Giving in to vanity at Clara International

I had my first facial treatment a couple of years back. I had warts removed from my face at Flawless, since they had an ongoing promo then. As it turns out, I should have asked and researched first. Kasi, the promo pala was for flat warts only, and each elevated wart and skin tag (yes, there are many kinds) cost extra PER PIECE, and they also charged extra for those located on the eyes, which I all had, so some promo it turned out to be! I had so many warts (isn't it amazing how many are like invisible to our untrained eyes?) They decided to just slather the anaesthesia cream over my entire face, which they covered with a plastic wrap, cutting out holes for my eyes and nose.

Then some time last year, I saw another promo for wart removal on the net, and I was interested because the place was familiar to me, I would pass by it every day going to work. This time, I knew better to call first and ask if the promo included other types of warts. (In fact, every time I saw an online promo at other clinics, I would call ahead and inquire first. They would usually just cover flat warts.) When this clinic said that the promo was for all types of warts, I had no second thoughts about availing of the promo.

And when I got to Clara International, whose clinic is located along Sunshine Boulevard Plaza in Quezon Avenue (that compound where you can find Clownz Comedy Bar, just past Delta if you’re coming from Quiapo going to Quezon Circle), I was impressed by their facilities. Not ultra modern looking, but clean and comfortable. Even their restrooms were clean, not the cubicle type but really a single room like you have at your house, with toilet paper, hand soap and dryer.

But what I really liked was the treatment rooms. Where at Flawless, clients lay down on single beds arranged beside each other (with no curtains except for some where I think they would treat those who needed a bit more privacy), like in a hospital’s ward or emergency room, at Clara, each client is treated in separate private rooms. They even have a buzzer for assistance from other staff. They also provide a garterized tube-like skirt-looking garment that you put on while undergoing treatment below the neck.

My attending aesthetician or nurse (sorry, I forgot her name) had very light hands – even with my larger skin tags, when she would warn me that it might hurt, I felt just a vague discomfort that soon went away. And despite the promo being just valid for one area (face, neck or chest), she cauterized all warts she could find on my neck, chest (even under my breasts), and even armpits. No peklat too! 

The experience was really worth it so that when I received a text from them that they had ongoing promos on Deals4U, I took my chances again. This time, I availed of the Intense Diamond Exfoliation for P599. I had read a lot about microdermabrasion (that’s the technical term for this procedure, I guess), and I had never undergone a facial of any kind before, so I wanted to try this one.

I got there early, I think I was the first client there. My nurse was a different person this time. First she cleansed my face, then stroked the diamond peel wand across my face. It felt like the wand had something rough at the tip – this was the diamond dust, used to exfoliate the skin. At the same time, the wand would vacuum the exfoliated skin away from my face. For me, it felt soothing. I asked if it was whitening and she said that it only provided superficial lightening. I told her that it’s okay, I didn’t want to undergo whitening anyway because I enjoy outdoor activities and my work also requires me to go outdoors a lot.

After the exfoliation, she showed me a tissue paper with all the stuff she had removed from my face. She said it was a necessary procedure so they could show the clients what they had removed from the face. Ewness, so of course I didn't take a pic. Next time, maybe? heheh.

extracting my blackheads

The nurse then proceeded to extract my bigger blackheads. It wasn’t really that painful, just uncomfortable. She also warned me to expect a little pain because she was going to clean out a pimple at my temple – I didn’t even know I had any! But I didn’t feel much with it, just that she was removing something. My high pain tolerance really comes in handy sometimes. Afterwards, she showed me the removed blackheads. Again, no pic of this ewness. :-)

We were talking a lot of the time, and I learned that I had dry sensitive skin, although my t-zone was kinda oily. No surprise there, the blackheads are proof! She suggested for me to really make sure to use moisturizer, especially one with grape seed extract. She also suggested I get another kind of facial, the more complete one where I would undergo a more extensive facial massage, steaming to soften the impurities, and they would apply two kinds of masks to lessen the redness, because the promo did not include those. :-(

Then she wiped onto my face a cooling mask, and left me to allow some time for it to soak into my skin. Left to my own devices, I took the chance to take this picture, ha ha.

me with the mask

After removing the mask several minutes later, she wiped on some SPF cream, and reminded me NEVER to forget to use moisturizer and SPF. No worries there; moisturizer is always a part of my regimen (although I think I'll try other brands because I've been using Olay for quite some time now), and I assured her that SPF is one ingredient I always consider when buying products.

Then we were done. I dressed up and went to the restroom. With the lighting in there so much better than in the treatment room (where they use lamps for a better illumination of the area to be treated), I took an “after” picture. I liked the results. No redness and my face looks – and feels! – so fresh. 

fresh after IDE

Now I’m worried. I have two other cheaper (P299 each) vouchers for a different clinic. I wonder if I would have the same experience? I know that there will be no private room this time, just like in Flawless. I’m no expert on skin care or treatments, too, so I don’t know if I got a good deal or not, but I know I liked the experience and the way the staff at Clara treated me.

I know facials make an improvement on your face if they’re done on a more regular basis, and they’re really recommended for someone like me who’s exposed daily to pollution. And I really liked how it made my face feel so rejuvenated, kinda like the feeling you get from having a body massage. So I think I’ll click on Clara’s promo at Deals4U again. :-)

On Facebook, look for their page ClaraInternational. They have another branch in Greenhills. Once you’re a client, they text or call you for ongoing promos.