Hours before hitting the ABS-CBN Ball red carpet, Iza Calzado, Anne Curtis, Dimples Romana, and more local celebs dropped by at the Belo Beauty Suite for a quick skin-pampering session.
At the fancy suite-turned-clinic, the Belo Medical Group offered their widely popular skin-boosting treatments, from the cooling 'Cyroslush' facial to the IV 'Cinderella' Drip—including exclusive treatments that are not yet available at the Belo clinics.
Female Network was privileged enough to try out Belo's newest acne-fighting facial: the Salt Facial. Sue Ramirez, Piolo Pascual, and Enrique Gil were some of the celebs who tried the treatment earlier that afternoon.
Fittingly, my sensitive and oily skin was breaking out over the weekend, and I had one huge blemish on my cheek before checking in at the Belo Suite, which makes me a good candidate to test out the new acne-fighting treatment.
What it is:
The Salt Facial is a five-step treatment that mainly uses micro-fine sea salt to exfoliate and refine the skin. "What's great about the salt facial is it's anti-bacterial," Dra. Vicki Belo explained on Instagram. "It's hydrating [since salt attracts water], and it's also very calming. So you can do it if somebody has plenty of pimples. You can do it first and it will already dry up the pimples." The entire procedure only lasts for about an hour!
The Salt Facial is perfect for all skin types but it's highly recommended for patients with oily and acne-prone skin. According to the Belo Medical Group, Vicki introduced this particular facial at their pre-ball affair because "we have to have calm skin for tonight that will catch the light so it will reflect back and they will keep glowing.”
The treatment:
The five-part facial starts off with a quick facial cleansing. This is followed by a micro-exfoliation, which uses a high-frequency current and all-natural sea salt to remove dead skin cells and kill pimple-causing bacteria, helping acne heal faster.
If you haven't tried a microdermabrasion treatment before, here's how the exfoliation happens: An aesthetician uses a pen-like tool that blows sea salt across your skin, loosening up the dirt and grime, while the wand's suction vacuums them away. Naturally, the sea salt felt slightly abrasive on my face, but I was surprised to see that my sensitive complexion barely turned red; I only noticed how refined my pores looked! This 10-minute step is important because it helps the skin better absorb the serums that will be applied later on.
To give my complexion that coveted glow, a glycolic mask was applied on my face (if you're allergic to Alpha Hydroxy Acids or AHAs, Dr. Gaile of Belo Medical Group, says you can skip this part.) It was quite soothing—I also didn't feel any sting on my face, which I'd normally get when using AHAs.
The most relaxing part was when a stem cell-rich gel was massaged and infused into my skin using ultrasound technology. According to Dr. Gaile, this step "stimulates collagen growth and makes your skin look plump afterward."
Wrapping up the treatment, we then proceeded to the last step: the LED light facial! With my eyes covered, the aesthetician placed a high-intensity LED light over my face and left it there for about 15 minutes (I found myself feeling relaxed under the warm light!); for my skin concern, a blue LED light was used, which works to further kill acne-causing bacteria. Dr. Vicki explained how LED works in one of her IG stories: "Green is for pigmentation. Blue is for pimples. Red is for anti-aging... and infrared is for calming."
Did it work?
I'm happy to report that the Salt Facial flattened my huge blemish to a conceal-able proportion—without painful pricking involved! My face felt softer to touch, too, all thanks to the gentle exfoliation. The sulit perk? My oily skin stayed matte until the end of the day (that's about five hours of no blotting.)
Spot treatments normally take hours to take effect, and it isn't so easy to conceal a big bump on the skin, so I loved how this facial showed immediate results. It's a great quick fix to minimize and treat large zits, and refine the skin's texture, especially if you're a bride-to-be or you're simply attending an important photo op-filled event. The Salt Facial will soon be available on Belo Medical Clinics!
Here's a list of Belo Medical Clinic branches in the Philippines:
Westgate Center Filinvest Avenue, Alabang, Muntinlupa 771-2350; Bonifacio High Street Central Lower Ground Flr., 28th St., Bonifacio High Street Central, BGC, Taguig City 621-4030; Greenbelt Makati The Residences at Greenbelt, San Lorenzo Tower, Esperanza St., Greenbelt Complex, Makati City 817-7178; Greenhills 49 Connecticut St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City 724-6626; Medical Plaza Makati Suite 901 Medical Plaza Makati, Amorsolo cor. Dela Rosa St, Legazpi Village, Makati City 844-1182, Powerplant Mall R3 Level, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati 478-3823; S Maison Level 2, S Maison, Marina Way, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City 776-8733; Shangri-La Plaza Level 5 (Main Wing), Shangri-La Plaza Shaw Boulevard Ortigas Center 706-4941; SM The Block 5F, The Block SM City North EDSA, Quezon City 374-3713; The Mega Atrium Level 5, SM Megamall, EDSA cor. Doña Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong 470-1992; Tomas Morato 305 Tomas Morato Ave., corner Scout Madriñan St., South Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City 373-3355; Trinoma 3rd Level, TriNoma, North Ave., Quezon City 943-2230; Ayala Center Cebu Level 1, The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu (032) 234-2356; Abreeza Mall Davao Level 2, Abreeza Mall Davao, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao (082) 296-2356.
More on the ABS-CBN Ball 2019:
- Raymond Gutierrez to Bea Alonzo: "Single looks good on you."
- The Little Details in the ABS-CBN Ball 2019
- 10 Elegant Modern Filipiniana Looks at the ABS-CBN Ball 2019
- Short and Sweet Moments Celebs Let Loose at the 2019 ABS-CBN Ball
- Belle Daza Wore Mom Gloria Diaz's 1994 Filipiniana at the 2019 ABS-CBN Ball
- This is What It Feels Like to Get Pampered Like a Celeb at the Belo Beauty Suite
- PHOTOS: Celebs Getting Pampered and Ready Before the ABS-CBN Ball
