Rouradermsurgery blogspot

Yes, he has a body to die for. Eight-pack abs, sculpted shoulders, a chiselled chest, and the leanest sides. But for popular PBA player Alex Crisano, being sexy is more than these. He defines sexy as being healthy.

                D Entertainer knows too well that to maintain his perfectly shaped body, he needs to keep working out. As if his tough, almost daily training in the PBA both on and off season is not enough, Alex also goes to the gym, swims, plays badminton and even does ballroom dancing. The 6’7” basketball star appears on variety shows to showcase his talent in singing, rapping and dancing.

                Alex, though very disciplined and meticulous about staying in tiptop shape, has occasional indulgences. “I sometimes eat food that I know is bad for me,” he confesses. “Also, when I like the food, I sometimes eat a bit too much,” he adds, such as when eating his favorite Ilonggo dish, chicken inasal, which he eats with his hands. The “bad” food he is referring to include sinagang na baboy, sisig and chicharon bulaklak. Whenever he sees or even just smells the aroma of these foods, he simply could not resist. “But I work double hard after an indulgence,” he discloses.

                Having had relationships with a sexy comedienne and a young actress, one might think that Alex adores celebrity bodies. But, for the outwardly intimidating yet soft-hearted giant, the sexiest person in the world is none other than his mother. “My mom was a bomb shell before she had us,” Alex beams.

The controversial cager considers his abs and chest as the sexiest parts of his body, sculpted at Dr. Claudine Roura’s Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute, the first and only cosmetic surgery center in the Philippines certified to do VASER High Definition Liposculpture. Crisano underwent body sculpting that gave his already buffed body perfectly chiseled abs, shoulders, chest and sides. He wants to augment his buttocks next.

Alex believes that being healthy is sexy. And because he is healthy, he is sexy. Probably one of the sexiest men alive. #

Gineb Macalinao was given the screen name Lovely Rivero because of her beautiful face. In the 1980's, she was considered a very promising young star. But when she turned 17, lovely married a businessman  and declared herself semi-retired from showbusiness.

Over 20 years later and at the age of 40, Lovely says she is in a good place. Seperated amicably from her husband and with two adult children, she works fultime in her ex's business and still dabbles in showbusiness although not on a fulltime basis.

Best of all, the lovely Lovely is slim and svelte after reaching a nightmarish weight of 145 pounds last year.

"I've gone through liposuction twice in the past but I wasn't happy with the results. I normally weigh 110 pounds but I reached 145. Even my daughter was urging me to lose weight." she explains.

"Salamat po, doctor" is a showbiz slang that usually refers to those who have undergone cosmetic enhancements to become more attractive.

Lovely is one happy member of the"salamat po, doctor" brigade after undergoing full body liposuction under board certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon and body sculpting expert Dr. Claudine Roura. The actress, who is also hypertensive, recalss that the procedure, which was done in November, Look eight hours to finish.

"I had the lipo done beacuse I was too heavy and I couldn't exercise because of my hypertension. I don't like working out. I love to eat and diet pills don't work with me," says Lovely, was skinny as a child and teenager but started having weight problems after giving birth to her first child, now 23 years-old. 

From stick-thin to wel-rouded

During her first pregnancy. Lovely ballooned to 170 pounds. Even after giving birth, she still weighed 160 pounds, a far cry from her normal fighting weight of 110

Thus, the stick-thin child grew up to be a bit hevy,perhaps still slimmer compared to other women her age, bit still not thin enough to be hppy and healthy.

Another challenge for LOvely is that she is petite and has big breasts, factors which can make a woman look heavier.

The public can be cruel

Lovely also admits she was hurt when people she didn't know would made snide remarks about hr weight upon seeing her in person.

"The public can be very cruel sometimes. I realized it wold take a long time for me to lose weight so I opted for liposuction, hoping this time things would work for me." she says during an interview at Roura's Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institude at Paseo de Magallanes Commercial Center,Makati City.

Lovely continues: "It was frustrating to buy clothes. Nothing would fi, at least not the clothes that I like. Dressing up become a struggle.I didn't want to look matronly even if I am already 40.Even my kids say I should lose weight."

