Skin Cocktail: The Whitening Drip

Living in a tropical island, we are blessed with all year round summer weather to frolic in the sun whether you like it or not. I love the beach, i love swimming, i love bikinis but my skin just don't approve of the sun exposure no matter how diligently i apply full spectrum sunblock like SPF100 PA+++++. Ok, no matter how many plus they can add behind, i am thankful but i need another alternative as the ozone layer is getting thinner and the UV rays are getting worse. Both UVA and UVB penetrate the atmosphere and play an important role in conditions such a premature skin aging, eye damage such as cataracts and skin cancers. They can suppress the immune system reducing your ability to fight off maladies. If these aren't alarming enough, i do not know what more to stress on the important of taking good care of your skin as it is the largest organ and greatest protective layer for your body. So are you applying sunblock diligently?

As i know how diligent i am in applying toner, serum, moisturisers and sunblock on my face but i failed to do that on my body. Besides failing to protect my body from UV rays, i ended up with a fairer face complexion and a darker body skin tone. I can go for facial and laser to brighten up my skin complexion but i can't do that on every parts of my body, can't i? That will cost me a fortune. My skin is very sensitive to whitening lotion and i can't use it very often. Seems impossible to have healthy and fair skin in this tropical island eh.

I have read of whitening shots using Vit C online. Many products are circulating online but are they approved by the MOH? So i was scared to try.
Recently, I have found a local clinic who administer a skin cocktail made of Vitamin C, Glutathione, tranexamic acid and Vitamin B1-B12. At AO Klinik, they called these treatments the Whitening Drip. The best is they are Ministry of Health certified. The Vit C combined with glutathione are injected into normal saline and directly poured into the bloodstream through IV drip.

A lot of people will raise their eyebrow if they hear of this whitening drip. As Penangites will say, "lu ai sui mai mia" "Lu kua Michael Jackson an jua" (Paraphrasing: You are so after beauty that you overlook your life (health). Look what happen to Michael Jackson.)

I will reply "i very ai sui and ai mia" (I am after beauty and health too)

That is why i went to AO Klinik in Penang to check out this whitening drip after researching of what are the ingredients and what it can do for my health too.

AO Klinik, 26M Jalan Masjid Negeri, 11600, Penang

The doctor i consulted with at AO Klinik is Dr. Khoo. He is camera shy but he has been professional to give me insight on whitening drip and answer all my questions. Throughout the consultation, we are accompanied by a registered nurse, Miss Koay.

Here are some of my questions..

1. What is the Vitamin C in the 'skin cocktail'?
 It is good to know it is the ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is the naturally occuring organic compound with       antioxidant properties. Vit C helps support healthy immune system and combats flu too.

2. How many session in order for me to achieve fairer skin.
Doc said it depends on individual and how frequent is the sun exposure. Usually the period between 2-4       treatments, i will begin to experience smoother and brighter skin. Doc recommend one week once for           first 4 treatments. Subsequently, one month once for maintenance.

3. What does glutathione and tranexamic acid do for my skin
Glutathione is the main ingredient that serves as a natural whitening agent for the skin because it inhibits           melanin production. A master antioxidant  made of 3 amino acids, glutamate, cysteine and glycine. It is         powerful to detox the liver of chemicals and pollutants. Glutathione can be found in natural food too such as avocados and walnuts. Tranexamic acid is good for inflammation whilst improving skin texture and achieving whitening effect.

4. How many percentage of the 'skin cocktail' can be absorbed by our body?
Doc said through the drip, it can bypass intestinal absorption and 100% is absorbed by the body            through the bloodstream.Taking glutathione in pill form is rather ineffective as it requires stomach acid to digest and only remaining 20 percent of the nutrient can be absorbed by the body.

5. How long will the effect last?
Doc said if i take good care along with following the course of  these treatments, i will gradually have         brighter and hydrated skin for a long time. It can help my sensitive skin too.

Sounds good!

My first treatment!    

    Upon my request, nurse Koay has been very helpful to help me take a few pictures. (Thank you!) 

Nurse Koay prepare my skin cocktail for me in the treatment room. During the treatment, i am a little nervous about being poke by needle but as soon as i know the nurse has many years of experience working in hospital, i calmed down. She prep me up in the reclinable sofa so i can lean back comfortably. It was easy to find the vein in my left arm. The procedure is quick and the pain just like ant bite. The needle size is what normally used for baby according to nurse Koay. So while the drip is connected to my arm, she injected the 750mg of vit c and glutathione into the normal saline drip. So i just have to sit back and relax or even fall asleep. The treatment will only takes about an hour. Mine finish rather quickly in about 40 mins. Doc Khoo came back to check on me. I eyed the tube and asked the nurse, "There seems to be some left on the drip tube." She said it is the safety measure to leave some unfinished liquid on the drip or else if any air enters my body through my vein it is harmful. "Oh!" I am thankful that i asked rather than wondering.

After my first treatment, over the next 4 hours i checked on my hands. My right hand used to be darker than my left hand. Now i can see vast improvement on the skin tone. The skin tone has even out pretty fast on both hands. I am already impressed. As i do a lot of planks, you can see darken marks on both my elbows. Hopefully it will help diminish the mark soon. Looking forward to my next treatment already!

As Benji in Mission Impossible said, it doesn't sound that impossible! So i am one step closer to fairer brighter luster skin. Hoot hoot!