After giving birth to 2 kids via C-section and putting on a considerable amount of weight, my tummy has gone thru a lot.
I have a very unsightly double bulge and was looking for solutions to help my mum tum. I wasn't open to surgery for now and needed a non-surgical, non-invasive treatment that would not affect my breastfeeding. I read a few reviews from fellow mummy bloggers about CoolSculpting and was super intrigued about it.
I made an appointment with Dr. Terence Tan from Halley Medical Aesthetics located at Orchard Gateway to find out more about the treatment and here's what I learnt.
About CoolSculpting
I met up with Dr. Terence Tan and he shared that CoolSculpting is a non-surgical, non-invasive, no downtime fat reduction treatment. It is the only USA FDA-approved fat freezing treatment that uses the concept of cryolipolysis to freeze and destroy unwanted fat cells, which are then disposed from the body naturally.
He also shared that the treatment removes 20-25% of fat cells in the treated area each time. The science behind it is our body is unable to produce any new fat cells after five years of age. The fat cells that die during the fat freezing process will be gone forever which is why CoolSculpting is ideal to be used to remove unwanted fat which can't be removed through spot toning exercises.
Some areas that can be treated are the abdomen, love handles, inner and outer thighs, arms, bra fat, back, banana roll (butt cheeks), knees, cheeks and even the double chin!
Some of you guys may notice this... Skai has always suffered from acne scars. Even when I first met him about 11 years ago, he had very bad acne and scars back then.
He shared that he has suffered from acne and scarring since his schooling days. He has tried plenty of products but most of them do not work. From medication to pimple creams, he felt that nothing really helped.
I first found out suitable treatments for Skai's acne scars courtesy of William from MyFatPocket. He shared that he had suffered from acne scars back then and recommended the treatments he had undergone.
We were recommended to Dr Justin Boey from Sozo Aesthetics for a consultation.
The clinic
Sozo Aesthetics is conveniently located at One Raffles Place Singapore. Staff were very friendly and professional.
I had tagged along with Skai for his appointment and had brought Davina however she started fussing during the consultation and one of the nurses helped to coax her. Super grateful to them! <3
The consultation
Dr Justin was very friendly. He was also very frank and shared that Skai's condition was quite serious. His scarring was quite deep and one session would not be suitable. A few different treatments was recommended to Skai and it would take plenty of sessions to see results especially for his condition.
Skai and I was very comfortable with Dr Justin and we agreed to proceed.
The suggested treatments
Dr Justin assessed Skai's condition and recommended these treatments to us:
Fractional CO2 Laser - This treatment produces thousands of tiny microthermal zones in the treated areas where the laser targets the scarred areas and old collagen, but also leaves areas of healthy tissue to regenerate through collagen production.
Subcision Filler - Subcision was done with Rejuran S Filler. Subcision specifically treats depressed scars by releasing fibrotic tissues that are responsible for pulling down the skin and creates the indentation. A tiny, hypodermic needle is inserted into the skin which will then be moved back and forth in a fanning pattern while the sharp edges of the needle cut the fibrotic scar tissues. The needle is removed circumferentially around the exit to evacuate any excess blood and to minimise haematoma formation in the area. The scar will continue to heal and stimulate more collagen production.
INFINI Laser Solution - This treatment is used to deliver RF energy, which in turn helps volumize scar tissue. It combines the thermal power of radiofrequency with microneedling.
The combination of these treatments were recommended to help improve Skai's scars. We recommended to try this for 3 sessions first. Each session will happen once monthly. But of course, 3 sessions is not enough to completely heal Skai's skin. This is for us to assess if we are comfortable with the treatments and for us to consider more sessions in future.
The experience
We have gone thru the 3 sessions so far. Honestly, we are very comfy with the clinic and Dr Justin. For every session, Skai would have his skin cleansed and numbing cream will be applied before treatment commences.
Painwise, Skai said he doesn't feel anything at all. Numbing cream rocks! The only after effects were that his face looked a bit sunburnt the next few days but it faded quickly.
Our thoughts
I do see some slight improvement. His scars do not look as deep as previously. However, I do agree with Dr Justin that Skai has many more sessions to go if he would like to have smooth skin. After all, it took years for these scars to form, it won't be possible to improve miraculously. Thank you Dr Justin and Sozo Aesthetics for the experience!
Hopefully Skai can achieve baby smooth skin like Davina's in due time!