She says that having liposuction is her way of jumpstartinga lifestyle change.Roura is closely minitoring Lovely's progress and even asks her what she eats and what exercise she does.

"Dieting is not easy."says Lovely "I like to cook I can't resist desserts.Now, I am trying to reduce my portions because I don't want to undergo liposuction again."

Contours offers high-definition lipostructur,a cutting edge procedure that is said o be better than traditional cosmetic surgery methods.It is the only center that is certified by Vaser to perform the procedure in the Philippines.

The technique focuses on the preccise removal of superficial and deep fat round muscle groups to enhance the visibility of underlying musculature.

"I am really happy," says Lovely."I will not deny that everything was aching after the liposuction but it was worth it." 

Armi ( not her real name )  a 20 year old,  beautiful, petite young lady  came to Contours  clinic apprehensive,  not knowing what to expect. The question  on her mind:  “ Have I found what I have long searched for?” For 4 years Armi was constantly on the search for the solution to become  “ whole “ again.

At 15 years old, Armi was sexually assaulted, devirginized against her will. Since that experience she has always felt  broken and incomplete. She became reclusive and  withdrawn. She  went on  several sessions with different  Psychiatrists  to help her break away from the past, but none of which has helped her. 

Then  she has chance upon an article on Hymenoplasty. Hymenoplasty, she has learned,  is  a surgical procedure aimed in the reconstruction of  the hymen.  Delicately precise incisions are made on the remnants of  the hymeneal ring to bring them into close approximation to allow delicate sutures to hold the tissues in place. This  restores  ones hymen back to a “virgin” state.  Right then and there Armi knew this was the solution to her problem.

She consulted several Gynecologist regarding the procedure, but nobody has made her comfortable and confident  of  the  procedure  the way Contours Cosmetic Gynecologist, Dr. Sheree Emata,  has. With Dr. Sheree’s  credentials ( a certified Fellow of the Philippine Obstetrics and Gynecology Society,  and Cosmetic Gynecologist who trained in Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation in her training abroad) , Armi knew she has found the right person who can help her in the road to healing.

Armi  underwent  the surgery   at Contours Clinic on an outpatient basis. For less than an hour and under local anesthesia, Hymenoplasty was performed by Dr. Sheree Emata.  With Dr. Sheree’s  precise and  gentle hands , and using the  of “ state of the art” Ellman Radiofrequency Surgitron,  Armi  had a painless and almost bloodless surgery.  

For Dr. Sheree there is no device as precise and as safe for labial surgery when compared to the Ellman.  The Ellman Surgitron is more superior than other lasers since it has a “Cool Tip.”  The lateral thermal damage with the Ellman Surgitron is just 20-30 microns. Very very minimal . Compared to the Diamond Laser Scalpel which  has lateral thermal damage measured at 150 to 350 microns, about 10 times more than the Ellman.

Post-operation  Armi   only felt  a  tolerable stingy pain on the surgical site which was  immediately managed  by the intake of an oral  NSAID pain reliever. The very next day, no  pain was noted and Armi was up and about, doing her usual activities.

Since the procedure Armi  claims that she is a changed person. A different glow is seen on her eyes. Her smile is  a  picture of contentment.  “ People may find my testimonial corny, but after having the Hymenoplasty,  I felt I am again a  “whole and complete “ woman. People would judge me that I had the surgery to decieve  a  future husband that I am still a virgin. But, no, I did it for myself,   for my  psychological  healing. The fact that I was only repaired surgically, did not matter,  I felt  healed,  body and soul.  And for that I thank Dr. Sheree Emata and Contours Clinic.

I've always been an athlete. Almost every day since I was 16, I've worked out about 1-3 hours per day, with a healthy mix of cardio and weights. I've done rigorous and expensive programs, from hiring trainers, taking diet pills, to trying all kinds of equipment--in hopes that those last few fat parts my genetics gave me--love handles and a donut of fat around my waist--would finally go away. And after 7 years of stress, I could never just get the ring of fat around my back and waist to permanently leave.

So at 24 years old, it had become more difficult to balance work, exercise, and play. I gained weight despite going to the gym and playing ball everyday. I performed very well athletically, mixed it up with yoga and pilates, great diet, and even made sure to break a sweat every single day. But no matter what I did, I still never quite "looked" the part.

