis….will update more on my skin’s condition next time. I’ve got to wait 3 more weeks for the next treatment – Fraxal. And hopefully I won’t look horrible again.

1 Jan., 09

It’s been 5 days now. My face had improved. I notice my scars are improved but of course, some deeper ones are still visible but have been shallower. Those red marks are slowly fading away. I’ve been very impatient these few days. Every morning, the 1^st thing I do, is to look into the mirror looking at my skin’s condition. Sigh…still got red marks. But look at the bright side! They ARE fading. But slowly…. Very slowly… Holidays are almost over. Hope by the day before I head back, my skin is 90% clear.

Clean ma' teef for mua pleazzz???

Now, I take a solid whole 15 minutes to clean my teeth nowadays! Sometimes even more than that if thorough cleaning is needed!!! Oh God! I've never paid so much attention to my 28 teeth before until I had my braces on and stepping in to dental school! After all..... it is our job to grill our patients to take care of their teeth, so ultimately we can get a lil' concious about our own! Hence the tip top oral cleansing!

My grandmother always scold me whenever I refuse to take any food or sweetened drinks after I had brushed my teeth! And to make things worse, I keep telling her I'm hungry but no, no food for me! I am NOT going to clean my teeth anymore! Note that I clean  my teeth and NOT brush them?

Cause really..... besides the tilting of brush 45 degrees to the straight axis of my tooth and into my gums (so called Roll technique - serious shit! We have name the different kinds of brushing technique in the world!!!); using an interdental brush to clean each bracket embrasure plus the interproximal area; and IF I really feel like it, add on a superfloss before a thorough tongue scrapping AND a mouthwash!!
Now tell me....... isn't teeth cleaning a hell to me these days??

Not surprising for that 15 minutes period regimen huh? And I have to do it EVERY TIME after meals!!!!!!!!!


The next time my grandma nag me again for not eating after brushing, I'll happily reply....

"Can!! But you have to brush and floss my teeth for me!!!" Hehehe~~~

Toyota Prius now cheaper by RM35,000

Woot! Woot! Abstracted from today's The Star paper, my dream car (for now) which is the Toyota Prius Hybrid is RM35,000 cheaper effective 1st January 2011!! Woohoo!!!......I hope prices for smart green cars remain reasonable so that we can produce less green gas emission and lend a hand in combating global warming!  And not to mention enjoy a luxurious SMART car! :)

Toyota Prius hybrid now cheaper by RM35,000

PETALING JAYA: The price of the Toyota Prius hybrid car has been reduced by RM35,000 to RM139,900.

UMW Toyota Motor Thursday announced the new on-the-road price for the Prius, following a tax incentive for hybrid cars in Budget 2011 from Jan 1 to Dec 31 next year.

The Prius will cost RM141,500 in Sabah and Sarawak due to higher logistic costs, said UMW president Kuah Kock Heng.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in tabling Budget 2011 on Oct 15, announced that hybrid cars were fully exempted from import duties, with a 50% reduction in excise duty.

"UMW Toyota Motor welcomes the recent national budget announcement by the Government on the extension and enhancement of tax incentives for hybrid cars," Kuah said in a statement.

"With this, Malaysians can enjoy our most popular hybrid car at a more affordable price.

"They can also benefit from the high fuel efficiency and contribute to lowering carbon dioxide emissions," Kuah added.

According to Kuah, the Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car in the world with sales exceeding two million units worldwide.

Nokia N8!!! Finally got my hands on one! :)

Wow.....who would have thought clinical years can be so busy! Man.... juggling with patients and studies at the same time really drains you out body, mind and soul!!! It feels worse than working! In fact, we ARE working in the day and once we are back in the evening, it's studying!!! Phew.... eventhough we may not have clinics on a particular day, we just wanna lie down on the bed and do nothing! Absolutely NOTHING!!! *takes time to breathe man*
So, hiatus in blogging is expected until semester breaks kick in! Sigh....

Anyway....Nokia launched their new phone recently, 16th October 2010, to be exact and I've bought one!!! A super cool silver colour Nokia N8!! Now, I am NOT going to go on and on and on about how good is my phone because that are the jobs for the critics.... Besides, I had had posted about Nokia N8 previously, here. Priced at RM1690, I think it's pretty reasonable for a new phone. And for early birds who had pre-booked the phone, like me, got a complimentary black spine casing and additional 12 months warranty!! Isn't that just value for money?? :)

Now...I am pretty happy with my phone with my roommate constantly saying it feels exactly like an iPhone but really..... I do NOT wanna compare! Any unintentional similarities of Nokia N8 and Apple iPhone will remain...... unintentional! :P
My only complain is that it is at times quite lagging especially so if you open too many applications at one go! However, Nokia N8 is still a very good feature phone! Hopefully Nokia will come out with a better more stable phone to rival Apple's new found fame! Go Nokia (I read that you are pairing up with Intel now to create a smarter phone operating system)!!! Or else, I'll jump ship, if iPhone has better features than you! :P

Hehe.....may the best phone company wins!

My beloved phone: