My battle with acne for more than 10 years has left me with unsightly scars and enlarged pores all over my face. The older scars left indentations while the newer ones are hyper-pigmented. Although my skin is a lot better than it was when I was a teenager, I still get pimples every now and then. I have done a chemical peel and taken some natural supplements but none worked. The only way I can keep them under control is by using topical creams.
But pimples aside, my major concern is the scars, specifically the indented scars. The pimples and hyper-pigmentation will go away with time and the right skincare, but no amount of facial creams can fix the pockmarks.
Q-SWITCHED LASER at GLO Skin Laser
This is a type of pulsed laser that is used to remove brown spots, sun freckles or tattoos. Okay, so it was not going to be very effective on my moon craters, but I'd give it a try, since the promotional price was enticing. It was RM188 for two laser facials.
Glo uses a sophisticated booking system. Once you reach the outlet, simply check in through their app (which you first have to download on your phone), and you'll automatically be in the queue. The app also tells you your waiting time and the number of people in the queue, so that means you can walk around and do other things while waiting.
During my first treatment, I was assigned a beauty consultant who analyzed my skin, took photos of it and entered my details into their system. Everything was done electronically. She asked me whether I would be interested to sign up for their package, but wasn't pushy when I said no. Then she showed me their array of skincare products that I could purchase if I wanted to.
The treatment itself was very quick and painless. There was a very satisfying bzzz bzzz sound with every zap of the laser beam, followed by a slight burning smell. That, ladies and gentlemen, was the smell of my pimples and dead skin cells being banished from Earth. After the laser, she put on sunscreen on my skin.
Each treatment took only 15 minutes, so it was perfect for busy people. You can even drop by during your lunch hour. There was no downtime at all, no pain, no redness and no peeling afterwards. It was almost as if nothing had been done on your skin. And that was the very reason I didn't come back. I had seen no changes at all after two sessions, whereas with a normal facial you can actually see your skin appearing clearer and brighter after only one session. My skin was going to need something much stronger.
BLACK PEARL LASER at AVA Skin Laser
But pimples aside, my major concern is the scars, specifically the indented scars. The pimples and hyper-pigmentation will go away with time and the right skincare, but no amount of facial creams can fix the pockmarks.
Q-SWITCHED LASER at GLO Skin Laser
This is a type of pulsed laser that is used to remove brown spots, sun freckles or tattoos. Okay, so it was not going to be very effective on my moon craters, but I'd give it a try, since the promotional price was enticing. It was RM188 for two laser facials.
Glo uses a sophisticated booking system. Once you reach the outlet, simply check in through their app (which you first have to download on your phone), and you'll automatically be in the queue. The app also tells you your waiting time and the number of people in the queue, so that means you can walk around and do other things while waiting.
During my first treatment, I was assigned a beauty consultant who analyzed my skin, took photos of it and entered my details into their system. Everything was done electronically. She asked me whether I would be interested to sign up for their package, but wasn't pushy when I said no. Then she showed me their array of skincare products that I could purchase if I wanted to.
The treatment itself was very quick and painless. There was a very satisfying bzzz bzzz sound with every zap of the laser beam, followed by a slight burning smell. That, ladies and gentlemen, was the smell of my pimples and dead skin cells being banished from Earth. After the laser, she put on sunscreen on my skin.
Each treatment took only 15 minutes, so it was perfect for busy people. You can even drop by during your lunch hour. There was no downtime at all, no pain, no redness and no peeling afterwards. It was almost as if nothing had been done on your skin. And that was the very reason I didn't come back. I had seen no changes at all after two sessions, whereas with a normal facial you can actually see your skin appearing clearer and brighter after only one session. My skin was going to need something much stronger.
BLACK PEARL LASER at AVA Skin Laser
Black pearl laser, also called carbon laser or charcoal peel is a non-invasive procedure that involves applying a layer of liquid carbon and blasting it with laser. The carbon goes deep into pores to absorb contaminants and oil. The laser light is highly attracted to carbon particles and as it blasts the carbon away, it gets rid of the dirt, oil, blackheads and dead skin cells at the same time.