Last month, we had the opportunity to visit Legoland Malaysia with our two kids. Here's a quick update on our short 3d2n trip to Legoland! Do read on as there will be a Legoland Malaysia Tickets Giveaway at the end!
Legoland Hotel
We stayed at Legoland Hotel for the duration of our trip. When we first entered the hotel, I was blown away by the reception area. There was a huge castle and pirate ship where kids can just dive into the Lego pool to create as many items as they would like to. I saw really creative kiddos who created from Pokemon balls to swords to even a guitar using the Lego bricks. I couldn't even do that even if I wanted to!
Let me talk about the rooms now. Legoland Hotel offers 4 different themed rooms where it's decorated accordingly. The 4 different themes are: Kingdom, Adventure, Pirate and Ninjago.
Each room comes with 2 sleeping areas with a king sized bed, a bunk bed and a pull out bed which comfortably fits 5.
What I like about the hotel room is how thoughtful they designed it for the kids. The washroom has a smaller sinks for the kids. There is also a TV in the kids sleeping area, a safe where the kids can figure out the combination with various clues in the room where fun lego items are available for them inside.
Aside from that, there is also a box of Lego Duplo Bricks which totally got the kids occupied. BEST IDEA EVER! The rooms are amazing!
Beside the rooms, the lifts are also decorated with a disco ball and music! Aidan absolutely adores the lifts and would dance around whenever he stepped into the lifts!
Triple Park Pass
Sea Life Malaysia
We were there to check out the newly opened Sea Life Malaysia. Aidan was amazed at the aquarium and loved the ocean tunnel. While he was afraid to touch the starfish and the fishes, he loved checking out the various sealife. There were more than 50 attractions available, 11 habitat zones available and over 13,000 fishes and 120 types of species.
After visiting the Sea Life Malaysia, next day we visited the Theme Park. To be honest, most of the rides would be suitable for older kids though there were a couple for Aidan. He enjoyed himself especially for the driving circuit
For parents with younger kids like mine, the Water Park would be more suitable for them.
There were fun activities for the kids. Even Davina had fun wading in the pool and playing with the Lego Bricks. Aidan especially enjoyed the floats!
Do I think it's worthwhile to visit Legoland Malaysia? Definitely. However I would highly recommend the Waterpark and Sea Life Malaysia if you have younger kids. It would be more suitable for them. Get the Triple Park Pass! That way, you can try all the parks!
If you are interested in checking out Legoland Malaysia, you'll be pleased to find out that I'll be giving away a 1 day admission ticket to LEGOLAND Theme Park + Waterpark + Sea Life Malaysia for 2 adults and 2 children!
Contest Mechanics for this Legoland Malaysia Tickets Giveaway
To win, simply follow the steps below, and answer True or False to this statement: "SEA LIFE Malaysia is LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort's latest attraction."
LIKEnadnut and hashtag #LEGOLANDMalaysia #SEALIFEMALAYSIA on Facebook
As per our yearly tradition, it's time to summarise my life in a post! How has turning 35 changed for me?
Work: After a good 4 years at the advertising agency, I decided on tendering. Didn't really feel like that was my calling you know? The work just wasn't for me. Also feel that the kids are growing up way too fast and I just wanted some time off to spend time with them currently. This is a short term approach though as I would still want to return to the workforce sooner or later. And in the meantime, I'll be using this break to spend more time with the kids.
Family: Relationship with my parents has been good. Been catching up with my parents often. Even if we couldn't meet, we would spend time on the phone and send pictures of the kids.
Love: I have to be honest, having two kids isn't a walk in the park. It's tough parenting with two kiddos below 3 especially when I have to do most of the heavy lifting most of the time. This is also a reason why I decided to take a short term break as Skai has a new job and spends a lot of time out. Someone has to be the constant in the family.
Health: Breastfeeding has been easier the second time around. I guess cos I didn't officially stop. With the help of Aimin, I managed to lose the balance of my pregnancy weight! Phew. I only wished, I had more time to myself and be able to exercise haha.
Friends: No change here. Kept those who matter close and distanced myself from those who I felt were toxic.
Blogging: Spending more time on Instagram instead as I hardly have time on the computer. Still love doing what I do, just more regularly on a different platform. Holler if you have any opportunities!
Thanks to everyone and anyone who has wished me a very happy birthday. As mentioned every year: birthdays just symbolises another year closer to the grave (to me). So love like you have never loved before, eat like you have never eaten before, live life like every day is your last.
