At this point of writing, I can start to feel the slimming effect from my fat freezing treatment (first treatment done six weeks ago). I didn’t do any specific measurements on my body. The easiest way to prove this is to wear my old clothes. Yes, I can fit into some of my old clothes – especially those pants that I was unable to zip or button up prior to my slimming program.
To quickly recap, I took up Total Slim Program from Halley Medical Aesthetics since mid January. The duration of this program is 3 months, and my goal is to slim down from 58.2kg to 51kg in 3 months time (that’s 7.2kg reduction in total, and 2.4kg reduction per month).
Being on this program for 1.5 months now, I hardly have any complaints. Initially, I was a bit worried when my friends told me about the side effects from the weight-loss medications. Dr. Terence Tan explained to me the possible side effects, but again, it varies with individuals. So, I was hoping that it won’t be so bad for me.
Duromine (appetite suppressant) caused sleep difficulties on the first few days, but after a week, my system has adjusted to it and I began to sleep normally. Xenical (fat blocker), on the other hand, is more tricky. It causes oily stools, oily discharge, and even oily spotting in my undergarments. To avoid these undesirable side effects, I’ve to avoid food that is high in fat. I do wear panty liner as a precaution. All in all, these minor side effects are still tolerable and manageable.
Two weeks ago, I went to see Dr. Tan for my one month review. The therapist took my measurements and the result was good. I lost 3kg in weight and 5cm in waist circumference within a month! This result was purely from the weight-loss medication. According to Dr. Tan, it was still too early to see results from the fat-freezing treatment, which on average takes 2 months.
It’s important to take note that the key to weight loss success is a change in lifestyle and diet. So, Dr. Tan gave me a comprehensive weight loss plan with deeper understanding into my calories intake, recommended food to eat and cut-down, suitable exercises, and some healthy lifestyle tips.
Botox and Ultherapy at Halley Medical Aesthetics
Besides tackling my weight, there is another problem that has been bothering me for some time. It’s my round and puffy face caused by long-term use of steroid medications. It got worse because I have a wide jaw. For years, I’ve been wondering how to reverse this condition until I read about this article on Halley’s blog.
I told Dr. Tan that I’m keen to try out their V-Face Program, and he gave me a quick assessment to determine my suitability for the program. This program combines Botox and Ultherapy to achieve facial slimming. Botox reduces the size of the jaw muscle. Ultherapy is effective for skin-tightening and when directed at a deeper level, it is effective for lifting the cheek fat pads too. What’s happening is that the focused ultrasound energy in the process of skin tightening lifts some of the fat pockets, thus making it an ideal treatment to sculpt round and chubby faces.
I used to think that Botox is for women over 50, but nowadays, young girls in their 20s are already starting Botox. So, I’m really eager to give it a try and thankfully, V-Face Program is also suitable for me.
After the therapist started the fat-freezing treatment on my tummy (second treatment), Dr. Tan did the Botox and Ultherapy on my face concurrently. I was given oral painkiller and numbing cream on my cheeks, so the pain was very minimal. If you ask me, I’d say the pain level is 2/10. If we’ve all gone through childbirth, this kind of pain is really nothing.
Botox is applied via a needle which is injected into the jaw muscles on both sides of the face. Ultherapy is a non-invasive procedure that the US FDA cleared to lift skin on the face, forehead, neck, under the chin and on the eyebrow. It treats the deep layers of skin tissue without disturbing the surface of the skin.
The ultrasound imaging allows the doctor to see where the treatment energy will be delivered. For my case, the treatment areas are the cheeks, jaws and upper neck. The first round of my Ultherapy treatment was targeted at 3mm into the dermis. Using another transducer, the second round of Ultherapy was targeted at 4.5mm – an even deeper level into the dermis.
What I love most about this treatment is there is absolutely no downtime. I walked out of the clinic and I can resume my normal activities. I felt some soreness on my jaw the next couple of days after the treatment. Botox usually shows some results after one week, but Ultherapy may take up to 2 months. The effect of the V-Face Program is expected to last up to a year.
Overall, I’m so happy to have this treatment done. Can’t wait to see more positive effects soon!
For more information about facial slimming and V-Face program, you may contact Halley Medical Aesthetics.
Halley Medical Aesthetics
248 River Valley Road #01-01 Singapore 238302
Website: http://www.halley.com.sg/
