I can't even put into words how delighted I am with Dr Bong's lip enhancement procedure. I have had lip fillers once before and I was very swollen and bruised and they took weeks to heel. Before my procedure Dr Bong told me I would not need a numbing cream or dental block. He was right! His technique is almost painless, I have no bruising the next morning and no swelling. My lips are the best shape they have ever been so happy with them. He is a true genius at what he does and I would never consider using anyone else for facial enhancements. I felt relaxed from the I walked into his office and knew I was in safe hands. Thank you Kieran!
At the end of September 2017 I received a Dermapen treatment to help close pores and clear some acne scars on my face. This has turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made, and I'd urge those with sensitive/acne prone skin to avoid this treatment and stick to natural remedies - I've learned this the hard way. I'm sharing my story to hopefully reach out to others who have experienced this reaction, to share any post-treatment care & ways that my skin may heal. Before I received the Dermapen treatment I did research & figured out that it couldn't make my skin any worse than it already was (how wrong was I?!) and that, if anything, my skin would either stay the same or improve. My Dr reassured me that there was only a few days of downtime (which wasn't the case for me at all) and that it would tighten my pores/clear my complexion. My skin was red/raw for at least a week following my treatment, I was given a tiny post-treatment cream which I have now discovered was full of irritating chemicals. I stuck to using The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, Plant Derived Squalane and Clinique's "Take The Day Off" Cleansing Balm, this seemed to calm my skin down after a few weeks but the holes/open pores are still there and worse than ever. At this point I'm trying to baby my skin as much as possible, letting it breathe and not using any harsh chemicals. I'm going to use this feed to update but after reading various feeds on here with people who have had similar experiences I'm not expecting much improvement, unless there is some miracle cure! I've realised now that my skin is severely dehydrated and that the Dermapen has damaged the structure of my skin. The pores are now joining together to form wrinkles on my face, and at 23 years old my facial skin looks around 10 years older. This has completed ruined my confidence and I've even been struggling to leave the house because of it as I can't even hide the damage with make-up - if anything it only highlights the holes in my skin. My hope is that my skin repairs itself to a point where I can just get on with my life without worrying about how horrible it looks. Updated on 11 Oct 2017: In my initial post I stated that I got the treatment in September when it was actually at the end of August. Sorry for the confusion! Updated on 2 Nov 2017: As you can see, almost no improvement - in fact, the pores are joining together and it looks like I have wrinkles on my t-zone. I guess the only saving grace is that the damage is only in that area, but my pores have been stretched. I've stopped using oils as I think it was making the damage worse, I've swapped to using Dr Jarts ceramidin cream & some gentle avene products. Nothing harsh at all! Does anyone know if there's a way to get rid of these lines or stop my pores from fusing together? I'm at a complete loss, every day is a struggle to live my life when I'm so self conscious. Make-up only highlights the damage. Updated on 2 Nov 2017: Updated on 20 Nov 2017: My skin is very unpredictable, I still have active acne but the dryness has definitely subsided since I started using Avene's products, I think oils were actually making the damage worse. My pores are still connecting & forming lines, unsure what to do about it. Updated on 29 Nov 2017: Pores joining together, the most horrible skin texture I've ever had. Nothing seems to be helping & it's only getting worse. Unsure when my skin will stop forming lines. Updated on 12 Dec 2017: My redness has calmed down but the scarring/scratches/connecting pores are unbearable to look at. I can't imagine it ever getting better. This treatment has completely ruined my life & appearance. Updated on 17 Jan 2018: Unfortunately no improvement, some days it seems better and some days its worse. I urge anyone considering this treatment to PLEASE consider the side-effects, I hadn't been warned about any of this before my treatment and if only I'd known my life would be completely different. Anyone who has gone through this (people who have messaged me and reviews I've read on here) agrees that it is very difficult to get on with your life after your facial skin has been severely damaged. I worked in a forward facing job, I ran a blog, I was "okay" with my appearance but thought that this would even out my skin texture. I have started CBT and have now been given SSRIs to take, I struggle to leave my flat and I am not the same person that I used to be. I hope in time that I will recover, both mentally & physically. Suicidal thoughts have crept into my mind as well, and I used to be the most outgoing person. I can never forgive this Doctor for what he did to my skin. I think we need to all have a rethink about how we view our bodies, and stop paying for these "miracle" treatments that ruin our skin. We need to learn to love ourselves. Updated on 15 Apr 2018: Hi everyone, I can't believe it's been almost 8 months since I received this horrible treatment, I've given up hope that my skin will ever get better. I don't think it's getting worse and I am able to manage the dryness/acne with some calming products (natural oils, avene moisturiser etc) but when the light hits my face at certain angles it just looks terrible. My antidepressants help me to stop focusing on my looks and get on with my life, it's still a daily struggle but I try to be thankful for everything that I DO have (after losing a close friend it has put everything into perspective). Anyway, I don't have the money to spend on lots of treatments and expensive products - who knows if they may help in any way? This place has been a good place to connect with others who are going through the same situation. I hate that I ever did this to my skin and I HATE that I will be stuck with this damage for the rest of my life. Unfortunately I haven't read anything about anyone healing/recovering their skin after this damage. It breaks my heart but is also something I must now accept. Anyway, I smile, try to go out more and try not to look in the mirror except in the morning when I put some make-up on. I've even started wearing no make-up more often, I'm trying to accept myself the way I am (no matter how disgusting it is!). Much love to everyone on here, just know that you are all wonderful people no matter what you look like! Updated on 4 Jul 2019: hi everyone! I just thought I’d give a quick update to share my current routine. It has now been almost 2 years since I received this horrible treatment. I wanted to show that healing is possible, but I have accepted that my skin will never be what it used to be. Recently I’ve discovered a few products that have made a HUGE difference to my skin - I think something that was causing a lot of issues was that my skin was extremely dry. Products that I thought were helping my skin actually weren’t fully protecting my barrier, and probably stripping it (including make-up). I have rosacea which actually makes it more difficult for your skin to hold onto moisture, this is why I think my damage was so severe. Now my main focus is MOISTURE and repairing my skin barrier. In the evening I wash with psoria gold’s foaming cleanser (it’s extremely mild and removes all make-up with a double cleanse), follow by klair’s unscented toner (this product has been a GODSEND) followed by the ordinary’s niacinimide serum (reduces redness), klair’s moisturising serum, psoria gold’s moisturiser and an oil (either organic jojoba or rosehip). In the morning I just wash with mild water and follow with the klair’s toner, moisturiser then my HOLY GRAIL product - klair’s illuminating supple blemish cream SPF40 PA++! seriously, this stuff makes me glow, protects me from harmful rays and is not heavy at all yet covers my redness from rosacea? I feel much more confident and more like “myself” - but maybe I’m just more accepting of my appearance? As I said, it’s been almost 2 years since my damage, I’ve accepted that my skin will never be the same but I life is too short to dwell. I’ve sworn to never get another cosmetic procedure and work on nourishing my skin as much as I can. Please let this be a warning to those thinking about getting this procedure, focus on nourishing your skin slowly over a long period of time rather than going to a “safe” procedure (a quick fix) such as this an potentially ruining your skin for life. If anything getting through this has made me a much stronger person, I am less focused on my appearance as I know there is SO much more to me than my skin.