A few months back, AVA Skin Laser was having a promotion where first-time customers could get a black pearl laser treatment for only RM48. I messaged them on Facebook to confirm this, and went to their Mid Valley branch. It was not as fancy or professional-looking as Glo. The receptionist (unsmilingly) asked if I could wait for 30 minutes. Fair enough, since I had come without an appointment anyway. Meanwhile, she made me watch videos of their treatment packages at the lobby.
After 30 minutes, the receptionist cum beauty consultant called me into the consultation room. She offered me packages that cost hundreds of ringgit for multiple sessions of the laser treatment. When I declined, she offered another package, and then another, and another, going lower and lower in price. I listened and nodded and smiled, and said no every time. At one point, she snapped, "Why are you smiling?!"
When all else failed, she gave me one last offer: Add another RM80 for some ampoules. Basically, what she was implying was that the black pearl treatment was useless without the add-ons. I was starting to sound like a broken tape by then. For the umpteenth time, I repeated, "No. I'd like to stick with the original package, please."
My beauty consultant exhaled v-e-r-y slowly, tight-lipped and was practically shaking with rage. I'm not exaggerating. She stormed out of the room to go to the reception counter where her two colleagues were sitting. There, she immediately launched into a tirade.
"That customer didn't want to take anything I offered!" she shouted in Malay, because one of the colleagues was Malay. I had followed closely behind because I knew she was going to do just that, and I didn't want to miss out. She didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed to know that I was watching.
I was then taken to the treatment room. My beauty consultant mellowed down a little during the session, asking me about my job and my hobbies, while she removed my makeup, applied the liquid carbon and did the laser. The "treatment" lasted for 10 minutes, during which she STILL tried to persuade me to top up another RM50 (after staff discount) for an extraction. I said no. She didn't even clean my face properly after that. There were still some black carbon marks on the sides of my nose.
So, hear this, and spread it to everyone you know: Save your money, time and effort, and DO NOT go to AVA Skin Laser if you have any amount of self-respect in you.
Having worked in the service and retail line myself, I know that it was their job to offer those packages, and out of courtesy, I had given them my time and listened to their offers, but ultimately it should be up to the customer whether to take up on the offer or not. They must not force or pressure a customer into paying more for something s/he didn't even want. I have been to other beauty salons before, so I was already very familiar with these so-called "consultations", but never have I ever felt as insulted and degraded as I did at AVA. They were definitely the pushiest, rudest and most disrespectful salespeople I have ever encountered.
Having worked in the service and retail line myself, I know that it was their job to offer those packages, and out of courtesy, I had given them my time and listened to their offers, but ultimately it should be up to the customer whether to take up on the offer or not. They must not force or pressure a customer into paying more for something s/he didn't even want. I have been to other beauty salons before, so I was already very familiar with these so-called "consultations", but never have I ever felt as insulted and degraded as I did at AVA. They were definitely the pushiest, rudest and most disrespectful salespeople I have ever encountered.
Note: AVA Skin Laser is not to be confused with Ava Medispa. The latter is awesome, although they forgot my appointment and made me wait an hour.
FRACTIONAL CO2 LASER at Medi-Klinik Wong, Zul & Rakan-rakan
Fractional CO2 laser is one of the strongest type of laser treatments available in the market. It is good for treating deeper wrinkles and severe textural changes from sun damage, acne or injuries. It requires several days of downtime.
Earlier this month, I found a voucher on Fave that was hard to pass up. Medi-Klinik Wong, Zul & Rakan-rakan in Taman Desa was offering a first trial at only RM119. Their usual price was RM600+, which was still relatively cheap, as I had heard other clinics charging up to RM1300 per session.
Making the appointment was a bit troublesome though, because when I called, the receptionist, Ms Tan, said she was busy and would call me back in an hour. After several hours, I called back. She said she was still busy and would text me on Whatsapp later. Her "later" apparently meant the next day.
Despite the initial bungle, everything else went smoothly. I arrived 30 minutes early and found out the doctor wasn't in yet. But it didn't matter because in the meantime, Ms Tan cleaned my face and let me sit on the treatment chair. She adjusted the seat and the lights and the air-cond so I would be comfortable.
