My Visit to the Dermatologist in Bangkok

A couple of months back on my trip to Bangkok, I decided to go and visit a dermatologist.

Aside from Korea, Thailand is one of the top countries in Asia that has top-notch dermatologists all over. Thais take very good care and effort with their skin, and the women have such lovely and clear skin.

I've visited clinics in Brunei and Miri but not a proper dermatologist before.

I have a Thai friend who recommended me to go to Rajdhevee Clinic, a dermatology clinic that her sister went to before and had excellent results.

I actually suffer from acne around my chin area. Theyon come and go not very often, but when they do, they come in the form of cysts which are really the worst because they don't have 'heads' and they get really red and painful. They're deep in the skin so there's really no way to make them go away!

I also suffered from bumps and scars from when these cysts 'leave'.

I looked the clinic up and sent my inquiries via email months prior. I set up an appointment for a consultation. I attached a couple of photos of my skin condition and they replied with what treatment would suit me, based on the photos.

The clinic was not difficult to find. It was around 5 mins walk from the Ploenchit station. We had to seek directions from another clinic which had a similar name, but overall it wasn't too difficult.

 

 Found our way to the clinic. It is a very bright and clean

The staff could all speak English, so communication was a breeze. After confirming my appointment, I was asked to wait for my turn to see the doctor.

When it was my turn, the nurse asked me to enter a small office, where a Thai doctor was seated and conducted my consultation. He could speak good English as well, which made the whole process very smooth.

If you plan to visit, I would suggest you tell them early on that you need an English speaking doctor if you cannot speak Thai.

I told him my concerns and after looking at my skin, he told me what treatments I needed:

1. VBeam

2. CO2 Fractional Laser

The VBeam was for my red and active problem areas which weere mostly around my lips, while the CO2 Fractional Lsaer was for the scarring and bumps concentrated on my chin area. 

He warned that it may hurt "a little bit" and said that I could opt for the numbing cream which will require 40 minutes to set for it to work its magic. I obviously opted for it because I had this idea that if a doctor says something's gonna hurt, something's gonna hurt!

The procedures themselves could be done in just a couple of minutes, but it was the numbing cream that took a long time.

After that, I was led into a brightly lit room with four beds inside, one of which was occupied by a man with a lot of white cream on his face, who I presume was just done with his treatment, whatever it was. The nurse then asked me if I wanted liquid or cream makeup remover, to which I chose liquid. She then walked away and I proceeded to remove my makeup, only to have her come and giggle and tell me no, she was going to do it, not me. Oops.

So I laid on the bed next to the man with the white cream, and she removed my makeup for me. She then applied the numbing cream on above my lips and on my chin. I laid there for 40 minutes waiting for it to set and what was the worst thing was there was no reception/wifi in that room the entire time!

So after that 40 minutes, I was led into another brightly lit room with a chair in the middle, much like the dentist's. Next to the chair was this machine:

This is the VBeam machine. It was the exact same one as that in the picture I got off Google.

I sat there alone for maybe 2 minutes and then the doctor who assessed me and a nurse entered and instructed me to lie down while they adjusted the chair to lay flat. They then covered both my eyes with cotton pads and I could hear the machine come alive. Then the doctor started counting 1,2,3 and ZAP ZAP ZAP ZAP it went on my problem areas. Every Zap was like lightning and I could see the bright flashing yellow lights with every zap through the cotton pads. Even with the numbing cream, the zaps stung slightly when they zapped below my nose and above my lips. That was the only part that stung, probably because it was the most sensitive part.

After that, I was whisked away very quickly to another room (yes, also brightly-lit). Instead of a chair, it was a bed where I laid down on and was instructed to close my eyes. Very quickly, they did the CO2 laser on my chin. It felt like very very small needles rubbing on my skin. It felt somewhat like a diamond peel facial but with lesser friction. The C02 laser did not hurt at all.

This was when I had to wait for the numbing cream to set (very cringey for me but pics or it didn't happen...Right). They also Zapped the pimple scar I had in between my eyes, which had no numbing cream but it didn't hurt.

The process only took a couple of minutes and I was out from the entire thing (numbing cream process, treatments) within an hour. I was lucky my BF was ok to accompany and wait for me.

The clinic also provides a lot of other skin-related issues that go beyond just face-wise.

How much did the entire thing cost?

I don't remember exactly but the whole thing was around B$100. I've a feeling it was slightly lesser. This included the consultation, numbing cream, treatment and medication:

 The clinic sold a lot of their own products ranging from sunscreen to acne creams that you can choose to purchase. I got the Acne Clear and Spot Reducer. I like how I asked for the Spot Reducer and that the clinic does not strongly encourage (force) you to buy their products. You can see the prices listed on them; 690 baht (B$27.44) for the Acne Clear and 580 baht (B$23.06) for the Acne Spot Reducer cream. They gave instructions on how and when to use the medications.

Here is the name card of the doctor that I consulted. English-speaking and recommended.

I asked the doctor if there was any precaution I should take post-treatment but he said that there was zero downtime. The nurse advised that I must use moisturizer and sunscreen at all times. 

Find the clinic here:

Rajdhevee Clinic - The Mastery (Phoenchit)

Location: 888/49 Ploenchit Rd., Lumpini, Patumwan Bangkok 10330
Telephone: 022515588 Ext. 5152, 5153 , 022540314-5, 022529251, 022513427, 022513495
Email: ploenchit@rcskinclinic.com
Website: http://www.rcskinclinic.com/

Would I return, and was it worth it? Did it work?
The scars really did fade away, which I am grateful for because prior to the visit, they've been lingering for many months even when I religiously applied cream/ bio oil.
The bumps on my chin did get smaller and less obvious, also from months of nothing working.
The results however were not instant and took maybe 1 month or 2. After the VBeam, I had tiny scabs (like dots) which the doctor told me to be careful not to disturb. I did of course, slightly because they were so light and came off easily, but new ones formed almost right after and they didn't leave scars in the end.

I did not get any pimples/cysts for a while after that until late last month, I had a new one on my chin. It may be due to my diet or really anything at all, but I would return again to Rajdhevee if I ever need to (knock on wood)  and have the chance. It was very professional and effective.
Hope this post helps!