Even young Charice is a Belo baby

 Having been identified with the Belo Medical Group and Flawless for about half a decade, I’ve been asked by both male and female friends, acquaintances and even total strangers questions regarding skin and body care. I’m telling you that is always the first agenda with me of every balikbayan I know who flies in to Manila from anywhere around the globe. 

Giving advice in this field comes as a total surprise for this writer who had baby fat until age 21 and had to battle with pimples for decades on end.

Below are some of the most frequent questions I get asked — along with my corresponding answers: (Just a reminder, I am not a physician — so discuss everything with the Belo or Flawless doctors first before you take any step.)

How do you deal with acne scars?

Although she’s no longer with Flawless and had gone free-lance, I still have to attribute the solution I found to Dr. Dorothy Carreon, who suggested to me to undergo derma roller treatments. Strangely enough, very few among the new breed of dermatologists from other skin clinics are familiar with this procedure. The few who know it find it barbaric, especially in today’s world of lasers.

However, I still find the derma roller procedure the safest. It’s like going back to basics. The gadget is so tiny — a small roller with pins on it — and rolled onto the scars on the face. (The procedure is painless because topical anesthesia is applied prior to treatment.) I remember in 2008 when I was scheduled to have a procedure, except that I had to drive to Olongapo on that day for the opening of the Flawless branch there (a franchise bought by Molly and Pilar Guevarra).

No problem, said Flawless boss Rubby Sy and head doctor Michelle Cruz. They sent Dr. Carreon there — with the gadget (hygienically-packed) that fit in a small bag. In the middle of the treatment (less than half an hour), there was a brownout. No worries. The gadget doesn’t use electricity. But it is powerful. After one session, the scars become more superficial. The truth is, I still have this one pockmark on my left cheek, but I want it there because it is a battle scar after surviving a bad case of chicken pox that I later gave to the whole school. Flawless offers the derma roller package for six sessions that you have to do within six months because the pins get dull in time.

The best thing about derma roller is that it also helps close pores and you become less prone to acne and pimples. It also rejuvenates the skin to make it look younger and fresher because a new layer is exposed after each session. It is most advisable to have an iSkin set (from Flawless) for maintenance. 

How do you avoid having pimples?

Now I know better and can give you advice. Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins. Have a daily bowel movement — twice if possible — to rid your system of impurities. But it is most important to make sure your face is always clean — with the aid of the right soap.

Last Christmas, Flawless sent its endorsers several bags of Flawless anti-acne soaps and toners that I gave away as additional presents to friends, including those from the Manunuri, the critics’ group I belong to. At our next meeting two months later, National Artist, Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, inquired about the soap because it worked for his teenage granddaughter. That was the only time I paid attention to this soap and realized that it was carefully studied by a medical team before it was released to the market. I don’t use this soap though because, well, the derma roller procedure already rid me of my pimple problems, but the National Artist said so that it works for his granddaughter.

How do you remove skin pigmentation on the face?

Most male friends who play golf ask me about this. Cosmelan is your best bet. Of course, there is downtime because there is peeling, but after a few weeks, you can have brand-new skin — without the pigmentation (also caused by aging). If you want to know more about Cosmelan, visit the Flawless clinics and look for Drs. Evelyn San Luis (Megamall), Mary Joy Tarun (Galleria) and Margaux Cu (Greenhills). They also do Cosmelan in Belo and Kris Aquino swears by it.

How do you solve skin sagging?

There’s thermage or ulthera by Belo and you do that for one session and you’re good for quite some time. And then there’s photogen (both by Belo and Flawless) where you see regular progress. With this machine, you can even change the contour of your face.

Photogen works for the body, too, and can slim down arms, abs and thighs. What is wonderful about this procedure is that it has no downtime at all.

This question I get asked by those in their 20s: Are procedures only for aging people?

The answer is No. Even Charice Pempengco who only turned 18 two months ago (but she still looks 15 being so diminutively cute) spent last weekend at the Belo clinic in Morato. She had her thermage last Friday, was on TV the following day and two hours after that was back in Belo for botox — only to proceed to Eastwood for a concert.

According to Dr. Vicki Belo, she had to fix the teenage singing sensation’s rather prominent jaw lines that became even more pronounced because she chews gum that gets all the muscles in the area all worked up. In a week or two, expect to see a lovelier Charice when her Belo procedures take effect.