The beauty industry has embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) across its tiers. You’ve probably received product recommendations from it, let it transform your likeness, or are enjoying a foundation with a perfect shade match formulated by it. In the aesthetic space, Prague-based BTL Aesthetics is integrating AI into their newest machine, Exion.
Poised to be the most versatile machine in the market, it uses radiofrequency (RF) and ultrasound with a modality to combine it with microneedling with four applicators for the face, body and a woman’s intimate areas — all with the help of AI. Dr. Kaycee Reyes of Luminisce, an award-winning provider of some of the best ultrasound and RF treatments in the market today, is one of the first to bring Exion to the Philippines.
“What’s nice about Exion is it can help doctors with the settings and read the level of depth they can go into,” Reyes explains. “Exion lessens the chance of burns or complications of pigmentation because the AI detects the patient’s skin thickness and skin type. AI can predict the duration of the treatment and how much power and energy to emit. This makes it more precise and quick.”
All technology is as good as those who use it, especially energy-based machines. This is why at Luminisce, Reyes and the clinics’ dermatologists all go for a conservative approach. The AI in Exion greatly reduces any risk.
For patients, this means quicker treatments with virtually no discomfort and instant gratification with no downtime. Reyes shares that most of her patients are all about achieving a V-shape face, and not just among the Titas of Manila. She’s found Exion to deliver results in just one session. “Gen Z loves it,” she says. “They want the best and instant results.”
My millennial self couldn’t believe how snatched I looked after Exion — I went to an event right after my appointment wearing only lipstick. The snatched look lasts for around a month, making it the perfect boost for special occasions or something you maintain to complement your more intensive treatments.
Food artist and Luminisce regular Nikki Garcia is one of the first to try Exion for a V-shaped face and for another V: vaginal rejuvenation. “My first question was if it could help address my incontinence,” she shares. “It’s a very sensitive topic for a lot of women, but I’m open to talking about it because I became a mom at 20. I’m now 42, and I have experienced incontinence for almost 20 years.”
Garcia had her reservations, which Reyes eased right away. “Dr. Kaycee said it’s not an erotic experience. I became comfortable when she addressed that concern and it really wasn’t. It wasn’t erotic, it wasn’t painful,” she says. It’s a quick, eight-minute treatment using a wand that delivers RF equally in 360 degrees. “It felt like I was having an aesthetic procedure.”
Reyes has also seen improvements with RF microneedling on skin with acne scars and skin laxity wherever you have it. “Even patients like me,” says Reyes, who is in her mid-40s, “whose eyelids are starting to droop, we can also target the eyes to lift without surgery.” She has also used the microchannels created by microneedling to infuse exosomes into the scalps of patients with hair thinning with promising results. While microneedling — by its nature of creating micro-punctures to induce collagen —will prick a little bit, the AI in Exion has cut treatment time by 20 minutes. What would require long, multiple passes with other existing machines is cut to a single pass and you’re done.
Reyes offers surgical services in her BGC clinic, specializing in liposuction, but finds that not every patient needs to go under the knife just yet. “I have patients who want to do lipo on the arms because mataba daw but you see, starting from your 40s, it’s not just fat anymore. In some cases, it’s simply sagging skin,” she points out. “When you do Exion for the body, you’ll find that you don’t need to do lipo yet because it also removes the fat and tightens the area.”
Exion — and AI — for all its versatility, effectiveness, and efficiency, can’t solve everything. “At Luminisce, we don’t rely on one machine. We don’t just rely on Exion. We only offer personalized treatments,” Reyes clarifies. “We’re more about building a relationship with the patient. We’re still doctors and we want to be safe for the patient and see results.”
Reyes founded Luminisce in 2012 with a focus on preventive medicine. She calls her patients “Skinvestors” as she offers the synergistic effect of different treatments, collaborating with her patients to create lifestyle changes for themselves while offering a wide range of treatments that work with every budget and goal.
The “bad” news is that for slimming, we still have to work out and watch what we eat. For our skin, we still have to use sunscreen. The good news is AI won’t replace your favorite doctors. Advancements like AI can only enhance what’s essential: expertise, creativity, and a human connection. Aesthetic treatments can only get more precise and more effective from here.