born with expensive skin...

i was plague with problem-skin ever since i reached puberty. back then, i didn't care 2 hoots how i looked even though my face's glossiness can blind somebody under strong lighting. i can use as many as 2 to 3 blotters for my skin. and yet, my mum reminded me that i'm still young and i shouldn't be anyhow using facial care as i'm still growing and might damage my youthful skin.

i have blackheads, pimples and whiteheads on my forehead, cheeks and noses. even though i wasn't quite close to acne, but breakouts are just as bad. once in a blue moon my mum would bring me to the beautician and squeeze my blackheads. still, it would be back within 1 week.

as i got older and more resourceful, i began seeking information online for help and remedies. also, with higher spending power, i can afford better products even though they're still off-the-shelves. yes, my condition is better but somehow nothing can be cured. there's always breakouts to handle and blackheads to tackle. endless, really. i knew i needed to seek specialist's help and not beautician (as i don't trust them anymore) in order to improve my condition. after harping about it for more than a year, finally, i went to see a dermatologist - a skin specialist.

i went to Maple Clinic in Tampines, as early as 8am in the morning. this clinic is recommended by a bosom friend who also seeked help about her breakouts. apparently, i heard quite good reviews online and from her, so i decided to go try out. i read that queuing is needed and they don't practice appointments system. therefore, yesterday i went to queue at about 8.30am, just about time they opened. i knew i was not very early as i've read online that some are kiasu enough to queue as early as 7am. when i reached there, i was probably the 40+ fella in queue and just in time for one of the clinic staff distributing queue numbers. apparently, the doctor limits to the number of patients to 30. one of the aunties who prolly was the 31st person in the queue failed to get a queue number got quite unhappy and began arguing with the staff. and i heard from the staff that the 1st person in queue was actually there since 6am!! OMFG! how to compete? camp there ah?? it's really ridiculous la....

even though i didn't get to wait long to know the "results", i was pretty disappointed. after all, i finally had some spare cash on hand (thanks to the Government for giving us money...) to go see a skin doctor and i didn't managed to get a consultation.

however, i had an alternative recommendation: Joyce Lim clinic at Paragon Medical Suites. i have some doubts going there coz' i've heard reviews that oral medication would be prescribed on top of the application ones, and there're some side effects. i can't help being skeptical. eventually, since i'm so bend about getting my problem skin right, i travelled down to Paragon on the same day. YM was with me the whole time, he consoled me that we could come down queue again next week. but it's quite silly gambling my chances just to see a doctor no matter how good she can be. and luckily, my choice to visit Joyce Lim was right.

surprisingly, JL clinic operates exactly opposite of Maple. i walked in to register and was told that appointment was needed. i couldn't help showing my disappointment lor. but the receptionist was kind enough to squeeze me in for an appointment, only had to wait for an hour. in the end, i only waited less than half an hour. =D

the consultation was quite fruitful. even though i paid 100 bucks for just consultation alone, knowing its overpriced, but i didn't feel much of the pinch. and fyi, the bill added up with $355 and there's no oral medication involved. alot right? i was prepared and yet not prepared to foot the bill. haha... what i thought was overrated - she carried her own brand of products. her name was splattered almost every medication, and another brand which require doctor's prescription before distribution. smart huh? when you need refills, you have to go back to her. ha!

a follow-up session is scheduled 3 weeks later. i don't know how much i'll spend for that, hopefully it is not another whopping 300 bucks.

since i started working, i spent so much on my face to get my skin right. nothing helped. i hope that this lap would be my final lap for better skin. otherwise, sigh, it's another long process trying to source for help. this journey is so tiring and i so wanna get over and done with it.