My Hair Loss Treatment Experience

I heard of how traumatic hair loss is for people before, but I didn't even think that it would happen to me. After all, I had thick hair when I was a child and in my teens. But then stress from work due to my demanding supervisor took a toll on me and I had extreme hair loss. I noticed a bald patch and was so alarmed that I went to my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran. She looked at it and she said that it was 'Alopecia Areata.'

My dermatologist said that it is stress-induced and also can have genetic component. I asked my parents and my mom told me that after she got pregnant with my youngest sister, she had extreme hair loss also and had a bald patch like mine so I guess it's genetic and stress-induced for me. I had weekly steroid injections with my dermatologist and she gave me several medicines to take home - Kairfoll shampoo, Kairfoll serum and Hair Grower solution.

This is my bald patch after 1 month of treatment:

After 5 months, this is a photo of my scalp:

Thanks to my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran, for treating my 'Alopecia Areata.' Now I can have my hair down again and not be embarrassed about showing a bald patch when the wind blows it in the wrong direction. LOL! ;)

The Magic by Rhonda Byrne - An Insightful and Uplifting Book

I was at National Bookstore a month ago and saw this new book by Rhonda Byrne. I liked her previous book, "The Secret," so I was curious about this new one so I bought it. This book focuses on how gratitude can change our lives; that we will attract whatever we want when we practice thankfulness.

The book begins with a reminder of how we felt magic in our lives as kids; and as adults we can still feel the same magic that we have felt as when we were children. The Law of Attraction states, "like attracts like." In the same way, if we are grateful for what's in our lives, the law of attraction will attract more blessings in our lives. In the book, the author gave a day by day practice of gratefulness that we can apply in our lives.

"The Magic" is an uplifting and insightful book. It does take some discipline to do the 28-day course stated in the book, but it's well worth it.

The Aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda - Grief and Gratitude

My father's brothers and sisters in Tacloban, Leyte were some of the people affected by the typhoon Yolanda. We were all very distraught and worried for them but after 2 days of no news from them, we were relieved that they were all safe but needed food, clean water and shelter. So my father and my uncle went there to deliver some basic necessities that we have packed. It was very sad sight.

My father said that he was there for 3 days and no one in the community knew what to do. There was no person of authority to tell them where to go, to assure them of any help that would come to them. They were lost. It took 5 days for our relatives to have some kind of assistance from the government. But at least now, things are moving better. Majority of the relief workers came from Manila and the military of the Philippines and USA. My relatives are now safe here in Manila.

To those who extended their help and those still tirelessly helping, thank you very much! We will forever be grateful. Maraming Salamat po!

Etude House Silk Scarf Conditioner - A Review

I got a sample of the Etude House Silk Scarf Conditioner from my officemate the other day. The sachet itself was intriguing since it was so feminine and floral so I tried it yesterday.

My first impression was it's not as thick as the other conditioners that I've tried before. It has a light floral scent which I liked. It's easy to rinse off which I also liked since it's not too time-consuming in the morning when I shower. It made my hair easier to comb after shower. Overall, I liked it. I will go to the nearest Etude House store maybe this coming weekend. I hope it's not too expensive though.

My Leg Vein Treatment Experience

My leg veins have been bothering me lately so I had to ask my dermatologist if she can do something about it. She recommended that I undergo sclerotherapy. She explained that it's an injection of a medicine that will kill my visible leg veins and I got scared. But because lately I have had bad aching leg pains, I gathered up enough courage to have the treatment.

This is my right leg before sclerotherapy:

It was quite painful, it's like something hot and burning was injected inside my leg. Then there was bruising for a few weeks. Good thing my dermatologist gave me a lotion, Noveauvein lotion so my bruising went away faster than I expected. This is a photo of my right leg now:

Even though the treatment was quite painful, I think that I made the right choice. Thanks to the expert hands of my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran. :)

My Freckles Treatment Experience

I may not be really fair-skinned, but because of some Spanish mix in my family's genes, I had freckles on my shoulders and upper part of my arms. It's quite unsightly especially when I wore sleeveless shirts and I've tried many whitening creams and lotions but they all didn't work.

So I went to my dermatologist and asked her about what treatment for these ugly freckles. She recommended Nd:Yag laser. I had 4 sessions of the laser and I'm totally happy with the results. This is a photo 2 weeks after my last session of laser:

The treatment was not really painful because of the anesthetic cream that was applied on the area before the laser. There was a little redness for around 2 days and scabbing for around a week. The downtime was not too much for me to handle, I just wore blouses with sleeves and no one even noticed. My boyfriend thinks that my shoulders and upper arms look so much better. I can wear sleeveless shirts and even spaghetti strapped blouses/dresses without being embarrassed at all. I do recommend this laser treatment for freckles. My dermatologist also said that it's also good for tattoo removal, birthmarks and dark skin pigmentations like dark scars. Now, I'm thinking of having one on the dark scars on my legs soon.

