AND NOW, THE LATEST IN ANTI-AGING SKIN TREATMENT

Before, we only used volume restoration by filler injections to fight aging. Today, layering is the latest filler injection technique that addresses skin aging based on the anatomical changes that occur as one grows older.

- GRACE CAROLE BELTRAN, MD

After 31 years of practicing dermatology, aesthetic surgery and genitology, I still find myself in need of skills to meet the diverse needs of my patients. This is because each patient requires a unique approach when dealing with their concerns, which include things they want to hear only when you are explaining to them, their various goals, their plans, their expectations which, most of the time, are unrealistic and, most importantly, would be the final outcome of whatever procedure they intend to undergo. Of course, the last one is the ultimate and most significant of them all. In my conversations with patients, I recognize that their motivation to do an aesthetic procedure varies widely. Like there was this patient whose husband kept cheating on her so she wanted to improve on her looks in hopes of regaining his attention and finally putting an end to her husband's indiscretion. Another patient had been the butt of jokes even when she was still in high school because her face really needed a complete turnaround to improve her appearance. Another one, a lady surgeon, had large breasts, giving her severe back pain after every operation she performed. Then I had a singer, an actress, a TV host and a lawyer, all pressured to constantly look good and felt they needed these physical enhancements to achieve their goals in life, while others just wanted to manage the changes they were currently experiencing as the effects of aging started to show up. Others just want to improve their own self-perception as they often feel self-conscious about their physical appearance and so, they develop low self-esteem, which is why they will definitely opt to consider an aesthetic procedure. Others are influenced by compelling advertisements that are so convincing they can't resist the temptation of wanting to try these procedures on themselves. As I age, I find my