Then the doctor came in to inspect my skin and see if I was fit for the treatment (the fractional CO2 laser is not suitable for people with severe acne or very dark/sensitive/sunburnt skin). I'm not sure if the doctor was a certified dermatologist, but he really did take the time to explain everything about the treatment and answer my questions. He told me I would need around 5-6 treatments to get optimal results. There should be a gap of at least one month between each treatment to ensure that the skin has fully healed. And that's it. He didn't ask me to buy anything or commit to any package. Wow. And just when I thought there was nowhere in KL where I could get a facial treatment in peace without being cajoled and prodded and pressured to throw more money into their pockets.
With the doctor's okay, Ms Tan slathered on numbing cream onto my face and covered it with cling film to aid absorption. I had to wait for 20 minutes for it to take effect. Then it was time for the laser. Considering that it was my first fractional CO2 treatment, and that I had a darker-than-average skin tone, he set the laser on lower intensity. It was more painful than my previous experiences with laser but nothing that I couldn't handle. I even said yes when he asked if he could laser the more sensitive parts, like my upper lip area.
"Tough girl," he said.
Thanks. I know.
The last step was a cooling cream that was slathered generously on my skin to reduce the stinging sensation. I was given a tiny tub of recovery cream to apply on my face to help with the healing process and prevent infections. Ms Tan warned me to avoid drinking hot drinks for the next couple of hours because I might scald myself (my lips were numb and couldn't gauge temperature).
Despite the initial bungle, everything else went smoothly. I arrived 30 minutes early and found out the doctor wasn't in yet. But it didn't matter because in the meantime, Ms Tan cleaned my face and let me sit on the treatment chair. She adjusted the seat and the lights and the air-cond so I would be comfortable.
Then the doctor came in to inspect my skin and see if I was fit for the treatment (the fractional CO2 laser is not suitable for people with severe acne or very dark/sensitive/sunburnt skin). I'm not sure if the doctor was a certified dermatologist, but he really did take the time to explain everything about the treatment and answer my questions. He told me I would need around 5-6 treatments to get optimal results. There should be a gap of at least one month between each treatment to ensure that the skin has fully healed. And that's it. He didn't ask me to buy anything or commit to any package. Wow. And just when I thought there was nowhere in KL where I could get a facial treatment in peace without being cajoled and prodded and pressured to throw more money into their pockets.
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| Waiting for my face to get numb |
"Tough girl," he said.
Thanks. I know.
The last step was a cooling cream that was slathered generously on my skin to reduce the stinging sensation. I was given a tiny tub of recovery cream to apply on my face to help with the healing process and prevent infections. Ms Tan warned me to avoid drinking hot drinks for the next couple of hours because I might scald myself (my lips were numb and couldn't gauge temperature).
I took photos of how my skin progressed day by day, but only up to the third day because my phone camera was no good. It was meant to make your selfies look better than your real self, so it hid most of your imperfections. As a result, you can't really see how my skin looked like post-laser.
For the first three days, my skin looked a little blotchy with the burn marks. Some of the dark spots you see were my scars, while some were marks left by the laser. Good luck telling them apart. Then the burnt skin started to gradually flake away. I had to keep my skin protected from the sun and wash it only with water for the whole week.
1st day
2nd day
3rd day
I think my skin felt smoother after the dead skin had peeled off, and my pores a teeny weeny bit smaller. Then again, it could be a placebo effect, because we tend to only see what we want to see. If my skin makes this little progress every time, I think I'm going to need at least 10 treatments in order to see a marked improvement, but this is by far the best type of laser treatment I've tried.
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| Immediately after laser |
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| With the cooling cream |
1st day
2nd day
3rd day
I think my skin felt smoother after the dead skin had peeled off, and my pores a teeny weeny bit smaller. Then again, it could be a placebo effect, because we tend to only see what we want to see. If my skin makes this little progress every time, I think I'm going to need at least 10 treatments in order to see a marked improvement, but this is by far the best type of laser treatment I've tried.
