Chapter 188 – “Mom, did you do something bad?” (2)
“Sure. It so happened to be winter right now and that’s the best season for spot removal. If you want, we can go ahead and do it today. You will not be able to go under the sun for 7 days after that. A month, preferably.” The doctor carefully listened out all precautions following the procedure.
“Do I have to stay home the entire time?”
“No, I just mean you need to sun proof yourself when you go out. Preferably with face mask, shades, and hat, or an umbrella. The sun will make you get darker and your condition will be worsened.” The doctor tried to explain in as much details as possible.
“Will there be any kind of side effects afterward?” That was Shu Yan’s biggest concern. It was alright to avoid the sun for a week, or a month. She couldn’t not be in the sun for the rest of her life.
“Everybody’s skin is a little bit different so their problems will also be slightly different. Some people have no side effects at all; others might be a little bit more sensitive. None of them are big issues and you just need to drink water on a regular basis. And, I am not saying that you can be under the sun at all; just not be exposed under sun directly for a prolonged period of time. Even a regular person would turn red and be sensitive under those situations. Some will also have spots. What I wanted you to understand is that the laser surgery will not prevent you from having spots in the future. It’s not that miraculous. You will need to put an effort in maintaining it in the future as well.” The doctor answered Shu Yan’s concerns patiently.
“Okay, let’s go ahead then.” Shu Yan was the type who was hesitant before she made a decision; once she has made up her mind, she’d follow it through.
The doctor wrote her a note and Shu Yan went to pay. Spots removal plus some medications afterward came to 10,000 yuan. Shu Yan was a little bit surprised. She hadn’t expected that laser spot removal would be this expensive. She remembered a colleague of hers also had laser spot removal in 2017 and that also cost 10,000 yuan. 10,000 yuan in the nineties, however, was not the same as 10,000 yuan in 2017.
Then she thought to herself, the machines for laser spot removal was high-end equipment right now. So perhaps 10,000 yuan was not entirely unreasonable.
Manager Wang had told Shu Yan that the laser surgery would hurt a little bit. But it was tolerable, much like being bitten by a mosquito. She had taken her words for it. When the first beam hit her, Shu Yan almost bounced out of the chair but was stopped by the doctor.
“Don’t move. It’s no joke if the beam hit your eyes. It will hurt a little bit. I’ll try to go as fast as I can. Bear with it and it will be done soon.” The doctor was well experienced. He wasn’t going to stop just because Shu Yan was hurting. Going faster was a better option.
“Why does it hurt so much?” Shu Yan had always bragged herself to be someone with a high pain tolerance, but the laser surgery brought teats to her eyes.
“Laser would hurt a little bit. That’s the price to pay to be pretty. Think about how pretty you will be when the spots are gone. Just bear with it for now,” said the doctor to comfort her.
Shu Yan bore with it for two hours. Tears were streaming down of her the entire time. When the doctor told her that he was done, Shu Yan felt that her gums were about to bleed from her gritting her teeth so hard.
There was some blood on a few different spots. The doctor said that was because the spots there were very deep and he had to go over it a few times, but no big issues.
“When you get home, the spots would become more prominent. Ignore them and don’t apply anything on them. They would slow form into scabs and fall off. Absolutely do not try to pick them off with your hand. Don’t even wash your face in the next few days, just wipe it gently. And definitely no sun,” repeated the doctor once again.
“Okay, I get it. Thank you, doctor. How soon should I come back for a follow up?” asked Shu Yan before she took off.
“In a week or two.”