CorDerm Oil Control Toner - Eliminates Oil and Reduces My Breakouts!

My acne problem is now minimized and my old Clinda + Azelaic toner I think is not the right toner for me anymore. So I asked my dermatologist if she can give me a maintenance toner for everyday use, something that will reduce the oiliness of my skin (which can be pretty bad, like you can fry an egg kind of oily. Yuk!). She recommended the CorDerm Oil Control Toner.

I've been using this product for 2 weeks now and I like it. Though it's an oil control toner, it doesn't over dry my skin and doesn't burn or sting when I apply it. Plus in 2 weeks, I notice that my skin is less red, smoother and clearer. My small pimples and blackheads seem to have dried out also. I can even use it multiple times during the day since it's very gentle. This is my everyday toner now and I will keep on using it.

Wildflour Croissant-Donuts - My Favorite Snack!

My sister and I wanted to try the Wildflour croissant-donuts that my officemate was raving about so we went to Podium last weekend. And it was totally worth the trip!

They looked so yummy! I tried the vanilla with cream filling and the dulce de leche with coffee-flavored cream. Taking a bite on the croissant-donut, you hear a soft crackle. It's crisp, airy, chewy and with flaky layers. The cream filling is just right, not too sweet. I wanted to have more, but I felt that my waistline increased by more than an inch after my 2nd croissant-donut! LOL!

I will definitely keep on coming back for more. I will try the chocolate and strawberry next time. My sister said that they're both good also.

Wildflour's croissant-donuts come in 4 flavors - Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry & Dulce de leche. Each croissant-donut costs P120.

My Underarm Treatment Experience

I've been having problems with excessive sweating of my underarms since I was a teenager, and it has been a source of embarrassment for me especially during the warm parts of the day when my shirt sleeves would show the hint of sweat and at the same time my underarms would start to smell. I've tried everything - from "tawas" to "calamansi" to even different over-the-counter deodorants and antiperspirants. Nothing seemed to work. Worse, because of all those stuff that I've tried to apply on my underarms, they got dark. I asked my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran, about this and she said that the reason that I have sweaty underarms is because my nerves that cause sweating are more active probably because of my family's genes (and I was able to confirm it; my dad also has that problem also). She also said that my underarm odor is caused by bacteria that proliferate because of the ideal environment in my underarms - moist and warm temperature. So she recommended Tea tree soap for my underarms, Ultimate lightening deodorant in the morning and Alchlor 20% at night.

The next day after I started applying the medications, I was surprised to note that my underarm sweating significantly decreased. I couldn't really believe that when I went out for lunch with my officemates, I didn't feel the underside of my sleeves to be soaking wet. What a big difference!

I went to my dermatologist after 2 weeks and told her of the good news. It was really a big relief for me that I don't have to hide and get embarrassed anymore because of my underarm sweating and odor. Since the sweating and odor have been controlled, the dark color of my underarms is now the next problem to be address. She then suggested that I undergo nanotechnology peel for my dark underarms. I had 2 sessions of the peel and I'm happy with the results. This is a photo of my underarm before I applied the medicines and had the nanotechnology peels:

After 2 months of using the medications and 2 nanotechnology peels, this is a photo of my underarm:

There's still some more lightening that needs to be done, but I'm really happy with the results of my treatments so far. 

My derma is now suggesting mesotherapy for further lightening my underarms. I'm now seriously considering that. 

JCo Donuts - It's All a Hype!

It's been a long time since I wanted to try JCo Donuts because of the raves from my friends. Plus there were a lot of positive reviews online on it. So I braved the long line in SM Mall of Asia; took me 45 minutes to get my donuts! Wow! I haven't been that patient waiting to get a taste of something... Oh well...

I ordered a box of 24 donuts, I just let the server give me the stuff that were bestsellers since I didn't have any idea which ones to order.

My first bite of the Al Capone was ok. It was not too sweet and texture is just fine. I was probably expecting more because of the raves of everyone that I talked to. In reality, I still liked the donuts that I had in Vietnam sold in a small donut shop in Saigon. That's actually the best donut that I've had - soft, chewy with a lot more cream filling, but unfortunately we don't have it here...