At first, I was a bit skeptical about Hi-Def. I was worried about "growing the fat back" and "recovery time". But only five months later...all I can say is that the procedure had changed my life in three amazing ways:

1. My workouts are both less stressful and more rewarding because I know I'm not worrying about the fat ever coming back. Just toning now. I see the results of my workouts immediately.
2. Eating is also less stressful because I don't bloat anymore and my torso skin is always effortlessly tight.
3. Although I've always had abs and been in great shape, having finally rid of the 'love handles' has made my silhouette look longer and leaner--that last part I needed to look good on the beach. Instead of looking like a rectangle from behind...it finally looks like a 'V'!

A few additional bonuses of Hi-Def I did not expect:
1. My pecs are permanently HUGE because of using my own fat--something I didn't really care about before, but glad was part of the procedure. A bigger chest looks better on men.
2. No weird skin distortions anywhere post-healing that you risk getting from traditonal lipo.
3. Holes and scarring from the vaser wand have completely dissapeared 7 months later--as if I never got the procedure done at all. 

There's no doubt that beauty is big business, here and around the world. The magazine The Economist says it's currently a $ 160-billion-a-year industry worldwide,spanning every product and service from make-up, skin and hair care and fragrances to cosmetic surgery, health clubs and diet pills.

All this spending isn't done in in vain, as being good-looking "confers enormous genetic and social advantages," The Economist adds. Among others things, attractive people are deemed to be more intelligent and better in bed; surveys say the beautiful ones earn more and are more likely to marry. Charles Darwin, he of the evolutionary theory, underscored this when he wrote in his autobiography that the human species has a "universal passion for adorment," often involving "wonderfully great suffering."

Suffering or not, Filipinos pamper themselves as much as any other race, and are also adept at beautyfying others. so it was but natural that Pamela Santos and Dr. Claudine S. Roura capitalized on these realities to launch their own businesses just recently.

Lifestyle into Business

Despite a full-time job and a limited start-up capital, Santos has still managed to turn her lifestyle into a business, Spoil Me Nail and Body Studio- a "mobile spa" that offers nail and spa services right at a client's home or office.

Santos, along with her mom and sister, is a frequent customer of nail salons and spas.

"It is a regular bonding time for us," she says. "I used to try almost every new nail salon to see which one provided the best service. I also love having regular body massage and scrubs, Because of this, I though of having my own spa, and probably savings a lot from not having to go to other spas every week and spending a lot of money every visit."

She transformed this fondness for relaxation and beauty into profit by launching Spoil Me, which provides a complete spa experience at affordable prices since all materials needed are brought to a client's home-bed covers, towels, massage pillows, foot tubs, and aromatherapy scents.

Rates of spoil Me's services range from P 70 to P 1,200. They also pamper kids 12 years old and younger with their kiddie manicures and kiddie hand and foot spas. 

Service appointments can be booked either through a phone call or a text message. This is exactly the reason why Santos created this mobile spa in June 2009 instead of a regular day spa. she explains: "A mobile spa is deal for those who cannot run the spa business full time. It requires very little supervision. All you have to do is to have someone accept calls and dispatch the therapist to the clients."

Learning into Enterprise

While Santos deals with pampering the body, Dr. Roura is an expert in reshaping it. A dermatologist by training, her calling card now is advanced liposculpture-the most advanced form of liposuction, which Filipinos are already familiar with.

A dermatology and cosmetic surgery graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Roura residency at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila. In 2005, she won a grant to study in the United States under the Dr. Walter de Groot Phlebology Fellowship of the American College of Phlebology, and later became a fellow of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

But when she turned from her studies in the Us, Roura still practiced in local hospitals, which she thought "was not a place for cosmetic patients; they're not sick." So she and two partners put up Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute in November 2008 using, Roura says, "an eight-figure capital"- at the Paseo de Magallanes Complex in Makati City." I decided to put my studies to work,"she adds.

Building a Client Base

Building a pool of regular clients is one of the first problems Spoil Me mobile spa encountered. Santos explains: "Since we are a mobile spa, we highly depend on calls for bookings and service appointments. It was a struggle at first, and we really had to do varoius marketing efforts like regular texting of friends and relatives, distribution of flyers to residential and commercial ares, and placing of marketing ads in busy streets."

