Weeks ago, I headed up to Gangnam, Seoul for a first time aqua peel treatment at Renovo Skin Clinic. My skin has been more hydrated since I started using Korean face masks, but as I'm nearing my third decade of life, I figured it's time to really know my skin and continue to take care of it. I learned about Renovo while doing some research online and found that they give great detailed skin consultations. I was also looking for a clinic that offered aqua peel treatments, and it turns out Renovo is quite established in the dermatology field, popping out happy satisfied customers.
What is an aqua peel? The process is one that cleans, exfoliates, extracts and hydrates your skin. The treatment is effective in removing dead skin cells, sebum, debris from clogged pores including blackheads, and demodex impurities (tiny microscopic skin mites that we all have living on our skin and hair follicles that causes acne)! The procedure is known to have minimal risk, low recovery time and is not time consuming. Being an everyday makeup wearer and having an obsession with skin care, I figured this treatment would be helpful after all these years of wearing makeup.
When I first arrived at the clinic, I was glad to have met Tony who spoke fluent English and gave the preliminary skin consultation. This was followed by a more in depth consultation with a dermatologist. From a quick photo taken at the office, Tony looked into my skin pigmentation, skin tone, sebum levels and results of UV exposure over the years. All this information from a photo! It turns out I have dry skin (this wasn't new news), but also a lot of pigmentation below the skin's surface I never knew existed (we are not talking about freckles here, but sun damage hidden deep within the skin that will become more evident in the years to follow).
Your photo is uploaded on the computer and assessed for pigmentation, skin tone, sebum levels and effects of UV exposure.
Well, the take aways I received from the consultations are that wearing sunscreen is essential (Koreans here wear sunscreen with an average SPF of 50 daily), to drink tons of water, and to reduce alcohol consumption. Sunscreen helps prevent skin pigmentation disorders, and your skin will be less dry and renew itself faster with less alcohol intake. It seems obvious, but does anyone else find it difficult to develop consistency in these areas? When this was mentioned, I could only think about my bladder retention, all those times I had to hold off a bathroom visit while teaching and/or during a makeup job, and summertime patios paired with a glass of rose...however, I digress. Moving forward, I will commit to taking better care of my skin. I also learned that only laser treatments, like the Excel V can dramatically reduce skin pigmentation by up to 20% per session and increase skin radiance; this is something I may revisit later on down the road.
The aqua peel treatment itself took much less time than expected - I was in and out of the treatment room within 45 minutes. When I first laid down on the treatment bed, I had pads put on my eyes, and a thin cream was put on my face that is meant to help loosen skin cells and encourage peeling. A facial steamer was placed close by to get the skin pores to open and ready for suctioning. The suction tool came next. The specialist worked away at vacuuming all the gunk off my face (I'm not sure how much there was but the whole process felt incredibly satisfying and painless). After this process, the skin was cleaned and a formula was applied to my face, which was then covered by a sheet mask. This was followed by a thick vitamin and mineral-enriched goop that was placed on top of the sheet mask, covering my entire face. It had a refreshing scent and was cool to touch. After about 15 minutes, the specialist removed the mask and put some more creams on my face (so many creams)!
Post-treatment, my face felt really clean, hydrated and was extra glowy (I didn't get a chance to take a picture then, but above is my skin three weeks after treatment sans foundation). Friends have noticed that my pores are smaller and my face is just overall glowy!
I was also given three packs of face masks for after care treatment. Although the treatment gave a good cleaning, the masks have helped maintain my skin brightness and clarity. It was recommended that I use a mask everyday, and all three boxes equate to 25 days of masking. They are high-grade, durable (not flimsy or can easily tear when you work with them), and drenched with formula without drying out quickly. I just placed an order for more of the organic centella asiatica masks (I'm absolutely obsessed - I haven't used masks with that texture before, and it is observable that the ingredients are healing and keeping my skin healthy). It's now joined my list of favourites.
FYI, these are the ingredients in the organic centella asiatica masks: Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Water, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Paeonia Sulfruticosa Root Extract, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavendar) Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aroma (Citrus Reticulata Tangerine) Peel Oil, Citrus Para
These masks are only available for patients at the clinic but Renovo ships internationally! To place an order, you can private message me (irisliumu) or 1TonyMedina on Instagram. They come with ten in a box and go for 30,000 KRW / box (approximately $36.00 CDN / box). They cost more than your typical masks, but they are organic, natural and WORK.
The people at Renovo were nice, helpful and multi-lingual (FYI for those visiting from other parts of the world who cannot speak Korean). I was guided through each step of the process, and Tony was kind enough to take the time to answer all my questions (I ask a lot of them). After this visit, I can see myself getting an aqua peel done at least twice a year, much like a bi-annual check up and cleaning at the dentist.
Renovo Skin Clinic is located in the heart of Gangnam; the address is 105, TEHERAN-RO, GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL, S. KOREA. They are quick to respond for email inquiries (renovoskinclinic@gmail.com) and really accommodative should you have any questions or concerns about a treatment or appointment. THANK YOU, RENOVO.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you have any thoughts or questions, send me a message. =)