I guess my previous blog entry on my first facial experience was pretty well received so I’m back for my second post – yep I visited Seoul twice this year already =p
Every time i visit Seoul, I somehow find myself getting more curious about the skincare/beauty industry and I guess with each visit, I should attempt to level up on the services to try. My first ever beauty treatment was lash lift – which was a treatment that would give you curled lashes for 4 to 6 weeks. I tried it on a for-fun basis as if you know me personally, I’m not someone that cares much about aesthetics. Most of the time, I’m just trying things out because I’m just curious. I am curious about many things and I like to try it out to get first-hand experience, and of course, to have content that I can write about.
The first time I did beauty treatment, I went for a laser package to get rid of some pigmentation/sun spots on my face that didn’t exist 5 years ago (based on my selfie album on my iPhone). During the consultation back then, the doctor informed me that it was not going to be a miracle one-time treatment and I had to do at least 6 to 8 more times to get rid of it. However, I was unwilling to continue paying for the treatment back in my home country, and as a result, the pigmentation/sun spots I wanted to get rid of still exists on my face. That being said, I did not regret doing my first laser treatment as after that, I became super cautious about avoiding the sun and became extra diligent in my skincare routine. At any best, there was some psychological impact on me wanting to make sure my money didn’t go down the drain. While I would love to believe that the spots did get lighter, I can’t confirm for sure if it is the lighting or the effect of the treatment. I guess if there’s a day it fades out completely, I would know for sure. Just an extra disclaimer: I am super not sensitive to visual/beauty so I’m pretty much a wrong person to ask ‘if it’s worth it’, but if you have the spare cash and you’re in for a new travel experience, do give it a try!
Moving on..
Some months ago, I learned of this new skincare product by VT Cosmetics which supposedly mimics the ‘micro needling’ effect where you will certainly feel spikes and needles on your face. After which, you are supposed to apply your other skincare and your skin would be able to absorb it well cause the surface has already been ‘opened’ by the needles and spikes. Do you remember some time years ago, people started selling collagen as ‘edibles’ as someone wrote an article somewhere saying that ‘collagen’ particles can’t actually seep through the pores of your skin as they are too large. The only way to get collagen is to consume them. Well, years later, this needling technology is suppsoed to ‘open up’ your skin to allow good things (maybe it includes collagen) to penetrate through your skin and yep so that’s the general idea.
Out of curiosity on this ‘micro needling’ cream, I tried the sample at Olive young (during my trip in May) and I was so impressed to actually feel the ‘spiking’ sensation on my hand! *not receommended for sensitive skin* That being said, my friend’s skin did not react well to it and she ended up with rashes (thankfully on her hands) so I guess this product is not suitable for everyone. Their marketing is pretty intensive. Instead of one generic product, they release a spectrum of ‘intensity’ ranging from 50, 100, 300, 700, 1000. Being a ‘fan’ of average, I went straight into ‘300’, instead of doing the recommended ‘level-up’ approach *cue, possible marketing gimmick to make you buy everything* and started using it diligently every 3 to 5 days. While I wish to announce that I did see the benefits of this product on my face, the truth is that I use like at least 5 types of skincare on my face right now every evening and morning. I no longer know ‘for sure’ what is the exact holy grail to my ‘somewhat decent and improved skin’ but all I can tell you is that, if you are diligent in something – it will definitely show results. My face definitely feels smoother whenever I wash my face, which means that the uneven skin issue has somewhat been reduced and I do get lesser outbreaks this year. As to whether my pores got smaller – I’m still on the fence for this as it feels different on whether I’m looking at my face in the morning or at the end of the day (before I wash my face). I can’t be sure about the lighting, or condition to make it a ‘fair experiment’ so I guess unless I buy a proper scanner, I won’t be able to know for sure. In simple words, things did get better for me but.. I can’t tell you what helped where.
Yep, so.. that’s my lengthy introduction which brought me to trying out my next facial treatment in Korea – Potenza + Exosome Facial
In my next trip to Korea, I decided to give the real microneedling a try, after playing around with VT for a couple of monehts. The world of micro-needling is still kind of a black hole for me (I did think of writing a full blog post on the variations cause I have researched a lot in recent weeks) but prior to my trip, I decided that I was going to try this thing called Potenza which sounds really cool. The technology behind it is RF (radio frequency) and somehow it has the ability to go deeper into your skin to stimulate collagen growth (is it that easy?) and the list of benefits include improving wrinkles, breaking apart discolouration, tighten enlarge pores, help acne control/scarring, make your skin smoother and tighten your skin. (It is all marketing language ain’t it.)