I think JCo Donuts created a niche in the donut/food industry because of the catchy names of their donuts plus their product marketing was very good. But I won't go back there to get more donuts. I think the long lines and the time that I would waste to get their overhyped but ordinary-tasting donuts is not really worth it.

Chatime Milk Tea! Mmmmm.... My Favorite!

I'm not a tea drinker before I tasted my very first milk tea at Happy Lemon. I did like their variety of milk teas, until I discovered Chatime. It was one hot afternoon in Makati as I was on my way to meet some friends in Glorietta 4 and I saw a long line at Chatime as I got out of Landmark. Curious why the queue was so long, I looked at their variety of drinks.

Hmmmm... Well, they have quite a variety on the menu so I tried their Taro Pudding. Taro is my all-time favorite anyway, so I know I wouldn't go wrong with ordering that.

It was really good! The pudding gave more creaminess to the taro milk tea. Plus it was just the right amount of sweetness for me; I've tried other milk teas and some are way too sweet for me. I downed the whole thing so fast and on my last sip, I wanted more! LOL! I'm in milk tea heaven! :)

I will definitely keep on coming back at Chatime. This is now my new favorite milk tea place. Love it! :

Chatime location in Makati:
   2/F Landmark Bridgeway
   Makati Ave., Ayala Center, Makati

My Acne Treatment Experience

I have long been waiting to share my experience but had no chance since I didn't have a blog! ;) Anyways, it's a very long and tedious journey for me, from my mid-teens to my early-20's. Of course when you're young, you just believe your older relatives about their regimens when they were younger. My grandma told me that she used boiled guava leaves and applied them on her face and that dried her pimples. I tried it and because I have very sensitive skin, I ended up burning my face! Oh well... Then an aunt told me that she used Perla soap as facial soap. I was very doubtful about it, but since my mom egged me to try it since it helped my aunt, plus it's cheaper than going to buy those expensive creams or even go to the dermatologist, I tried it, and ended up with a lot more pimples. These and some other stuff over the counter and nothing seemed to help.

This is a photo of my cheek when I was a senior in college. Not a good sight, I know.

When I already have some financial ability to go see a dermatologist on my own, I went to Dr. Margaret Corcoran as per recommendation of a friend who was her patient as well. She was very nice and accommodating and very patient in explaining to me how acne comes about and the treatment options. I had acne facials, acne cure light treatments, and numerous acne injections. She gave me toners, gels and creams. She also gave me Acnotin capsules which is an Isotretinoin. Plus she advised me to sleep at least 6 hours each night and limit my intake of fried foods, spicy foods, sweets, nuts and starchy foods.

After 2 months, my skin was cleared of big pimples. This is a photo of my cheek now:

I'm currently undergoing scar treatments with Dr. Corcoran every month. I have some deep scars, but I know that with Dr. Corcoran's able hands, I will have way better skin. I will update you on the results soon. 

Dr. Corcoran's rates are very reasonable. Plus she is a real dermatologist. Try it out and see if Dr. Corcoran is the right dermatologist for you. 

Her clinic details:

   CorDerm Advanced Dermatology and Laser Center

   Suite 1502 Medical Plaza Makati, Amorsolo corner dela Rosa St., Makati City

   Phone: 8088140, 0917-9579335

   Open: Monday to Saturday 11-7pm

   Website: www.corderm.com

El Rio Y Mar Resort - A Review

This review is long overdue! Well, I haven't had a blog before, so I guess it's understandable. ;)  Me and my friends went to El Rio Y Mar last month and it was such an awesome experience. I've heard about the beauty of Palawan and my friends and I have been planning on going there. And it's a bonus that we're able to book at El Rio Y Mar.

A gathering of staff members greeted us on the jetty, singing and clapping their welcome song. We were presented with bright red mocktails and guided down the jetty to our room.

Our room was very nice. We had a nice view over the water. The room was cool and clean with fresh hibiscuses scattered around the bathroom, really romantic. 

The views from the top of the hill behind the resort were so awe-inspiring. We were surrounded by beaches, rivers, and lush green hills, so much in contrast to Metro Manila. It's so pristine and so peaceful. We snorkeled around the jetty and we saw a variety of tropical fish, turtles and corals. We indulged ourselves at the spa with facials and foot massages.

The staff are very attentive and accommodating. They even have a working in-house clinic. When my friend got a bad asthma attack, their in-house nurse took care of her and provided good medical care.

Overall, it was a great experience. I will definitely come back to El Rio Y Mar!

El Rio Y Mar's details:
   Barangay San Jose, Coron, Busuanga, Palawan
   Phone: 0920-9515009, +632-6683929