Girly Post: Laser Hair Removal

Korea really gets it right in terms of medical costs because, as far as I know, most surgeries, procedures, and prescriptions are much cheaper than those at home, even in terms of dental care. Medical tourism is big here--people come from all over the world to get surgeries done, and, many times, the hospitals will actually put these people up in hotels during their procedures. I think it's really funny that I went from one big medical city (Boston) to another (Daegu). Daegu is always advertising for medical tourism, and it seems like there are a lot of things around.

Korea's cosmetic and plastic surgery fields are massively popular. It's kind of sad, but Koreans tend to get surgery on their eyes and faces to make them look more western. In addition, counseling and mental health is kind of taboo and, since you have to report your medical history to your employers when you get a job, can lead to issues finding work. In my opinion, it is these two factors--the high frequency of plastic surgery and the lack of counseling options--have contributed to the fact that Korea has one of the highest suicide rates of any country. It's really sad and deeply upsetting.

For my own part, I have never really wanted plastic surgery or anything of that nature, but I have been considering getting lasek for my eyes, which is about half or a third the price of getting it at home, or so I hear. Maybe next year I'll do it. Other than that, I decided to go with 4 of my friends (Sian, Marie, Kat, and Stef) to a laser hair removal clinic in Chilgok (it's far outside of downtown Daegu, which, I'm sure, contributed to the low cost of the procedure). I went for the first procedure last night after school. All the girls are getting their arm pits done. I can't tell you how excited I am by the prospect of not having to shave my arm pits ever again! It's a simple, painless procedure that takes all of 2 minutes. You go in and put on a gown that fits around your chest like a towel after you shower, but you can leave on all your clothes except your shirt. The nurse doesn't speak much English, but she took it as a personal challenge to learn to pronounce my whole name, even when I told her to just call me Abbi. It was cute. You're supposed to shave the day before you come, which I didn't know, but the nurse did it for me. The doctor spoke better English and was trying to explain things to me as best he could. He kept referring to it as an "operation," which makes it sound way more scary than it is. I barely felt the laser at all. It was slightly stingy and made my skin feel kind of warm. It took two minutes, and I was finished for the session. The doctor said that 5 sessions typically make 75% of hair go away and 10 sessions takes care of 90%. You do 1 session every month. Apparently, light or fine hair is harder to hit with the laser, so it takes more sessions. Most people then go back once or twice a year for a clean up after their sessions. At this place, 5 sessions of laser hair removal for your arm pits is only 34,000 won (like $30)! When my friends told me that price, I knew I couldn't pass it up. In addition, I asked the doctor how much it would be to do my legs from the knee down, and it is only 165,000 won ($160) for 5 sessions! You do one session per month, and I'm starting my legs next time I go, and I'm so excited! It is going to be amazing not having to shave. Seriously.

After I finished my first session, I took the bus to Maria and Matthew's house, since they sort of live near Chilgok. Gianni met me there. We all tried to order pizza and pasta together, but it was way more difficult than it needed to be. We wanted 2 pastas and 2 pizzas, but the lady kept trying to tell us we couldn't have 2 pastas for some reason. We ended up with one pasta and one pizza, and it wasn't enough food for the 4 of us. After we ate it, we went to a really delicious coffee shop and got drinks and some honey bread (basically just toast covered in honey and topped with whipped cream) while we played Settlers of Catan.

It was a really fun evening and day, and I can't wait to go back for my next laser session next month.

UPDATE: Since I first posted about laser last year, I've had many people ask me for more info. I also write for the Colorful Daegu city blog, so I wrote an article for them with all the info for people who might want to get laser hair removal. Here it is: Laser Hair Removal at Raon Clinic.