Staring at these dark scabs in the mirror

Deciding to finally do something about the spots

I spent a good few months just looking at my own face in the mirror and feeling annoyed. I had these persistent little spots—some looked like freckles, but others were definitely darker, like lentigines or stubborn melasma that just wouldn’t budge no matter how much vitamin C serum I smeared on. I’m not someone who regularly visits clinics, so calling up a place like Seongnam Medione Clinic felt like a bit of a production. I kept pushing it back, mostly because I didn’t want to deal with the recovery or the awkwardness of explaining what I wanted to a total stranger. Eventually, I just booked an appointment for a Pico toning session. It felt like one of those things I had to check off my list before I got any older.

The actual session and the immediate regret

The process itself was surprisingly fast. You walk in, they check your skin, and then you’re lying there with those protective goggles on. The machine makes this sharp, snapping sound against your skin, like a rubber band hitting you repeatedly. It wasn’t exactly painful, but it was uncomfortable enough to make me tense my shoulders. The whole thing was over in maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. I walked out of the clinic feeling like I’d done something productive, but that feeling didn’t last long. By the time I got home and looked in the mirror, the treated areas were already starting to turn a dark, crusty brown. They call it ‘scabbing,’ but in the mirror, it just looks like I smeared dirt on my face.

Why I’m struggling with the recovery phase

Nobody told me exactly how much these scabs would stand out. I thought I’d just have a little redness, but no—I have these distinct, dark patches right on my cheekbones. I’ve tried using foundation to cover them, but the texture is all wrong. The powder just catches on the edges of the scabs, making them look even more obvious. It’s been three days now and I’m just waiting for them to flake off. I find myself checking the clock, wondering if I should have timed this better with my work schedule. I have a meeting coming up and I’m honestly just going to wear a mask again. It feels ridiculous to be a grown adult hiding behind a face mask because I wanted to get rid of a few freckles.

Comparing the experience to other treatments

I’ve heard friends talk about things like Inmode or even more intense things like back acne scar lasers, and they all have their own specific version of this annoyance. It’s like, you trade one problem—the pigment—for another, which is the temporary social awkwardness of having a mottled face. I paid around 200,000 won for this round, which I guess is standard, but the price feels higher when you account for the fact that I’m currently avoiding social plans. I keep reading about how Pico lasers are supposed to be more precise compared to older methods, but the ‘precision’ just means I have very tiny, very dark targets on my face right now.

The lingering doubt about the results

I’m still at the stage where I’m not sure if this was worth it. I keep touching my face, tempted to pick at the dry skin, even though I know that’s the worst thing I could do. I feel like I’m in a state of suspended animation until these marks actually drop off. It’s funny how I thought this would be a simple ‘fix,’ but it’s actually just a shift in the problem. I’m wondering if I’ll even see a difference once these are gone or if I’ll just find new spots to obsess over. Maybe I should have just left them alone. I guess I’ll know in another week, but for now, I’m just trying not to look too closely in the light.