Wow, quite surprised to find a thread on Dr Joyce Lim here!
Such a small world. My first encounter with Dr Lim is about 14months ago, when I started having strange rashes on my hands and feet. I looked through piles of books on dermatology and went on the internet, but couldn't diagnose it. So I decided to see a dermatologist, and I went to Paragon one weekday morning and randomly chose a dermatology clinic, which happend to be her.
She came across as a pleasant lady who didn't engage in small flattery talk. I was also impressed at her knowledge, for she took just one look at my skin and diagnosed it straight away. She then wrote out a list of creams I can use, lifestyle changes to adopt, and told me I can ring her if I needed anymore advice.
I then sat out in the waiting room for her receptionist to call my name to pay. When she called me, she told me that Dr Lim has waived her fees for me so I don't have to pay anything. (I also work in the medical industry and sometimes out of professional courtesy, the doctors waive their fees. But not all doctors observe that, and for a doctor who is paying rental for a large room in Orchard Road prime land, I certainly didn't expect it). So, it also goes to show that she is not the money-hungry unethical type who just wants to earn money money and more money.
And then, such a small world. I couldn't help noticing on her appointment list, the name of an ex classmate of mine from JC whom I hadn't seen in 16 years. It was a unique dialect name so it couldn't have been anyone else.
Just a few weeks ago, I got re-acquainted with this friend via facebook. And I saw the pics she posted on facebook. She honestly looked even younger than she did when I knew her 17yrs ago! Now she really looks like a little girl. I'm sure Dr Lim did some marvels (though I wouldn't be surprised if my friend has had minor plastics/aesthetics surgery done). So, now I am also thinking of going to Dr Lim for some treatment and see if she can make a difference to my skin, which is tired now after all these years of abuse
Actually we should be careful of those aesthetic doctors who do procedures or prescribe medicines which they are poorly trained in. It does take an additional 6-8 years of full-time training AFTER graduation from medical school, to become a proper dermatologist. Whereas to get a dermatology diploma - you need only a fraction of the time, and sometimes you can even do it by distant learning.
I personally wouldn't let anyone other than a true blue qualified dermatologist touch my skin. Before you step into another one of those aesthetics clinics for a chemical peel (poorly performed can result in skin burns and permanent scarring), please check their qualification!