On Getting Done Microdermabrasion and Chemical Peel at Kosmoderma

Have you ever got a medical facial? I did not even know such a term existed till a month back! There is a world of skin care treatments which I am unaware of. When I was getting microdermabrasion done, I was wondering what all do our celebrities have to undergo to look good. And, if you take my word for it, these treatments are a pain in the a**.

A week back, I got an opportunity to get a consultation and experience a service from Kosmoderma skin clinic. Kosmoderma was founded by Dr. Chytra V. Anand, an internationally renowned cosmetic dermatologist. Till date, my experience with dermatologists has not been very encouraging to say the least so I was not sure what to expect from the consultation. I was thrilled and sceptical at the same time.

Kosmoderma Medi-Facial Experience and Review

Consultation

When I reached the clinic, I was escorted by Anita, an aesthetician, to Dr. Shazia’s chamber. The first thing Dr. Shazia said to me was I had good skin. I know that more or less my skin genes are good (wish my hair was the same) but coming from a dermatologist, it was a huge deal.

She asked me if I had any specific queries. I went with two questions in my mind. One was the facial hair issue and other was a pigmentation on my back.

What I wanted to know was if there is any home remedy for facial hair removal. Seems like Laser hair removal is the only solution. Nothing else actually works! So, that was a dead end.

I shared with Doc my apprehensions on laser hair removal. She clarified that the laser beams used for this procedure are very mild and there is minor amount of pain. These laser beams are directed to kill the hair follicles over a course of multiple sittings. There is no danger of hyper pigmentation. In fact, laser facials are supposed to make skin better. Here is an account of a laser facial which you might find interesting.

Why would one have a facial hair is something which is dependant mostly on hormones and other mysterious workings of our body. Dr. Shazia asked me for my blood reports so that she could make sure nothing was wrong with me. I still have to go back on that one though! Blame me for my laziness. Another reason to ask my reports was my dark neck. Apparently, it is a condition called Acanthosis Nigricans. Yeah, it is a mouthful. This condition is an indication of something going wrong with your body, specifically diabetes or prediabetes symptoms. The moment the root cause is addressed, everything is hunky dory with your skin.

Next step was 3D analysis of my skin. I was clicked and my skin was analyzed through a software. The analysis is very interesting and surreal at the same time. It gives you a picture of pigmentation in your deeper layers of skin, active acne points whether you break out or not and textures of your skin which describe the level of hydration and other things. My cheeks are great in texture but forehead, jaw lines, chin are not that great so I need to work on them.

There are whole lot of other things I got to discuss with the doc which I shall be mentioning in a separate post. Overall, it was a huge mine of information for me. And, now I was ready to get my treat 🙂

The Procedure : Medi-Facial

Dr. Shazia recommended a procedure which included microdermabrasion, jet peel, heat treatment and a face mask. The treatment room is very clinical. Anita got all her supplies and started the procedure.

After cleansing my face, it was time for vaccuming my face – Microdermabrasion

Till date, I was not really sure what they did in the name of microdermabrasion. I used to think it would be something like the Clarisonic Mia but cleanses deeper than that. What it is a vaccum cleaner for the skin! It pulls at your skin and can be painful for some. For me, it WAS really painful. I felt as if my skin was butchered. Some places like my cheeks, near the eyes and near the lips, it was extremely harsh. If you ask me, I would never advise microdermabrasion to anyone!

Then, A Jacuzzi – Jet Peel

A jet is used to direct lots of mineral water onto your face. The mineral water is apparently infused with anti-oxidants. It goes on for 10 minutes and feels so soothing but it does take sometime to adjust to it. After you get used to it, you would never want it to stop. After this treatment, your skin feels so good. It is plumped and hydrated and feels amazing. The peel itself is a treatment to try out!

And, then, a Hot Stone Massage – Radio Frequency Massage

Okay, not a hot stone. But, a heat massage using radio frequency energy. An RF device with a flat head through with the heat is emitted is used for the massage, 15 minutes on either side of the face. The heat is adjustable and I would suggest not to use too much. Radio Frequency energy is used for skin tightening and stimulating the collagen production. The massage feels soothing and rejuvenating.

And, finally a Mask

This is the only known step of any facial I could relate to. After all the treatment which took close to an hour or even more, Anita slathered on a leave-on mask which was to be washed off after 6 hours. The mask only makes your skin look oily so you can at least go back home with it on.

A tip here: If you are going for the treatment, make sure it is before your lunch so that you can keep the mask for that long. My treatment finished by 5 PM which means I could wash off my face at 11 PM which is really late!

The Send Off

After the treatment, I was given two products – detan lotion and a fruit enzyme mask. The detan lotion was prescribed for my dark neck problem and I am using it in conjunction with a retinol cream daily as told by the doc. The fruit mask is just a regular mask supposed to be used twice a week. Reviews coming soon. I am thinking of making an appointment for next week with my reports.

After 24-48 hours

Honestly, after washing off my face, I could not see any difference. In fact, I thought it was looking almost two shades darker. But, I could see that my skin looked flushed and had rosy tint on its own. I was concerned about dark skin but it was a Sunday (I ignored it for Friday and Saturday thinking it would settle on its own) and I could not ring up the clinic. On Monday, I think I received a call from the clinic for feedback and I asked if I could talk to the doctor. She reprimanded me for not calling her earlier.

The reason why my skin was dark or continues to be so is because of the heat treatment. The heat can suck up all the moisture which is why one should slather on a load of moisturiser after the treatment for every 4-5 hours. That was something I missed. It looks exactly like I spent a complete day under hot sun. So, if you ever get any sort of such treatment, always remember to load your skin on moisturiser and by that I do not mean water but a good moisturiser which has both oil and water. Though, my skin got better by Sunday night.

After a Week

I got the treatment last Thursday so it has been a week. Though the darkness issue is a bit there, my skin feels and looks great. Interestingly, Mr. P did not complain about the dark skin and he is good at spotting such things. So, may be its just me. There is a definite tightening and sculpting of skin. It is more supple and bouncy and really soft and I just keep touching it (do not do that). Even the pores are not visible as much as they used to be. This treatment did nothing for my blackheads but then it was not directed in that way either. Overall, if you ask me, it is worth it. The jet peel is something I want every single day 🙂

So, next time you decide to get facial done, may be you could opt for medical facial and discuss with your dermatologist how would you want the procedure to be. Would you like to get it done and experience a tiny part of what our celebrities go through?