How I chose my clinic
If you’re researching about beauty treatments in Korea, I’m sure you have a whole lot of options and information and even targeted ads while you’re scrolling social media. In today’s world, many of these clinics have splurged a hell lot on social media marketing + influencer marketing and half the time you’ll be wondering whether you’re reading sponsored content or not so to be honest, my research got super frustrating after a while. *Disclaimer* I was not paid or sponsored for any of my beauty treatments (yet; but seriously if someone wants to sponsor me, BRING IT ON but my article/review will be written with full sponsor/advertorial tag) and everything was based on my own research (not even a recommendation from a friend) because most of my friends are curious but they have yet to take any action. For those that have taken action, they also don’t recommend the clinic that they went to so.. I’m on my own..
Location – As this trip was very short, I did not want to spend too much traveling which was why I narrowed down my area of skincare clinic research to the Myeongdong area (as I was staying at Chungmuro). The other two areas that are popular with skincare clinics would be Hongdae and Gangnam – so do keep these area in your radar if the location is convenient for you.
[Side track: If you’re looking for a recommendation, I highly recommend this accommodation which is super new and I find the price relatively affordable ‘value for money’. It’s kind of like a serviced apartment. They have many branches but the ones I’ve stay in is WecoStay Namsan and WecoStay Namsan.]
The next thing that was a ‘high priority’ for me was that I wanted more ‘service’ as compared to my previous experience. I’m not sure about the facial you have in your country but at least in Singapore, they will cleanse your face for you. This was something that I was really surprised with when I went for my first experience in the other clinic. Upon further research post previous trip, I found out that it is a very common practice (to have to wash your own face before the treatment). In fact, I would say that 70% of the clinics require such ‘DIY” approach and 100% of all ‘cheaper tier’ clinics require you to do so. Even though it might seem like the ‘norm’, I don’t really like to wash my own face because I am often unsure of what should be ‘clean enough’ for their standards. Will I end up over-cleansing/over-drying my face or would I do a terrible job and risk the effectiveness of treatment? I did a lot of research before I found the clinic that included ‘cleansing’ as part of their facial package. You’ll be surprised how few clinics offer this basic service.
Next criteria on my list was that I needed a place that could provide english translation/services. I mean my korean is only at basic level-1 which doesn’t give me the confidence to converse at all. While searching through the various reviews/comments – I had to look for one that provided english translation on their website, social media accounts and could at least let me enquire and make an appointment using english. That being said, I do feel slightly ‘cheated’ cause for the clinic I went, the doctor who I consulted did not converse with me in English. The clinic actually hired a part time translator to shadow me during my treatment which was not a bad thing, just that I somehow thought I was expecting the staff/doctor to speak a bit of english but nope.
To be honest, sometimes when you see clinics getting perfect 5/5 ratings, you’ll get a little dubious and suspicious right? When I first selected the clinic, there were less than a hundred reviews which could mean that they were likely not doing any campaigns/gimmicks to incentivize reviews. At least at the time of my visit in Oct 2024, there were no such promotions which could mean that their reviews were largely genuine. There’s quite a lot of Japanese reviews at well, which could also mean that they focus on Japanese audience too. On the contrary, the previous clinic I visited in Hongdae offered 3 mask packs in exchange for a review (which I had to write before the treatment)? Obviously I wanted the mask packs, but also not being able to ‘lie’ for the sake of lying, I gave a generic review of the ambience of the clinic and also the ability of the sales consultant to speak good english and how they did not up-sell me. hur hur hur. That’s like trying to be objectively correct and honest at that point in time.
Initially, I shortlisted 2 clinics and ended up going with the one that replied me first. In case you’re wondering which clinic I visited, I’m intentionally leaving this info to be at the end =p
My experience
I managed to secure a reservation only 2 weeks before my intended visit. The clinic I went was very small – it only has 2 consultant rooms with 1 doctor. After reaching, I was asked to provide my passport for ‘registration’ and I had to fill up a questionnaire (in English) where I had to write about my concerns and what I was planning to do. With my extensive research, I was already having my mindset on doing the potenza treatment which was about 429k. At the point in time, I believe I wrote that my concerns were large pore size and sun spots.
Anyway, the translator only appeared like 10 mins after I arrived (not sure if she was late, or if that it was intended). Anyway, I did speak to her at the end and she was a freelancer (likely a university student doing part time) and not hired as a full time employee by the clinic. She took my questionnaire and made tiny notes in korean to translate whatever relevant pointers I have written down. After she was done, it was time to enter the consultation room with the featured doctor. My friend says she is a dermatologist, not too much of a doctor/surgeon. To be honest I have no idea what’s the difference but I guess she doesn’t do high-level procedures.
Inside the room, after hearing about my concerns and letting the doctor know that I’m keen on this treatment called ‘Potenza’, the doctor did not even counter-propose anything or look/stare/observe my skin to conclude that it was indeed the best treatment for me. I felt really puzzled at this stage cause I thought a doctor should provide recommendations on concur with what I want to do. Instead, she went straight into the treatment/procedure with videos and steps of what I could expect. She spoke in korean and the translator translated to me word for word. Being in such a ‘weird’ situation, I didn’t take the opportunity to ask any questions (though I should) and I just nodded my head. It was a quick session, definitely less than 10 mins before I was escorted out. Prior to entering the room, I too a peek at the other consultation room and saw that they have the face scanner equipment. I’ve tried it out in other facial places before – it is a machine that scans your face and identifies issues with your skin (e.g. pigmentation, lines, pores etc.) and they even tell you what’s your face’s age. Sadly, the doctor didn’t ask me to do this scan and.. I didn’t ask too so, oh wells.