But with all these efforts, Spoil Me has slowly built a pool of more than 60 clients who regularly call in for service appointments. Within four months of operation, Santos and her brother RB. who co-owns the business, recovered their startup capital of P80,000.

Spoil Me's Primary expenses included initial stocks and materials, transportation costs, and the training and salary of therapist and technicians. Santos also put a premium on researching the offerings of other spas, which helped her decide which specific services she would eventually offer.

Santos is focused on growing Spoil Me's clientele in their service areas of Quezon City, parts of Manila, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela. They are aiming to add more services like waxing, threading and other kinds of massage like hilot and ventosa. The siblings are also looking into opening a new branch next year, which would cater to the sourthern Metro Manila, particularly the Ortigas area in Pasig and the Cities of San Juan and Makati.

Contours, meanwhile, get 80 percent of its clients from abroad, taking full advantage of the Philippines' position as a top medical tourism of destination, Roura says," Mostly they are Americans, but we've had everything (every race) from black to white," she adds.

Although word of mouth helps lead local clients to her, Roura says she attracts clients mainly through the website contours.com.ph, through which she offers five "medical holiday" packages complete with a stay at a five star hotel, a city tour or out of town trip, airport transfers and hotel to clinic transfers. The packages are inclusive of Roura's fees and that of her staff.

"Specifically, if the patient is a first timer to the procedure and to the Philippines, we can house and hotel them and arrange for pickup, all at contracted rates," Roura says.

Showing her Web savvy, Roura says she maintains the website and personally answers every e-mail sent to her. She is also learning SEO (search engine optimization) to help make her site come out on top of Google searches, and admits the Internet is still the most cost-effective way of getting the word out about her business.

August was a "ghost month" for Contours as it coincided with the summer vacation of Americans and Europeans, but Roura says business went well from January to June."Even in July we were doing good." she adds, nothing that cosmetic businesses usually pick up during the "ber" months and peak from February to March.

Bright Futures 

Overall,business has gone well enough that Roura says she has brought out one of her partners, also a doctor, and now owns 70 percent of Contours. A silent partner holds the remaining  30 percent, she adds.

Both Santos and Roura believe their businesses can only grow further with the beauty industry booming in the country and around the world. Roura says:"The hardest part of a business is making it run. We (in the beauty indusrty) work in a very price-sensitive market. On my part, compared to "regular" lipo, Vaser liposculpture is more expensive, but there's no denying this is a very lucrative business."

Santos, meanwhile, has faith in her coun trymen. She explains: "Filipinos are known to be patronizers of beauty and wellness businesses, because we love to treat and pamper ourselves after a day or week of hard work and stress. It is also our simple way of rewarding and spoiling ourselves, as well as a bonding moment for most couples, friends or families." By Michelle Cortes-Luciano and Jimbo Owen B. Gulle.

WHAT IS LIPOSCULPTURE?

 While there are scores of liposuction clinics around the country and doctors who can perform the procedure, Dr. Claudine Rourais proud to say she is the only cosmetic surgeon in the country to date who specializes in Vaser high-definition liposculpture, using a special ultrasound machine and a method developed by famed Colombian plastic surgeon Dr. Alfredo Hoyos.

Like "regular" liposculpture removes fat from a patient's body, but the surgeon also "re-sculpts" the overlying skin above the area where the fats was removed. This improves the defintion of the muscles underneath the skin and fat and makes it appear that more fat was removed than was actually extracted, which is usually less than 10 pounds (five kilos), says Roura.

Liposculpture is deal for peolpe who are already physically fit but want greater definition of their muscles, in contrast to regular liposuction that aims to trim away fat to make a patient slimmer. Roura says the procedure "can change the perception about liposuction and  should be viewed as an adjucnt to a fitness program, and not as a failure to treatment."

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A GOOD LOCATION

Location has played a big part in Contours' success, says Dr. Claudine Roura.

