final korea update (SKIN) ♡

HIIIII EVERYONE ｡･:*˚:✧｡☆ ♡

i can’t believe it’s already been a week?! this trip went by SO fast for me :o

WHERE TO BEGIN?!

as y’all know, the focus for this trip was all things skin related and i am happy to report that i think i learned a lot this trip (whether directly or indirectly tbh) 🥹

i didn’t really come here thinking i was going to get a bunch of procedures done + also just tried to come with an open mind / low expectations so overall this trip has treated me really well :’)

i plan to make a skin journey video but my full results won’t be seen until 3ish months from now so it wont be up for a bit. in the meantime, lemme fill you in!

because my translator was no longer available for my first appointment, it went a little bumpy tbh LOL i had previously asked this clinic if i needed to come with a translator and they actually said no and that they spoke english / had translators there so i wasn’t too worried that my translator couldn’t come anymore but when i showed up that was not really the case oop

the first doctor i met with asked me why i came in and after i gave him my whole history he basically said “i don’t actually specialize in skin but they called me to come down because they needed someone to translate; i specialize in obesity patients and i work on the floor above” …. BRUH LOL i was like oh okay *sweats* he was very nice thankfully and said he is going to go try and find a doctor in this office that speaks english

another dr comes in who does indeed speak a bit of english and also specializes in skin wahoo!! while there’s definitely still a language barrier, we tried to discuss my history and what i’ve been experiencing. OK NOW HERES THE IMPORTANT PART! he thinks that a laser i got 1 year ago is part of the reason why my skin is the way that it is.

1 year ago, i went to a famous dr in LA that is famous for working with a bunch of celebrities. i told him my concerns and he said the best thing i can do is something called Coolaser. i raised a concern that i had previously done Laser Genesis and gotten a rash so im hesitant to do any laser treatments in general but he reassured me and said that this laser will fix all my problems. I TRUSTED HIM 3 this is partly my fault for sure because i didn’t do any research and just got the laser done off his rec but this laser is a CO2 fraxel laser- A VERY INVASIVE LASER. he unfortunately didn’t warn me that it was very invasive and they stated that i could be back to work in 4 days / wearing makeup / etc. anyways, i had a terrible reaction to that laser (rash-like acne) and when i communicated that i was having a reaction, i basically got ghosted and disregarded like they did not fucking care -___-

ANYWAYS he just thinks that this laser experience has made it a lot harder for me and my skin on top of my past. i think this laser on top of my allergies is exactly why the outbreaks have been SO SO bad.

then, he suggested 3 procedures. excel V laser (to help with the redness and inflammation), thermage (to help with the scars and stimulate collagen), and rejuran injections (helps the skin heal faster and also helps with scarring / redness). again, i was very hesitant bc i have been scarred from lasers emotionally and physically LOL but he reassured me that these are noninvasive and that he really REALLY thinks there will be no problems. there was definitely something’s lost in translation here so i felt a little pressured to just say yes to all 3 and my thought process was ‘honestly, it can’t get any worse. fuck it’ oop which isn’t great i know, but i felt a little hopeless in a foreign country where i can’t communicate

the nice thing was that he suggested we start with excel V, wait a day to see if i have any reactions, then continue on with thermage and rejuran if things look good. i found this to be really reassuring because although there was a language barrier, he was looking out for me which i feel like i haven’t really found in many of the places i have been to in washington / los angeles.

as i am now wrapping up this trip, its been a bout 4-5 days after these procedures and i have had 0 reactions thus far 🥹 i felt very well taken care of and i am actually really glad i took this trip. my skin DOES look healthier / more hydrated after the rejuran and i actually noticed an immediate result from excel V - my skin is far from perfect but the redness has gotten a little better. im very excited to see what it looks like 3 months from now because that is apparently when you will notice the full results from all my procedures! i’ve waited 27 years, what’s 3 more months :’)

i will go more in depth about the whole trip when im back and streaming bc im sure i will have an absolute YAP FEST, especially about the 2 panic attacks i experienced here 3 LOL

random tangent : i think separating myself from my cats for 3 months is actually exactly what i need because when i have an allergic reaction to something, it is always so hard to pinpoint exactly what caused it. now, i can notice the reaction and be like OK IT CANT BE MY CATS SO IT MUST BE (___insert random thing___)!!!

so far, i think soy and almonds are my current enemies. soy is, unfortunately, in a lot of things. and almonds are my favorite nut so i think god is trying to humble me.

but hey, healthy skin or almonds?!? HEALTHY SKIN!!!!

well, if you made it to the end of this absolute novel, thank you for reading :) and thank you all for the virtual support. when i had my first anxiety attack, i was crying and just reading your guys’ comments and they made me cry more but in a good way HAHA i felt very comforted ♡

i’ll see you all back in LA!!!! (is it time for some valorant?……. LOL )

- jodi ｡･:*˚