In my previous post, I shared with you what went down at the launch of Substance Laser & Skin Care. I mentioned that we were given a box of goodies, and one of those was a voucher that entitled me to a free laser treatment.

I suuuuper rarely go to clinics and honestly, Substance is only the second one I’ve been to. The first time I had a facial treatment was way back 2016 at a popular aesthetic clinic.

I spoke to Ms. Rizza through phone to book me an appointment with Dr. Andrea Mendoza and I was scheduled at 4:00 on the 27th. When I got there, I was greeted by the friendly staff, as well as the owner herself. Jill was super warm and welcoming that I easily felt comfortable around her (I was still super shy, though.)

As soon as I got there, they handed me a form and explained that the form was for them to know about my skin condition, my background – whether I suffer from any illness and what products I’ve used. It’s also for them to keep a record of their clients for future treatments.

Once I’ve completed the form, I was directed to the Consultation area and talked with Dr. Andrea Mendoza. To be very honest, it was my first time having a proper consultation with a licensed dermatologist. That day, I had an active pimple above my upper lip and some pimple marks from the previous breakouts. I explained that I got the one on my forehead prior to my period, and the others on my jaw and brows when I failed to do my skin care routine and fell asleep with my makeup on. She asked me about the products I use and whether my routine includes a night cream.

Dr. Andrea talked me through to some of the treatments available and which ones she would recommend. She also assured me that the facials at Substance are “not really the traumatizing ones”.  I may have looked calm that time, but it felt as though a huge load was removed from my chest. 😌 Though they do have one “traumatizing” facial treatment, Dr. Andrea said that I wouldn’t be needing that since she didn’t see any blackheads or whiteheads (happy!) that needed to be taken out. She suggested that I have a combination of either a fruit acid mask (which I think is called the Four Seasons Peel) or the Milk Way Peel, and the Hollywood Peel.

I learned that at my age, I shouldn’t be having any more pimples unless it was caused by hormonal changes, stress, or working conditions (like wearing a mask all day). When I mentioned that I got the scar on my cheek due to the extraction on my first facial, Dr. Andrea clarified that whether or not we prick an acne, it may leave an ugly scar. She mentioned that marks would not disappear after one session, but would help lighten it. Also, after the treatment, chances of getting comedones are lesser. She advised that it would be better if I used a night cream that would help improve the discoloration and skin texture.

Then Dr. Andrea talked about what I could expect from the Hollywood peel, and advised that I should lessen the amount of salt I take since the iodine in it causes breakouts. Too bad for me, because I’m one to finish my salty dip like soy sauce, fish sauce, or shrimp paste (alamang).

After the consultation, I went back to Ms. Rizza at the reception to sign a waiver, then was led to the facial treatment area.

The esthetician who did the Milky Way Peel on me was Princess. She kept me informed throughout the session and gave me information on the products and what they were for.

Before she started, she took a Before photo of me so that we could do a side by side comparison after the whole session. She began by cleansing my face gently with two wet sponges. I found the sponges super relaxing and that alone already made me feel pampered. She later massaged my face with a cleanser, and I must say that my most favorite part was when she massaged my temples! She was wearing gloves, by the way. Cleanliness is a must at Substance. 😉

After washing off the cleanser, she gently dried my face with a clean paper towel. Then we started with the first coat of lactic acid. Lactic acid is one of the most popular kinds of AHA (alpha hydrolic acid) that helps reduce breakouts, wrinkles, and aging. It did not sting, but it did give a prickling sensation that was pretty satisfying in my case. That was like an assurance for me that something was happening on my skin and that the product was already working on it. After about three minutes, Princess started adding the second coat of the lactic acid, which would again stay on for two to three minutes. Princess carefully washed the product off my face with wet sponges then dried it again with paper towels.

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The next step was applying the lactic gel. This time she did not use any cotton pad and just directly put it all over my face, including the jaw area where I also had a pimple. Just like with the lactic acid, the lactic gel would be applied in two coats with two to three-minute intervals.

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As she said, the sensation was a little more intense, but still bearable. I asked if I should expect any peeling after it. She said there would only be micropeeling, and not like the scary ones where the skin would shed off like a snake’s.

After washing off the lactic gel, she started applying the liquid carbon as preparation for the laser treatment. The carbon is said to seep deep into my pores, stimulate and repair the cells, and remove the excess sebum. Princess blotted out all the oil that surfaced after about twenty minutes.

 

Before I was led to the laser treatment area on the opposite side of the room, Jill checked on me and even joked, “What happened to you?”, to which I playfully replied, “I fell on the mud!” 😂

The laser treatment, which must only be done by a licensed derma, has three stages. On each stage there will be a “test shot” to know if the level is too intense for you or not. On the first stage, I did not feel anything on the test shot, but as Dr. Andrea passed the laser throughout my face, it tingled like there were tiny needles prickling on it. The second level was a little more intense than the first and when I saw the video, Dr. Andrea was right – it looked like there were fireworks on my face! 😜🎇🎆

What happens during the laser treatment is that when the laser passes through carbon, it ‘destroys’ the carbon along with the impurities that it absorbed. So the pores will be cleared and the face will look more radiant.

Perhaps you wanna ask, ‘Is it painful?’  Hmmh… I won’t say no, but I cannot also say yes. There WAS a sensation, but it definitely was not pain. But in each firework, as Dr. Andrea would describe it, my back would jerk as if I someone was poking it. Haha!

After the whole session, Princess cleansed my face with wet sponges, and applied sunblock for protection.

Rule #1: Never go out without sunblock!

The entire session didn’t take very long. Both sessions took only about 15 minutes each; so including the briefing and consultation, it took only less than an hour. We still had enough time to walk around and play games in the arcade.

By the way, my face kinda smelt of burnt hair or skin and it pulsated for several hours.

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Final thoughts:

I loved it! Maybe some of you would say, “Of course since you haven’t got much experience in other clinics, you only have 1 to compare it with.” Well, all I can say is, for a newbie, I’m lucky I did it with Substance!

I highly, highly recommend it. All the staff is friendly and accommodating, even the owner is soooo nice you won’t feel out of place. They provide all the information you need to know and they graciously answer queries. I observed my skin for more than a week and I can confidently say that it is way, way better now! My pores have become clear; they appeared smaller than they used to. My active pimples have calmed down and as of this writing, they are already flat. The pimple marks have definitely become lighter! I am so impressed!

Also, I love that they are quality-based, yet their services aren’t as pricey as the other high end clinics.

Go ahead and visit SUBSTANCE LASER & SKIN CARE. It is located on the 3rd Level of Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas, near Mesa and Samgyupsalamat.

You can enjoy 20% DISCOUNT ON ALL TREATMENTS until September 18, 2018!

Also, to save P1,000 on consultation with their licensed dermatologist, you may use my code:

SUBSTANCERIKA18

Book an appointment:
📧 hello@skinbysubstance.com
📲 +63 917 523 4344

Check them out on their socials:
IG: @skinbysubstance
FB: Substance Laser & Skin Care

Note: Most of the photos were stills from my video. The video will be soon be uploaded on my channel MYRIKANESS.

Watch my video here:

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-rix★ϟ