Laser removal

So while in Korea one of the things that was a MUST DO was go to the dermatologist.  It's a fraction of the price of dermatologists in America and the fact that there is an abundance of them everywhere across the whole country makes it very easily accessible.

IPL Laser treatment
There are so many things you can do with so many different lasers. I actually sort of got carried away with it.
the reason why I initially went to the dermatologist was to get rid of my birthmark that was on my cheek.  It didn't bother me until I hit my 20s and it just started getting drastically darker and more noticeable. 

As you can see on my left cheek its pretty noticeable. (I am also wearing foundation in this picture.) I don't know if you can see but I also had small moles around my face one on my forehead, other cheek and chin so I wanted to get those removed while I was at the dermatologist anyway. 

So to get rid of that thing I had to get a laser called IPL laser treatment and basically what it does is it breaks up the melanin pigments in your skin under the epidermal layer and then your skins natural response is to get rid of the damaged skin cells and repair itself so it arises to the surface of your skin as a scab. About 4 to 5 days later the scabs will fall off but precaution NEVER PEEL OFF YOUR SCABS. 

Many korean girls in their mid-late 20s and 30s and up get the IPL laser treatment for freckles, sunspots or age-spots (which ever you want to call them).  I actually got half my face done from my eyes down because when the doctor looks at your skin under this high powered light he can see what lies underneath your skin and he said I had a lot of age-spots that haven't come up to the surface of my skin but will with time and exposure to the sun.  So as a preventative I got it done.  

After care of IPL treatment 

First you must STAY OUT OF THE SUN  it is the #1 rule after any laser treatment unless you enjoyed the prickling burn sensation while getting it done and want to repeat the process. So if you do have to go outside the best thing to do is to wear a hat or mask and apply spf 50 pa+++. I know that sounds pretty intense but its the only way to get the best results. You should be extra careful the first 4 weeks, then following you can go back to your normal spf range. 

Second you should MOISTURIZE GENEROUSLY. Your skin gets really dry and scabs up here and there so you must use moisture creams not lotions on your face morning and night. The popular thing a lot of girls use these days are products with snail extract and EGF which are two ingredients that help with repair and renewing. (Something like the picture above.) Also your skin will feel like you had gotten a slight sunburn the first 2 nights so I advise you to slather on aloe vera gel at night along with your cream to help cool it.  

Third, as I keep mentioning your skin will arise with scabs where your freckles and spots were so you must be very careful to not take these scabs off.  Everything you do with your face you must do it very gently. When I washed my face I only used foam cleansers and I would gently wash my face without putting any pressure on my skin, then when I rinsed I would gently press the water into my face not splashing the water or use any rubbing action.   You should use the same concept when applying stuff to your skin. You can apply the products by using a light tapping motion with your finger tips.  *You can wash your face and wear BB cream the day after but foundations aren't recommended for the first couple days of treatment*

These 3 tips are the most important things to remember after getting laser treatment because it makes the biggest difference in the results you will have in the long run.  

This is what my face looks like now and I don't have anything on my skin except for my skincare products (toner, lotion, etc.) and my sunscreen.  I don't wear makeup base to correct my skin tone anymore either because its in pretty good shape without it.  Yes, I am wearing eye make up I can't live without my eye shadow and eyeliner. =) 

Heres a random picture I found off google with a lady that had IPL laser treatment done.

MOLE REMOVAL

So back to the other lasers I had gotten done.  I did get my moles removed and that was not as painful as the IPL laser.  What the mole removing laser does it just literally burns it off.  You usually don't bleed depending on how deep the mole is and also you most likely won't scab much either.  You will literally be left with a hole in your skin where the mole was removed.  It heals within a week (meaning you won't have an open wound) but you will have a slight "dip" to your skin.  This "dip" in your skin won't fill back up completely for about 5 to 6 months.  You can think of it as getting your wisdom teeth surgically removed.  After you get it removed you have this huge hole in your gums but after time it flattens back out right?  It's the same concept with mole removal. 

After care for mole removal 

It is pretty much the same thing as IPL laser you should always protect your skin with high power sunscreen and be careful with your scabs.  

Laser hair removal 

Another thing I got lasered was my armpits.  The lasers for hair removal are extremely cheap in Korea.  For my armpits it costs 10,000 won which is close to $10 per treatment.  The only downside to this is that the lasers they use are extremely weak.  I had 7 treatments (each treatment 3-4 weeks apart) and I still have peach fuzz hairs here and there because apparently for it to be completely gone it takes about 10+ treatments depending on the thickness of your hair follicles. It definitely did thin the hair out substantially though.  The upside to this is that the laser doesn't hurt at all.  You just get this tingling feeling here and there but no pain at all.  My friends that have gotten laser hair removal in the states tell me that it hurts like no other so I was terrified the first time I had gotten it done but afterwards it was like nothing.   So if you're planning on living in korea long term its something you should definitely look into.