About three years ago, I decided to start looking for a Taiwan cosmetic clinic that offered laser treatments with English-speaking services at an affordable price. This proved to be a problem that was not going to be solved easily. After all, if I was going to let anyone near my tender white skin with an ultra-hot laser, that someone had better speak English and be able to give me the proper information for pre-treatment and post treatment care. Furthermore, I really didn’t want to break the bank doing it.

I ended up finding one clinic in Tienmu that fit the English-speaking side of things, although they were not cheap and it took me well over an hour to go to my appointment each month. While I was thrilled with the results, it didn’t take long for the novelty to wear off and I eventually reached a point where I just wasn’t willing to give up an entire afternoon to have my skin zapped for upwards of $200USD per session.

So I quit going.

Nature could have its way with me.

A short time later, I was out one night and ran into my friend James. When I began lamenting over the fine lines that were starting to hit my face, he insisted on taking me to a new clinic near Zhongxiao Dunhua Exit Three  that was owned by his friend Nick (and Nick’s family). The clinic is a branch of Taipei Show Chuan Hospital, a famous privately-owned hospital in Taipei. Better yet, he offered to go with me to my first appointment and promised me a special price for going in with him. I was sold. After all, James  looks like he’s 25.

I can assure you, he is not.

A few nights later, I found myself seated in the guest area of TPShow Cosmetic Clinic chatting away with Phoebe and Dodo about what I wanted to have done. I admit, there were a few minor clashes as we gabbed away in a mixture of Chinese and English, but we eventually got everything sorted out and I was ready to begin my treatments. 

My treatments went extremely well. So well, in fact, that while James and I were seated in the waiting room one night, I broached the subject of talking to his friend Nick about throwing a special ‘foreigner’ friendly party to introduce the clinic to our friends.

Nick thought this was a great idea and the three of us rallied to pull together a private event one Saturday afternoon in June 2011. Since Nick was worried that his staff might not be able to pull off talking up treatments with new foreign clientele, James and I proposed that he teach us about the treatments on offer at the clinic and we would host the party and answer client questions.

The day of the party, we brought it finger foods and lots of champagne. We also ran a series of live demos for popular treatments so our guests could see how the procedures are done and what they might be signing up for. One demonstration, for example, was for body contouring, a treatment that involves radio frequency (RF) energy to penetrate the skin  to reduce the appearance of cellulite and fat without damaging the skin. The procedure breaks down fatty cells and stimulates collagen production to improve skin tone and elasticity. The broken down fat cells are then drained via the lymphatic system and excreted as urine. Other live demos on the roster that day were Botox injections, Restylane fillers, which are used to to add fullness to the skin to correct facial wrinkles and folds, and hair removal via the cold laser process.

The party was a huge success, Nick was thrilled beyond belief, and I think the staff were suitably impressed that James and I introduced more than 30 clients to the clinic that day.

Since then, we’ve thrown a private VIP party every three months that caters exclusively to foreign clientele. During these parties, the clinic offers different packages and deep discounts, while providing informative live demo sessions of the various treatments on offer. An added benefit to these parties quickly became apparent when clients started emailing us to let us know how helpful these parties have been for their own self-confidence. We learned that clients really appreciated learning that they are not alone and that other people have the same insecurities/issues with their appearance.

These parties are designed as fun and entertaining information sessions and have proved to be very popular amongst the expat community, with an average of 30-35 guests in attendance at each party. There is no pressure to buy. You can come and learn, enjoy the food and wine, and participate in the clinic raffle.  Most of the invitations go out via word-of-mouth, but the clinic also advertises on the TP Show Cosmetic Clinic Facebook fan page. If you’re interested, please like TP Show’s Facebook page and keep an eye out for the next party.

Being newly opened, the clinic has experienced some growing pains this year. Things like not having English-speaking staff on the front desk to allow clients to call in and book an appointment proved to be a problem at first, but as each month has passed by Nick and his staff have worked extremely hard to create a happy and safe environment for their foreign clientele. Booking appointments can still be a bit tricky at times, but clients have learned to use the clinic’s Facebook page if they experience difficulties. Someone is always there to answer questions. Nick has also hired several English speaking nurses over the past year to help with his foreign clients. When I stop to consider what was happening in 2011, I realize how far they’ve come in a very short time.

As for me, I’m still enjoying my treatments and I’m happy to answer your questions. Please feel free to get in touch with me directly via the contact page if you would like to be included on our guest list or if you have any questions about treatments.

Of course, visitors to Taiwan are welcome!

The clinic currently offers the following, with more treatments being added each year: