How Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas Helps Women Feel Confident in Their Own Skin l Women at Work

Cosmopolitan Philippines

For Cosmo’s Beauty Month Special, we’re celebrating a woman who empowers others to feel confident in their own skin. In this episode of Cosmo Women at Work, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas shares how she found her calling in dermatology, balances her many roles, and helps people look and feel their best every day. #CosmoWomenAtWork

Transcript

00:00Hey, COSMO! I am Dr. Gaylor Bedovitas, a board-certified dermatologist.

00:04Welcome to COSMO Women at Work!

00:21So, we are here in my consultation room and this is where I usually see my patients.

00:26This is where I discuss their skin care issues, what they want to do before we do the actual treatment if needed.

00:33Talking about my typical day, no two days are actually the same.

00:37I do four consultation days a week, usually Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and either one of them, Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays, or Fridays.

00:46And on other days, that's when I do other things because I lecture, I teach, I attend events, I do trainings, workshops.

00:55So, my work is actually very varied.

01:03Here naman in this room is what we call our photography room.

01:08This is where we document our patients before and after photos.

01:12Dalawa yung camera natin dito, this is one that will show you your skin age.

01:17It will show you pigmentation, dark spots, UV spots, skin imperfections, etc.

01:23So, usually, when we have patients who want to undergo certain treatments,

01:28we use them before photos.

01:30And then, we monitor the progress of their treatments through time by taking after photos depending on what they do every one to three months.

01:37And then, this helps us determine kung yung plan natin sa patients natin effective or hindi.

01:42Kasi if after three months, nakita natin, hala walang pagbabago, then we change or modify the treatment.

01:54Well, it did evolve over time.

01:56Kasi initially nga, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to be a doctor.

01:59Kaya lang growing up kasi yun talaga yung exposure ko eh.

02:01So, when I was in college, my course was actually not related to medicine at all.

02:05It was management information systems.

02:07But when I finished college, parang I was, like, lost.

02:11Hindi ko talagang kung anong gagawin ko.

02:12So, I decided to pursue pre-med.

02:14And then, when I became a doctor, I initially wanted to be an oftalmologist.

02:18Kasi in our family, we have this degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa

02:22which my dad has, my grandfather has, and my dad's sister.

02:25Meron din.

02:26And then, some of my cousins.

02:27So, naisip ko baka makaalap ako ng breakthrough.

02:30Alam mo yun, that will make their lives easier or improve their lives.

02:33Kaya lang, nung nag-rotate ako sa ofta, hindi ko siya gusto.

02:36Parang may migraine kasi ako, di ba?

02:39And they're always, like, looking through, like, some scopes, ganyan.

02:42It would give me headaches.

02:43So, naisip ko, ano kayong pwede ko gawin?

02:45My mom is an OBGYN.

02:46And although it's a very, ano say, lucrative and rewarding profession or field, palagi naman wala yung nanay ko.

02:54And I remember it was one time, I did a medical mission.

02:57Tapos, for some reason, ang daming napunta sa akin na parang may skin diseases.

03:01Parang naisip ko, eh, dermatology pala is actually a good ano din.

03:04Kasi, when you make patients feel good, makikita nila, parang happy agad sila.

03:09Tapos, parang ano pa siya, may work-life balance.

03:12Wala masyadong emergencies, di ba?

03:13You can sort of control your clinic hours.

03:15You'll have time for other things.

03:17Hence, dermatologist.

03:19This is so funny ha, you know, but siguro not anymore now, but when I was starting, especially

03:31sa province, hindi nila alam na pag-dermatologist ka, doktor ka.

03:34Oo, kasi parang, ay, iha, doktor ka pala.

03:36Parang ganun.

03:37Akala nila, parang pag-dermatologist ka, because they equate it with beauty.

03:41You're in the beauty industry.

03:42You're not that it's a bad thing, but they don't think of you as being someone who can

03:49treat conditions.

03:50And, yung iba, ang tingin nila sa dermatologist, parang, ano lang, beauty lang talaga.

03:55But, siyempre, now, because of, you know, availability of information, a lot of people now know

04:00that dermatologists are actually doctors.

04:02We all do one training, parang ganun.

04:04So, yun naman yung parang nakakatawa lang.

04:05Ay, parang, iha, doktor ka pala.

04:06Parang ganun.

04:07Ayan, so, since it's not my clinic day, sometimes ginagamit ko tong time na to to try out yung machine.

04:14So, now, I'm going to this office.

04:16I'm going to try out this machine that I'm interested in.

04:19Kasi, siyempre, as dermatologists, as doctors, what we want to offer to our patients

04:24are procedures, treatments, and machines na naniniwala talaga kami na nag-work.

04:28Siyempre, ang unang-unang ginipig, minsan, kami or yung aming mga spouses.

04:41Ayan, ito na yung, ano, second session ko ng repetitive transcranial magnetic.

04:48Tama ba?

04:49Simulation? Tama.

04:50Ang haba naman kasi, guys.

04:51But anyway, so, it's an RTMS.

04:54And I'm super excited kasi nga yung na-achieve ko from my first session is really fast onset of sleep.

05:02And I'm able to clock in mga seven hours of sleep na hindi ko talaga siyang nagagawa for a very long time na.

05:09So, ayan, I'm excited.

05:11So, wala naman preparation, guys.

05:13Bawang lang mag-coffee and anything alcoholic.

05:16Five hours before, no?

05:18Mama Marisa.

05:19At least three pala kasi mahirapan silang hanapin yung, ano nga hinahanap nyo? Motor.

05:26Yeah.

05:27So, the treatment will last mga 24 minutes, right, guys?

05:33The most rewarding part of my work,

05:49Siguro for me, because dermatology is such a visual practice, kung maga nakikita mo,

05:54a lot of patients come to you because they see something on their skin.

05:58And at the same time, pag gumaling, nakikita din nila.

06:01So, parang sobrang rewarding for me kasi parang,

06:03Uy, doc, tingin mo, maganda na yung balat ko.

06:05Hindi nakagaya nung dati na parang gasbang-gasbang.

06:07Or like, even with aesthetics na parang,

06:09Oh my God, doc, I really feel more confident.

06:12I'm more beautiful.

06:13So, yun yung pinaka-rewarding for me.

06:14When patients come back feeling good,

06:16feeling like the best versions of themselves.

06:18Makes me feel fulfilled.

06:25Well, okay, this might sound a little self-indulgent, ha?

06:28But for me, it's when the younger derms tell me,

06:32Oh doc, you've inspired me.

06:34I'm a dermatologist because I look up to you.

06:37Or like, you motivated me, parang ganon.

06:41And doing things that other dermatologists or people in my field were afraid to do

06:48because they didn't know what to expect or what.

06:50Like for example, being on social media.

06:52Parang, it's like a questionable, ano, di ba?

06:54Kasi no one's ever really done it before na parang lahat.

06:57So, yung mga ganon.

06:58But, syempre, feeling ko naman,

07:00there's still more to do and more to achieve.

07:02And I feel like, you know,

07:04when you start something and people find it worthwhile

07:07and they follow your footsteps,

07:09I think that's the most,

07:10one of the more rewarding things and feelings that one can ever have.

07:15Now, I'm gonna show you one of our laser rooms.

07:17So, dito,

07:18andito yung laser for acne.

07:21Andito yung laser for pigmentation.

07:23And then, dito yung laser for vascular lations.

07:26Pwede rin for hair removal and rejuvenation.

07:28And then, here we have another laser naman, again, for vascular lations.

07:32So, normally, after consultation, if they need to do a treatment,

07:36may tinatila namin sila dito.

07:37Sometimes, hypotopic anesthetic.

07:39And sometimes, wala naman.

07:40So, dito yung treatments na nangyayari.

07:47Ay, actually, it's changed a lot.

07:49Kasi, syempre, nung bata pa tayo, wala pa naman tayong masyadong issues.

07:52Fortunately, kasi, as a teenager, I never really had acne.

07:56I think I got my good genes from my dad.

07:59So, dati super tamad.

08:01Like, pag naliligo ko, yun na yung pag-wash ko ng face.

08:04And no one really told us about applying sunscreen before.

08:06When I became a dermatologist,

08:07that's when I became more diligent in sunscreen application,

08:10in knowing the right steps in taking care of the skin.

08:13It doesn't really have to be like a 10 or 20-step skincare routine.

08:16The basics lang, proper cleansing,

08:18para ma-absorb ng buti ng skin mo yung mga products,

08:21using the right products.

08:23As a teenager and even up to college,

08:26I was never really an oily girl.

08:28I was more combination, sometimes even dry.

08:31So, moisturizers for my best friend.

08:33But, as I got older, I started noticing pigmentation.

08:37So, nagdagdag na ko ng mga vitamin C,

08:39mga products that target pigmentation like niacinamide.

08:43And then, syempre, in my early 30s,

08:45I started noticing, you know, fine lines, wrinkles.

08:48So, I added na rin mga retinoids.

08:50So, now, I do exfoliation.

08:52I use toners with AHAs, PHAs, ganyan.

08:55And, I do a lot of treatment.

08:57So, magbabago talaga yung skincare mo.

08:59Because, your skin needs change.

09:01And you also get older.

09:02So, normally, yung nangyayari diyan,

09:03as you get older, you may have to add, you know,

09:05more ingredients to address more skincare issues.

09:08Confidence is amplified when you feel good about yourself in your own skin.

09:18But, it's actually based on how you feel about yourself.

09:21And, should not be based on how others see you.

09:24Kasi, ano lang eh.

09:26Ganun talaga eh.

09:27I guess, it comes with age.

09:28I remember when I was younger,

09:30the things I would choose for myself

09:32would be based on what I felt others would approve,

09:36or others would like.

09:37Diba? Like, parang,

09:38Suiting ko kaya to.

09:39Kasi, parang feeling ko,

09:40tingin nila, maganda ako dito.

09:42But, as I got older,

09:43it's really now more about

09:45how I feel,

09:46what I want,

09:47where I feel good at.

09:49Parang ganun.

09:50So, I think,

09:51everything has to come from you eh.

09:53So, yun siya.

09:54Starting with your skin.

09:56So, that's it for today's episode of

09:58Cosmo Women at Work.

09:59I hope you got a glimpse of what a dermatologist does

10:02on a regular day.

10:03And, yun yung ginagawa ko guys.

10:05Minsan, nagkukonsulta.

10:06But, on other days,

10:07I do other things as well.

10:09If you have any questions,

10:10comments,

10:11or if you wanna just reach out to me,

10:13feel free to message me on my socials.

10:15Or, better yet,

10:16if you have skin issues that you want dealt with,

10:19you can visit me in my clinic

10:20at DermHQ.

10:22Bye Cosmo!

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