With the weather and humidity in Singapore, it's hard not to suffer from oily face and I am no exception. I have lost count on the number of oil blotters and skincare for oily skin that I have used throughout the years. Some work, some didn't, but sadly, nothing worked well enough for me to say that my dull, oily skin days are behind me.
After meeting up with Dr Terence Tan from Halley Medical Aesthetics and telling him about my skin woes, he took time to analyze my face and realized that my oily skin is clogging up my pores because it was producing excessive sebum, an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands. Adding on to that, dead skin cells and bacteria are trapped within the pores and formed whiteheads.
To treat the whiteheads, he used CO2 laser in ultrapulse mode. This treatment uses continuous light beams that are delivered in a scanning pattern to remove thin layers of skin with minimal heat damage. Dr Tan then extracted the whiteheads using a comedone extractor. It was an easy process with minimal pain, thanks to the careful application of numbing cream applied before the treatment. I would say the sensation is similar to being bitten by ants.
My favourite part of this treatment is the fact that it has minimum downtime. Just look at my picture that was taken 3 days later! Most of the marks were gone and everything was healing nicely.
Of course, treating the whiteheads can only get rid of the problem on hand temporarily and it also requires repeated sessions for longer-term management of stubborn whiteheads. That is why it is just as important to maintain skin health post-laser treatment to minimise and even eliminate the reoccurrence of whiteheads. For this, Dr Tan prescribed Isotretinoin tablets which helps improve pore health by reducing the production of sebum. This minimizes the occurrence of clogged pores, which led to my previous skin problems like whiteheads and acne. When pore health improves, the size of the pores will also be reduced thereby improving skin texture as well. It is a double win, if you ask me!
To further enhance the treatment, I tried out their Intense blue light treatment that helps with oil reduction and acne. The blue light emitting diode (LED) light that shone on my face penetrates the skin cells to heighten their internal functions. It was a really cool experience for me. I felt like I was in a Sci-FI movie. Hehe.
To maintain the results, I started using three of their newly launched skincare products from Halley's Brilliance skincare line to maintain healthy skin, namely their Comedone Eraser Serum to reduce blemishes and control excessive oil secretion, Intense Stem Cells Serum to smoothen fine line and firm up the skin and lastly their Diamond+ C20 Serum to keep skin clear and radiant.
When I test out products, I would usually not mix it with other skincare products so that I can fully test out the effectiveness of the product and I am pleased to say that their products are really effective. What impressed me further is that their products feature plant-based active ingredients, so it is still gentle on the skin as it does its job.
It has been about 3 weeks since I have been on the regime and I swear I have never seen so much improvements on my skin! Not only is it fresh and glowing, my skin is looking a lot smoother. What surprised me further is that out of habit, I took out an oil blotter after a long day out and tapped all over my face, only to realize that there was no need for it at all. I can testify to the effectiveness of the regime and if you suffer from oily skin like I do, you should definitely give Halley Medical Aesthetics a call!
Halley Medical Aesthetics
277 Orchard Road #03-15
Orchard Gateway Singapore 238858
T: 6737 8233
halley.com.sg
facebook.com/halleymedicalaesthetics
instagram.com/halleymedicalaesthetics
blog.halleymedicalaesthetics.com
youtube.com/HalleySGMedicalAesthetics