Yup, Pinas is becoming a beauty capital of Asia. Sa dami ba na naman ng cosmetic surgery, slimming and beauty clinics sa bansa – bawal nang maging old at haggard.

The Christmas season is usually the peak season for both balikbayans and for clinics. Ang phenomenon na ito ay tinatawag na Medical Tourism – mga turistang dumarayo for medical purposes.

Dahil nga precious ang time, (2-3 weeks lang ang bakasyon time ng average OFW) it’s a good idea to plan your makeover to prevent frustration. Here are some tips:

Tip # 1. Do some Internet search.

It’s always a good idea to do some desktop research. I-Google mo ‘ika nga! Keywords can be general: “plastic surgery”, “Philippines”, “cosmetic surgery”, “doctors” “clinics” and or “hospitals.”

If you have a specific procedure in mind, you can look up  keywords: halimbawa, “hair removal”, “liposuction,” “nose lift, eye bag removal”, at iba pa. You will be amazed how many leads and potential doctors you can begin to consider.

If you’re not the shy type, you can also do shout-outs sa Facebook or sa ibang social media sites- “Mga friends! Saan okay magpa-lipo?”.

Tip # 2. Double-check Medical Affiliations.

Make sure na doctor talaga ang pupuntahan mo. The best is really to go to an official site like for dermatology: the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) www.pds.org.ph, or Primary Skin Health Physicians Inc.  www.papshpi.ph

For cosmetic surgeons, check out www.philippinesocietyforcosmeticsurgery.org or for plastic surgeons, www.papras.org.  For dentists, the Philippine Dental Association website has a listing of all the licensed dentists. ‘Pag hindi makita ang isang “doctor” magdoubt ka ng kaunti- mag-ingat sa mga peke – baka hindi licensed doctor and mapuntahan mo.

Tip #3. Makipag communicate with your candidate doctor in advance. 

The best is to just send an email with detailed questions. A professional doctor should respond to you candidly.  Then you should also request if you can do a Skype or Facetime communication with your candidate doctor. During your communication, ask questions on past experience, operation time, recovery time, cost-range and kung puwedeng humingi ng mga references (before and after photos of other patients).

Tip #4. I-plano ang bakasyon around the procedure date.

Image taken from www.enhancementscosmeticsurgery.com/different-liposuction-techniques/ 

Scheduling a cosmetic procedure during the Christmas season can be difficult- so it is good to have everything planned out. Remember, 1.5 million balikbayans come home during the Christmas season.  It’s also a good idea to schedule a few days recovery time after a procedure. A friend of mine thought he could have liposuction in the afternoon then go to a high school reunion in the evening– unfortunately, he was too groggy from the anesthesia and was leaking from the tumescent solution points. He became a butt of jokes during the reunion.

Tip #5. Get some pre-work habang nasa abroad.

Yup, a good doctor in the Philippines will require basic health requirements.  It’s a good idea to bring your latest x-ray, blood work, and urinalysis results just to establish that you are in good health. Basic blood work should include fasting sugar (to determine if you’re diabetic) and CBC (complete blood count). Pre-work laboratory tests will make you save a day or two sa iyong ipapagawang procedure.

With these tips in mind, mas masusulit ninyo ang inyong bakasyon sa Pilipinas. Mas magandang dito na magpaganda dahil mas mura na, sigurado ka pa sa kalidad. At higit sa lahat, may tender loving care pa ng mga kababayan mong duktor!