Since my last post about my slimming journey, I gave some real thought into getting some professional help with my body and after googling here and there, I decided on Halley Medical Aesthetics. In case you missed my previous post about me having put on 10kg after losing all the weight I gained during pregnancy and trying to get back in shape in particular this year, this is me now.
I’m ok with the progress made to the hips and waist thus far with my exercise routine, but my stubborn thighs just refuse to get smaller. So far, in the six months or so that I’ve been going to the gym and doing floor exercises, I’ve lost only a measly 1cm off the thighs. I actually lost 3cm but gained back 2cm after the June holidays. Depressing definitely, considering the effort I’ve put in. But my thighs have always been my problem area since puberty. No matter how hard I work them out, they never seem to get much smaller and when I put on weight, that’s the first place I get fatter! ๐
Since I made the decision to see Dr. Terence Tan of Halley Medical Aesthetics, I decided that I’d see if he could fix my other problem – my wrinkly tummy area, which is definitely a leftover problem after ballooning during pregnancy.
The clinic was easy to find as it was just across from Mohamed Sultan Road, but it has moved to Orchard Gateway already recently (yay! more convenient!), so I shan’t dwell on the previous location.
I must say that I was anxious all week after fixing an appointment with the doctor! I was kancheong like a spider for the entire week, not knowing what to expect at the appointment. It was my first appointment with an aesthetics doctor in my life, so I think I have the licence to be apprehensive. ๐ I even brought my hubby and kids along for reassurance!
I was given a form to fill in by the receptionist to declare health conditions etc. and obviously what aspects I hope to improve. I was then led to meet Dr. Terence Tan in his clinic where he spoke to me about the issues I raised in the form. I don’t know why I was so scared; Dr. Terence Tan wasn’t intimidating at all and was very patient with me!
Before we went on to the specific problems I raised, he mentioned that my BMI falls within the healthy range, so I would be looking at body sculpting rather than a slimming programme. We then spoke about my wrinkled-looking tummy and my stubborn thighs, and after that he sent me along with his assistant to get changed so he could take a closer look and decide what treatment(s) I needed. In the process, she took my weight and some measurements as well.
I returned to his clinic and he started examining my tummy. Apparently what I thought was loose skin wasn’t exactly loose skin and was actually cellulite on the tummy, which he mentioned is pretty rare for Asians. He measured the amount of fats but that wasn’t all to it. He discovered that I wasn’t suitable for treatment at the tummy area at his clinic because I suffer from umbilical hernia, something that happened in the course of one of my pregnancies, and only a general surgeon can get that fixed.
We decided to work on my persistent problem area instead, which was actually what I had wanted to improve at the clinic in the first place. Again, he measured the fats and then we talked about the suitable treatment available.
For my thighs fat reduction, Dr. Terence Tan mentioned that I could either go for HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) or CoolSculpting, a fat freezing technology. Since HIFU takes a longer time to see results and needs more visits to the clinic as well, he recommended CoolSculpting, which addresses stubborn fats that persist despite exercise and a healthy diet – that is my exact problem!(For a full list of Halley’s body contouring programmes, click here.)
Dr. Terence Tanโs recommendations
He recommended CoolSculpting for my inner and outer thighs. Also, we can consider the use of CoolMini, a smaller applicator by CoolSculpting (which is usually used to contour double chins) for my fat knobbly knees. But we will work on the thighs first as that’s the key problem area.
He naturally explained what CoolSculpting is – it is a fat-freezing procedure that is the only US FDA-cleared, non-surgical fat-reduction treatment that uses controlled cooling to eliminate stubborn fat that resists all efforts through diet and exercise. So the CoolSculpting procedure safely delivers precisely controlled cooling to gently and effectively target the fat cells underneath the skin. Treated fat cells are crystalized (frozen), then die. Over time, the body naturally processes the fat and eliminates these dead cells, leaving a more sculpted look. He explained that unlike liposuction, the effects will not be immediate as it takes time for the body to rid the dead fat cells so I will only be able to see the results after some time.
Well, that’s good enough for me. The thought that I will be able to finally see some improvement in my thighs is exhilarating and so exciting! #madexcited
Check back soon as I share my experience of the CoolSculpting treatment!
UPDATE:
Here’s the post about the CoolSculpting process for the thighs and here’s the post about the results of the CoolSculpting treatment.
Halley Medical Aesthetics
277 Orchard Road #03-15
Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858
T: 6737 8233 | www.halley.com.sg
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