This happened in early 2024. At the time I completely lost my mind and came home crying, and even now I’m scared to go to a dermatology clinic.
I’ve been self-conscious about having a lot of body hair since I was young, so after the college entrance exam I visited the DLRJ dermatology clinic on a friend’s recommendation. It had only been a short time since the exam, and I didn’t have much money, so I brought the money I had received for Lunar New Year. My acquaintance said that if I told them I had come from far away, they would give me a cheaper price, and if I said I was a regular there and came on her recommendation, they would take extra care of me, so I trusted that and went. But I was really disappointed.
First I had a consultation. It seemed reassuring that the director personally did the consultation, but no matter how much it hurt I had already decided I would get hair removal at that clinic that day, so I didn’t really ask about anything else. I only asked them to give me the lowest possible price, since I had only just finished the exam and hadn’t brought much money. When I had asked over KakaoTalk, I was told that three sessions would cost about 500,000 won, but I wasn’t planning to do three sessions, and I wasn’t working part-time then either, so 500,000 won was a large sum for me. So I asked for the cheapest option possible.. I also said I came on a friend’s recommendation.
When I consulted with the director, I was told that for arms and legs, adding the area above the elbows and above the knees would cost an extra 50,000 won for both elbows, making it 200,000 won. But..ㅋㅋ when I came out after the consultation and was about to pay, they asked whether I was also doing the upper arms and upper legs. When I said yes, they suddenly said it would be 300,000 won..? So I said, “But inside you said 200,000 won...?” and they said the director must have misunderstood and spoken incorrectly because he thought I wasn’t doing the upper arms. But what I didn’t understand was, even with the upper arms added it should be 250,000 won... ? Right there, this huge sense of dread suddenly hit me.. (I should have run then..) But in any case, the money I had saved by putting a little less into savings and by saving up Lunar New Year allowance was only 290,000 won, so I couldn’t pay 300,000 won. So I was just thinking, I can’t do it..? and stayed silent for a moment. Then the person at the front desk? the counselor-like manager suddenly said urgently, “Then~ we’ll just do it for 250,000 won~~” in a very patronizing way, and I was like ???, but since it was within my budget I paid that amount. (But when I got home, it felt like they had tried to overcharge me and failed, and then just charged the original price.)
Still, at the time I didn’t think much of it. Because I completely trusted the acquaintance who introduced me to that dermatology clinic, and I had been told that even her family, relatives, and friends all went there, so I never imagined I’d be treated like this..ㅎ
I had received counseling over KakaoTalk two weeks before and one week before going to the clinic. They only told me that the price was roughly around this much and that I should come in for an in-person consultation, so I made the reservation through KakaoTalk. There was absolutely no mention of any other preparations, so I just went to the clinic on the reservation day.
After the consultation, that same counselor-like person asked if I had shaved the hair off already, and I replied that I had not because I had never been told that was necessary when making the reservation. I then asked whether that would be a problem, and they said it was fine and told me to go get instructions. Another staff member gave me pants that looked like underwear and a top (I’m not sure whether I actually received the top. I think I probably did). I don’t remember clearly, but a staff member, whether a nurse or an assistant, brought them over and guided me to change in a changing room with semi-transparent glass. But I heard the woman who had handed me the clothes outside snickering with another staff member. I remember it clearly even now. She said something like, “Am I the waxing lady or what~~ㅋㅋㅋㅋ” After hearing that, my mind suddenly went blank. I thought I was the only person who had come to get hair removal at this time today.. so that must have been about me..?.. And after that I couldn’t hear a single word from the other staff member at all.
Half out of my mind, I changed and was led into a room that felt like a skin-care shop, with bed-like chairs or tables. There, two staff members trimmed the hair on my arms and legs short. I later found out that when getting laser hair removal, you need to trim the hair short because of the risk of burns. Those two staff members kept sighing while trimming my arms and legs, and while I was waiting for a moment, the other person lying nearby kept talking loudly on the phone the whole time. After waiting a bit, they trimmed the hair again, and the two staff members repeatedly kept saying, in a clearly passive-aggressive way, that next time I came I should have shaved, that next time I should come with the hair shaved, saying it more than three times. I don’t remember exactly how many times, but they kept saying that to me. So after holding it in and holding it in, I finally said I was so fed up that I probably wouldn’t be coming back, and that I had never been told when making the reservation that I needed to shave. Then they said something like, “Ah, yes..” (I can’t remember exactly what they answered, but what’s clear is that I did not hear a single word of apology for their attitude. Not one.) I have never in my life been to a place where I paid money just to be treated like that..ㅋㅋ At the time I thought I had gotten it cheaply and that it was my fault for not checking in advance, and I calmed my hurt feelings by thinking that as long as the laser hair removal came out successfully, it didn’t matter how the process went.
Then I went upstairs and got the laser hair removal. Even before starting, the machine was making strange noises and didn’t seem to be working properly, so I was uneasy. After a while the doctor said there wasn’t a problem with the machine and not to worry too much, but if it was making strange noises and they were fiddling around with it while it didn’t work properly, how could I not worry..ㅎ.. Anyway, even up to that point I thought it would be fine as long as the hair removal itself went well.
But the laser hair removal hurt far more than I expected. The doctor said something like, what, “think of it as a refreshing feeling” and told me to bear with it, but it wasn’t working properly either..ㅋㅋ So I just thought I had to endure it like I was already dead, and I did flinch, but I held on. While they were doing the hair removal, they kept asking things like how old I was, whether I was a college student, what department I was in, and so on, and I could barely speak because I was in so much pain, but I answered as best I could.
Then the doctor suddenly said this. I remember it exactly. “Earlier you kept going on about money~ money~ so~ I discounted it a lot for you~ you know that, right?ㅋ” What was I supposed to say to that? I couldn’t say anything. Looking back, I’m not even sure how much of a discount it really was.. At the time I believed it was a big discount, so I knew what they meant, but it was so heartbreaking.. By the time it was all over and I was on my way home.. I had spent the money, ridden the subway and the bus for hours, and I kept thinking, what exactly did I just do..
When I got out into a bright place and looked, it was laser hair removal, but the roots of the hair were all still there, and even the hair itself was still standing there in patches, perfectly intact. During the treatment the doctor had said they were extremely thorough and even did every little detail on fingers, and that customers were very satisfied. But that was not true at all. There was still hair left on my fingers, and there were patches of hair still remaining on my arms, so it looked so ugly it was almost like hair loss..
I had expected it would last at least about three months, but not at all. Just a little over a month later, it had gone right back to the way it was before.. Was this really how it was supposed to be..?
After that I was too scared to go to a dermatology clinic, but then my face broke out horribly from contact dermatitis, and after struggling to endure it I finally went once to a neighborhood dermatology clinic, and I got burned there too, so I really can’t go to a dermatology clinic ever again..
I think among the people reading this, there will be many who believe that you get as much kindness as you pay for, so because I asked for a lower price I was treated badly. But even so, it wasn’t as if I got it for free, so did they really have to take it that far..? I still think about that situation sometimes, and I have nightmares too.. I can’t even go near a dermatology clinic anymore. Am I being excessive?
+ Since I went there on a friend’s recommendation, I didn’t write a bad review because I was worried it might negatively affect that friend. I also didn’t tell that friend this had happened.. I thought if I just stayed busy, I’d forget about it, but I still think about it even now, so I’m writing this because I feel frustrated...
I wrote everything exactly as it happened, without exaggeration or distortion, but could I be sued for defamation by stating the facts..? If this is a problem, I’ll take it down...
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This review is a postoperative review pursuing natural beauty.