Before setting up shop, Roura says prospective clients would shy away from seeing her when they learned she practiced froma clinic at a hospital in Las Pinas City, which they deemed was too far south of Manila. But getting a location in Makati her clinic occupies 200 sq m at a building inside the Paseo de Magallanes commercial center, which is near EDSA and South Superhighway and thus accessible solved that problem.

In the future, Roura says she would like to expand Contours to locations in Pasig, Quezon City and upscale Alabang. But she has tempered these thoughts for the meantime owing to the hands-on nature of her work.

Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute

www.contours.com.ph;www.rouradermsurgery.com

2F South Park Plaza Paseo de Magallanes Commercial Center, Makati City

(02) 556-4878; (02) 489-8526; 09151163911

Dr. Claudine S. Roura is obviously what she preaches. She sports a svelte and to-die-for figure for a woman of a certain age. Well, she looks "contoured."

In her calling card, Roura is labelled as a Dermatologic Cosmetic Surgery, Certified Vaser Hi-Def LipoSurgeon, Phlebology.

What's important to us of course is that she's certified. Her education, training and expertise are put to good use in Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute.

Roura owns Contours and is mighty proud of it. She defies the usual celebrity-endorser strategy and believes in the power of word-of-mouth endorsement and internet's massive reach.

Her clientele includes foreigners and well-to-do people who want to look "perfectly contoured." In this one-on-one interview, Roura reveals her plans and visions for the budding aesthetic center.

20 Questions for Dr. Roura

1.What to you is beautiful

Beautiful is not just physical beauty, it should also reflect your innerself, your intelect.

2. When does beauty start? Is it having a good skin?

For physical beauty, it stars with good skin, then the body figure, then the legs.

3. In this age, does the concept of "natural beauty"still exist?

 Yes, it still does, some are still into the era of I had a diet, I exercised, some are still into denying some procedures done on themselves.

4. Is it a "sin" to be ugly in these times of laser and advances in beauty treatment? 

Perhaps its not a "sin" but it  would be your "fault." hahaha

5. How is Contours different from other aesthetic clinics?

We are not a major artista endorser. No fancy gimmicks. We deal more with real clients who want real results. we never promise anything that we cannot deliver.

6. What's the expertise of Contours? What's on your menu?

We specialize in an advanced form of Liposuction which is VASER-lipo and VASER High Definifition Liposculpture. We are the first and only cosmetic surgery center certified to perform VASER Hi-Definition Liposculpture in the Philippines. We also have the regular menu of services for face and body enhancement.

7. What's your take on aging?

Everyone ages, it a natural consequence of time. Its how you grow old and take care of your self that matters.

8. Should women be afraid to grow old?

It's inevitable, so no need to fear, there are things that can be done to delay signs of aging.

9. Do you advise women in their 30's to go under the knife if they already notice "imperfections" in their body?

I dont suggest anything to them unless, they come to me for advice. They should consider some procedures on things  that bother them most and not based on what I see.

10. On male vanity, are there more men seeking treatments now?

Yes, very true

11. What are the most common treatments men look for?

 their six packs.

12. Do you tell your patients if their expectations in a particular treatment they would undergo is realistic or not?

Yes, i never promise the moon, the stars above. I tell them what they want is realistic or not. I never promise anything I cannot deliver.

13. When should plastic surgery stop for those who are addicted to it?

It should stop with the doctor when he thinks the patient just had too much already and more procedures will deform patients.

14. What's the most requested cosmetic treatment?

In my prcatice, its liposuction

15. Do you have clients who requested for a particular nose of celebrity they like?

no

16. Whose celebrity has the most requested "body part?"

NA

17. Do you plan to establish a name in the market like Belo or do you want to be low-profile but be the frontrunner in the beauty business?

I want to be known as a true doctor giving true results, not just gimmicks and endorsements. Low profile is better.

18. Tell us about your staff and medical personnel

Staff well trained. Medical personnel is actually just me the surgeon and 3 other anesthesiologists. All diplomates in their respective field and underwent the proper training.

19. Any plans for expansion?

Yes, probably next year, may have some branches for skin care and slimming in malls.. surgery will still be at Contours Magallanes

20. What is the future of beauty business in the Philippines?

Big business that is why a lot are into it. as of now, we are targeting medical and beauty tourism to help our economy.