After exiting the room, I say dowan for a while before the receptionist (and translator) came over to me with the procedures/package price list and said that the recommended plan for me was like 700k+ which includes Potenza + Exosome + Aqua/LALA Peel + or some other things I can’t remember. As I had been rather firm and have already decided that my budget was only going to be max in the 500k range, I told them that I didn’t want the expensive package and stuck to the basic potenza package at 429k (my original choice), plus the exosome skin booster at 110k (which was recommended). My total bill was 539k and the clinic does tax refunds so I could get back 35k at the airport (after the customs) and overall it was still within my 500k budget. The good thing about korean clinics (from my 2 experiences) is that they are not pushy at all. If you say no, they would not continue to upsell you and just accept your decision as it is. (Side track: One of the reason why I stop going for beauty services in Singapore is because their revenue model is based a lot on having their sales consultant sell you packages and lock you down for 10 to 30 sessions. I really hate those sales talk and stopped going for any sort of ‘free trial’.)
After making payment (I used YouTrip card for a more favourable exchange rate) – yes you need to pay before you start – I was led to a locker area to store my belongings. There were only max 8 lockers if I didn’t recall wrongly. The clinic is very small so I don’t think they would be able to cater to more than 8 customers anyway. I had to remove my shoes and change into their indoor slippers as well. This was to facilitate walking from room to room, bed to bed. As the treatment was only going to be on my face, I didn’t have to change any clothes. Oh, and they allowed me to hold on to my phone.
First up, I was brought into this room and had to lie down on a bed. It wasn’t a private room but there were just two beds in the room and the other one was occupied when I entered. Comparing it to my previous experience, that ‘room’ had like 10+ beds so 2 beds in a room felt more ‘private’ in a way. The first step of the procedure was the cleansing process. I’m so thankful that I do not have to wash my own face this time. This is like a less than 5 min job for them which makes me wonder why they rather the customer wash their own face before the treatment. Okay so after the cleansing, I believe that they gave me the numbing cream/cling wrap thingy and I had to wait like 20 to 30 mins. After which, they wiped the cream off and brought me to a different room. This room was for the doctor’s procedure. As potenza treatment is somewhat invasive, it can only be performed by a doctor.
If you’re keen to find out what it looks like you can check out the clinic’s blog post (in korean, but there are videos) – https://blog.naver.com/lamineclinic/223292586996
So.. how does it feel? It is pain.. The doctor has a device (and will open a fresh set of needles/tip) and they will pour the exosome liquid on your face, while performing the potenza RF needling across your whole face. They press that thing down on your face so you feel both the pressure and the needle prick. Given that I feel it with the numbing cream, it could only mean that it would be a lot more painful without the numbing. Based on my time stamps (of my photos), I estimate that the entire treatment is only 3 to 5 mins long, and nope I do not wish for it to be longer.
Looking at my photos (which I will not post because I would like to be anonymous), I do see some redness after the treatment. After the micro needling, your face would be exposed and they will perform the cryocell cooling care (something like ice ball rollers on your face) and end it off with a mask pack. From start to end – the entire treatment process including the numbing was less than an hour.
Throughout the entire treatment process, the translator was beside me and helped to translate whatever steps/actions that the staff was gonna do. This was definitely a plus point though if the staff could speak english, they could have saved on this cost.
Conclusion – was it worth it?
To be honest I don’t know cause I don’t see visible improvements on my face. In all honesty, one treatment is not going to be like magic and anyone who tells you that one treatment can do wonders is probably lying. Skincare improvements requires consistency and daily effort. Since I started on my skincare journey about 1.5 years ago (where I started using products on my face at night). Prior to that, I only use toner right after I bathe and before I sleep. In the morning, I only use toner, sunblock and/or BB cream. I can’t be certain as to which exact product helped me but I would say I’m 80% content with my face now. There’s still pigmentation/sun spots and my pores are still visible but I guess because of my mindset (that I’m doing my best effort) and that I’m really consistent with my skincare (even when I’m overseas), I generally feel good about my face.
Hope you find that this post helped you and keep reading so I’ll be motivated to write a third post – when I do go Korea again.
As promised, these are the clinic’s details and price information (which they sent to me via IG DM). Prices are as at Oct 2024.
Website: https://www.lamine.co.kr/english/
Naver blog (Korean): https://blog.naver.com/lamineclinic/ [works well with google translate]
IG (english): https://www.instagram.com/lamineskinclinic_en
