His magic touch

Women always talk about the latest techniques in cosmetic surgery. Just about two years ago, the buzz at ladies’ lunches was always about a non- invasive procedure using a thread to lift the face. The doctor is supposed to insert the thread through a few holes under the superficial layer of the skin, pull up the thread to lift the skin, and make a knot inside. You walk out of the doctor’s clinic with a taut face and minimal swelling, looking years younger. The expert in this method of face-lift, so they say, is Dr. Pierre Clero, a tres charmant French national who has a clinic in Alabang. They also talk about how skillful he is in body sculpting, and just like the term suggests, you come out of his clinic sculpted like a goddess. Not with Pamela Anderson’s vital statistics as he does not believe in freaky proportions, but more like Demi Moore in Charlie’s Angels. I was so curious to have a consultation regarding liposuction with him, but the thought of going all the way to Alabang turned me off. People who live in Makati always joke that one needs a passport to go to Alabang as during peak traffic hours, it is faster to go to Hong Kong. Then I heard that he transferred his practice to Bel Air, Makati, but by then, I had already psyched myself out of having liposuction by exercising a lot and lowering my carb intake. True enough, my fat handles almost disappeared so I put liposuction and Dr. Pierre Clero out of my consciousness.

Sometime late last year, I gave a dinner for a French couple from Paris who brought along Dr. Pierre. I finally met the famous doctor! I guess I should specify that he was famous among a certain circle of people. That circle of people who are beauty-conscious and who consider cosmetic surgery part of their daily routine for face and body. During dinner, most of the ladies present were asking him about certain procedures and he good-naturedly answered them even if it was past his office hours. He did not even advertise himself, which proved to be a better method of salesmanship. He was not "hard sell" on his craft, which attracted the ladies in that dinner to go to him.

Just recently, I received an invitation to the opening of the Euro Medical Group of Dr. Clero’s Clinic. Dr. Pierre explained to me that he has a team of Filipino surgeons, dermatologists, and anaesthesiologists. Under his tutelage, he will have the best cosmetic surgery team of doctors in the Philippines as he will impart to them his expertise honed through 27 years of practice. He trained under the best doctors in France, the USA, Canada, and Brazil, under the noted cosmetic surgeon Dr. Ivo Pitanggi.

To give some hope to balding men, Dr. Pierre Clero’s forte is hair grafting. He employs what he calls the "micro follicular" technique, which he developed 10 years ago. "I harvest hair in the occipital area (the back area where men never go bald) and then transfer it to the bald spot, hair follicle by hair follicle. The result is very natural."

His biggest challenge is body sculpting. To transform a woman’s body to near perfection is truly a big challenge. Does one have to lose weight to undergo liposuction? The good doctor says there is no need to lose weight before the lipo. He explains that most plump people don’t go down to their desired weight so there is no use to wait for them to lose weight. He uses the tumescent technique, which is a wet technique because a saline solution that has anaesthesia is injected in the areas to be sucked out. The patient is put to sleep, but not a very deep one. She wakes up with no hangover and neither does she feel groggy. Depending on the amount of fat that needs to be sucked out, the procedure takes anywhere from two to eight hours. The patient has to wear a girdle for a month. Exercise may be resumed after one month, but normal activity is, in fact, encouraged the next day.

When does a person need a face-lift? "When his jaws start to sag," says Dr. Pierre. "When it is just a question of lines and wrinkles, I advise certain injectibles like botox. For the naso-labial lines, I would recommend the thread as a filler. But when there is a lot of skin, a face-lift is the answer." He claims that his face-lift has no visible scars as he goes through the inside of the earlobe, then down at the back of the ears, and through the hair at the back. "Not even your hairdresser will notice it," he assures me.

What brought Dr. Pierre Clero to the Philippines? We are 18 hours away from Europe via the fastest route and we are really a fourth-world country. I was really so puzzled as to why he chose to come here. He pointed at a picture of his lady love, Denise Yabut Cojuangco. He met her in Paris when she went to his clinic to consult with him. Their friendship evolved into a romance, but unfortunately, Denise was already all set to return to the Philippines. He came to visit her here a few times until one day he decided to stay and put up his own beauty clinic. In the end, this funny thing called love always wins! To date, he has been here four years now and the romance is still going strong. In fact, Denise helped him put up his beauty clinic, which was a rambling old house when they first got it. It is now renovated and with their excellent taste, the couple transformed it into a peaceful haven for those seeking some privacy for their treatments. It is located at 219 Reposo (now Garcia St.), Bel Air. Halfway during our interview, Denise came in to say hello and helped him choose some photos for this article.

Dr. Pierre Clero’s vision is to develop medical tourism in the Philippines. Citing Thailand as an example, he plans to advertise to foreigners and convince them to do their cosmetic surgeries here. He justifies it by quoting prices. A total face-lift in LA or New York would cost US$12,000-15,000, if not more. His face-lift costs US$4,000 all-inclusive. A tour package which includes hotel (by a beach resort), airfare plus food and some outings will cost $5,000. Total cost is $9,000. The bonus of seeing another country and going to some beautiful resort promises a treat for the senses. He is confident that in time, he will be able to achieve this mission. With his good track record as a medical surgeon (he was a neurosurgeon before he became a cosmetic surgeon) and the good reputation of his Euro Medical Group, Dr. Pierre Clero’s vision will surely be a dream come true.