I spent a small fortune at a clinic only to realize my habits were the main problem

Why I finally walked into an Apgujeong clinic

It started with a tiny bump on my left cheek. I told myself it was just a random breakout from stress or maybe not washing my face well enough after a long day. But then it turned into a cluster. I spent about two weeks trying everything I could find at the local pharmacy, including that old reliable Creocin-T liquid. It stung, it smelled like alcohol, and honestly, it just dried out the healthy skin around the bumps while the actual problem stayed stubborn. I eventually found myself looking up dermatologists near Apgujeong, feeling like I was failing at basic adulting because my skin looked like I was back in high school.

The reality of professional extraction

When I finally sat in the chair, the nurse was fast, almost too fast. It cost around 150,000 won for the initial consultation and a basic extraction session, which felt like a lot for something that lasted barely twenty minutes. They kept talking about ‘sebaceous cysts’ and how if you don’t remove the entire sac, the whole thing is just going to come back in a month. I watched them in the mirror—not that I could see much because of the bright light—and realized I’d been doing it all wrong. I had been squeezing things the wrong way for years, literally pushing the bacteria deeper into my own skin. Seeing the mess I made of my pores under that magnifying lamp was actually pretty humbling.

Trying to fix the aftermath at home

After the clinic session, I got obsessed with not letting it happen again. I bought some of those bio-cellulose trouble patch masks that keep popping up on those live commerce shows. They claim to absorb sebum without you having to press or poke at your face. It feels cool when you put it on, almost like a wet gel layer, but keeping it on for thirty minutes feels like a chore when I’m already tired at 11 PM. Sometimes I just fall asleep with it on, or worse, I forget to use it entirely for three days and then try to overcompensate by using two at once. My bathroom counter is currently a graveyard of half-used bottles and these patches that were supposed to be the ‘final solution’ for my complexion.

Why the scrubbing habit is so hard to break

Even after the doctor told me to stop, I still have this urge to scrub my face until it feels squeaky clean. It’s like a psychological itch. I know that exfoliation is supposedly good for removing dead cells, but my skin just gets angry if I touch it too much. I keep thinking maybe if I just get that one stubborn spot, the rest of my face will clear up. It never works that way, though. The red marks—the ones that turn into those annoying dark scars—always seem to stick around way longer than the actual pimple did. I’ve been looking into laser treatments, but the prices vary so much that I just stop searching whenever I hit a website that requires me to sign up just to see a price list.

The cycle that just keeps repeating

It’s been about a month since that first visit, and I’m definitely in a better spot, but I’m not ‘cured.’ My skin still behaves like it has a mind of its own. I find myself comparing my current routine to what I see others doing on social media, constantly questioning if I’m using the right serum or if I should just stop using everything and see what happens. There’s no clear ending to this. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just addicted to the feeling of trying to ‘fix’ my face, even when doing less would probably yield better results. I’m still using the leftover serum from the clinic, and while it’s decent, I can’t tell if it’s the product or just the fact that I’ve finally stopped picking at my cheeks that’s making the difference. I probably should go back for a follow-up, but I’ve been procrastinating because I don’t really want to spend the money again yet.