Balikbayan women who come home to the country often have getting a Philippine makeover on their to-do lists. KUBO often gets a slew of questions about that, as homecoming Pinays ask what to have done, how much the services costs, and what the experience is like.
For KUBO’s beauty and wellness series this month, we jot down the top beauty goals of Pinays and the corresponding fave procedures they book to achieve them. We’re doing the less invasive ones for this list for those who want those subtle fixes with a little less downtime.
Beauty Goal: No more fine wrinkles
Fave Fix: Botox and Baby Botox
For beauty babes, getting Botox has become as commonplace as regular hair trims. Botox is a protein made from Botulinum toxin that temporarily paralyzes muscle. In small doses, it can reduce and prevent the developing of skin wrinkles. Results can last on average three to four months, but many patients space out their procedures to six months apart.
The price for Botox in the US can range from $300 to $500, depending on the number of units you need, whether you got an aesthetician or doctor to administer it, and what face or body area you are targeting.
In the Philippines, most dermatologists and plastic surgeons can administer Botox, and prices for a unit can be as low as PHP280. An area or session would probably average you at least 15-20 units, which would set you back at least PHP4,000 to PHP5,600 per area targeted, like crows’ feet or forehead. Usually, docs numb the area with ice before they inject your skin, so you don’t feel the prick as much.
Recently, derms are now offering Baby Botox procedures, where they inject less than a unit to prevent the formation of wrinkles. It is said that Baby Botox is preventative, and full-on Botox is corrective.
While some aestheticians also get duly trained, we urge you to play it safe and see an MD. “I like that dermas in the Philippines are so accessible. And I honestly prefer to go to a doctor for Botox sessions,” says Zsa, 37, who is based in LA. “I mean, that’s my face! Might as well go to a reputable doc who’ll make the Botox change subtle but extra effective.”
Beauty Goal: A more defined facial structure
Fave Fix: Threads and combo procedures
In the Philippines, there are merged beauty procedures that combine treatments to achieve a certain look. One popular procedure is the V-lift, and different clinics combine various treatments to get that narrow jawline. It can be a combo of threads (a non-surgical procedure that uses dissolvable sutures to subtly lift), mesotherapy (a technique that uses injections of vitamins, enzymes, hormones, and plant extracts to rejuvenate and tighten skin, as well as remove excess fat), and Botox or even a mix of HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) thrown in.
“I was watching TFC from home in the US, and I noticed how the local celebs all had such narrow faces,” says Fe, a Pinoy TV fan based in Daly City. “I researched on ways and read that clinics in the Philippines had certain procedures to get that narrow-faced look.”
During Fe’s visit to the Philippines, she booked a V-lift procedure at a recommended clinic. Hers was a combo of threads and meso to thin out her jawline and remove the fatty deposits on her lower cheeks. She found the procedure a little painful, and it swelled a bit for a day or two. But when the swelling subsided, she was so happy with the results. “Artistahin na!” says Fe.
In the US, treatments with threads alone often average $2,075. That’s why Philippine prices are a steal, averaging at PHP25,000.
Beauty Goal: Tighter, lifted skin
Fave Fix: HIFU and Ultherapy
When Cora, a NY-based nurse in her 50s, came home to the Philippines, she heard about high-intensity focused ultrasound procedures from her local-based cousins. “They all had it done, and I must say, they looked dramatically younger, so I wanted to get it done, too,” she says. So, Cora went for the top-rated Ultherapy from a PH derm. “I’m not going to lie, I have low tolerance for pain and was uncomfortable during the procedure, so the ice packs provided help, as well as the vibrating distractor device that the derm used. But, super worth it! Tiis ganda na lang!”
HIFU and Ultherapy essentially use microfocused ultrasound to generate a thermal effect under the skin. This effect essentially jumpstarts the body’s own process to create fresh, new collagen. The results peak a few months after the procedure, when your collagen production kicks in, and the effects can last up to one year or more.
In the Philippines, a single Ultherapy session can range from PHP40,000 to PHP150,000. In the US, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,200 to $3,500 for your treatment. HIFU, which is touted as the cheaper cousin of Ultherapy, has an average cost of about $1,700 in the US, while costs can start from around P5,000 in the Philippines. While most machines are similar and patented, the varying costs will depend on where you go for your treatment, the reputation of your treating doctor, and the location you have the procedure done.
But Cora adds: “We work hard abroad, so might as well treat ourselves to some beauty pampering back home, ‘di ba?” We agree. The Philippines, after all, is an amazing beauty hub, and we need to take advantage of that.
Beauty Goal: Kissable lips
Fave Fix: Lip blush/lip tattoo
For a time, both local as well as international celebs had bee-stung lips that gave them a super-emphasized pucker. It was perfect for their lipstick endorsements and kissing close-ups. But while Pinays want kissable lips, they still want that subtle, “simple” lip style.
Thankfully, there’s a tamer option for getting subtle-but-still-scene-stealing lips: the lip tattoo or lip blush. Depending on our age and lifestyle, our lips turn pale as we age or darken depending on our lifestyle habits, like smoking. Thankfully, lip blushing is a safe tattooing procedure that creates or revives a more youthful, vibrant pout. While the procedure isn’t (too) painful, it’s nothing that an OTC pain killer can’t manage.
In the US, lip blush sessions can range between $500 to $1,200. And you’ll need a regular retouch every couple of years that start at around $300. Mandy, 40, who’s based in Sacramento, thinks that’s a little too much for her beauty budget, so she’s waiting for her Philippine visit to get her lip blush done. “I did my research, and I’m eyeing a procedure in the PH, which costs PHP8,000 with a free retouch,” she says. Prices can go lower or higher, depending on the cosmetic tattoo artist you’re getting, but you’ll surely have access to various range of prices and talent when you come to the Philippines for a pucker boost.
Beauty Goal: Defined brows
Fave Fix: Eyebrow embroidery
Eyebrows are always a good investment, and in the Philippines, your beauty budget goes a long way. What would cost $250 to as high as $2,000 in the US would cost anywhere between PHP5,000 to PHP30,000 in the Philippines, depending on where you go and the brow artist you choose to do your arches.
To get that subtle, polished makeover look, eyebrow embroidery is a good brow-defining option. This semi-permanent beauty process involves putting pigment on the brow skin, mimicking hair strands and brow shadows to reform, fill in, define, and/or give the appearance of fuller brows.
Nana, 36, a Pinay tech analyst in Silicon Valley, was so anti-kikay. She had a minimal beauty regimen, but always had to have groomed brows. “I would pay $80-$120 to just get my brows shaped and plucked,” Nana says. “I wanted an easy fix that already gave my brows definition that I could just trace and follow.”
Brow embroidery did that for Nana. During her visit to the Philippines, she finally went to have her brows embroidered/tattooed. It cost her PHP9,000 with a free retouch after two weeks. When she returned to the US, it was easy for her to maintain her brows because she could clean up her brows herself and follow the embroidery shape. She didn’t need to go for regular professional brow cleanups.
So, which of these procedures is your beauty bet? Jot down your own beauty goals and get out there to make them come true during your next visit to the Philippines.
