Go for treatments or practice self-love? Do you even have to choose?
Cosmo's very own Executive Editor Ida Aldana chats with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas about which trends are worth trying, daily habits that actually make a difference, and how to care for your skin without falling for hype. #CosmoConvosWithIda #skincare
VIDEO PRODUCED BY: Cherrie Julian VIDEO SHOT BY: Jino Del Mundo VIDEO EDITED BY: Olan Pingco
00:00Hey, Cosmo! Welcome to another episode of Cosmo Convos with Ida.
00:08That's me! And today, I'm here with...
00:10Hi, guys! I'm Dr. Gatorbred Amitas, and I'm a board-certified dermatologist.
00:15So, let's get started with the first question.
00:18Skin care is science, but social media loves trends.
00:21How do you keep it real without losing people's attention?
00:25Well, I try to make it understandable.
00:28Like, I try to give factual and scientific information, but I digest information into bits and pieces that are understandable by the common Pinoy, or by my audience.
00:38And, sometimes, I'm thinking about funny things, because my team, they do a lot of social listening, so they follow trends.
00:47And what we sometimes do is we bring trends to the information that I want my audience to know or to understand.
00:54Something that I want my audience to get or to understand.
00:57But you also mentioned earlier that it's not always about the trends. Like, you say no.
01:02No, no. Oo, yeah. Pinag-usapan namin kayo ni Ida.
01:05And, for me, trends are important, but they're not always good for everyone.
01:12Yeah.
01:12Diba? Like, for example, we were talking about it earlier that nowadays, kasi there are a lot of young patients who want to do anti-aging treatments.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Eh, gusto mo mag-lifting, mag-tightening, mag-tanggal ng wrinkles. Eh, those signs aren't even present yet.
01:25So, parang trends doesn't really mean na parang you have to get in on it and join the bandwagon.
01:30I think what's more important is really getting to know your skin, identifying the real problems that you have, if any.
01:37Or, for me, for young patients, prevention.
01:39Prevention.
01:40Like proper sun protection, you know, cleaning your face using the right products.
01:44It doesn't have to be as drastic.
01:46I think they misinterpret it na parang, oh, I have to prevent it before it happens.
01:51I have to get treatments agar.
01:52But it doesn't necessarily mean treatments, right?
01:55Yeah.
01:55It's just skincare sometimes.
01:57Oh, kasi in-analyze ko si Ida kanya.
01:59I said, ha, Ida, you don't need anything.
02:01You're still young.
02:03May maintenance lang.
02:04Kailangan nyo lang ng proper skincare routine.
02:06Yeah.
02:06Okay.
02:07There's been a cultural conversation.
02:09Some say, if you have the means, go for treatments.
02:12Kaya mo naman bayaran, it's your own money.
02:15While others preach, love yourself as you are.
02:18Like, accept yourself.
02:19That's how you were made.
02:20That's how you were born.
02:22How do you help Filipinas distinguish which one's the right way for them
02:29and find a healthy, realistic balance between embracing procedures and practicing self-love?
02:35Well, very good question, oh.
02:37For me, kasi, I don't see anything wrong about wanting to improve certain features,
02:43wanting to enhance.
02:45And because I think that's also a form of self-love.
02:47Kasi nga, gusto mong nga protectahan yung meron kaya.
02:49So, maintenance treatments, like mga facials or whatever, enhancement, like making your jaw look sharper, ganyan.
02:56For me, there's nothing wrong with that.
02:57As long as you know what you're getting into, you're doing it for yourself and not for other things.
03:04Like, alam mo yun, parang napilitan ka lang or na-peer pressure ka, ganyan.
03:09And for me, what's important is before you undergo a treatment or procedure, kailangan you're making an informed choice.
03:16You know what you're getting into, you know what's gonna happen, alam mo yung risks that go with it.
03:21And alam mo yung, or like, alam mo kung permanent ba siya, reversible or hindi.
03:25So, you know, a lot of patients come to me because they see, like, something online.
03:30And I really make sure that they understand.
03:32If you do this, ganito yung mga yari sa'yo.
03:35If hindi mo siya nagustuhan, it will go away in like three to five months or like a year or two years.
03:40So, for me, there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself because I believe it's a form of self-love.
03:45As long as you know what you're doing, why you're doing it, you're doing it for yourself, and you're making an informed choice.
03:51That's a nice mindset na parang, okay, I'm doing this not because I wanna change myself because I don't like myself.
03:59It's really like, I wanna protect what I have, I wanna improve on, is it improving?
04:04Yeah.
04:05On what you have, and then also just embracing yourself more and parang be the best version of yourself now.
04:11So, what makes an expert truly stand out is the willingness to keep evolving.
04:17So, what's a new area or development in dermatology or content creation that you're excited to explore?
04:24Well, you know, Ida, yung medyo nauso ngayon nga is what we call regenerative medicine.
04:30So, di ba dati parang, well, at least because I'm older.
04:33When I started in dermatology, a lot of doctors are focused on anti-aging, rejuvenation.
04:41So, it's more, I guess, repairing the signs of aging that have already appeared.
04:46But now, it's more about prevention and maintenance.
04:50So, like sun protection, for example.
04:53Kasi di ba, based on studies, 83% of what you see on the face, signs of aging, are due to UV radiation exposure.
05:00So, parang ngayon, bata pa lang sinasabi mo na, oh, make sure ha, avoid the sun, apply, you know, sunscreen, ganon.
05:06So, it's more focused on that.
05:08And a lot of the treatments we do now are like bio-stimulation, bio-regenerative.
05:13So, it's not anymore like before na parang, oh, baguhin natin yung itsura mo to, so that you look like this person.
05:20Now, it's more like, oh, let's protect what you have.
05:23Let's enhance what you have.
05:25And let's keep it like that for as long as we can.
05:28Mas ganon siya.
05:29So, like what you said earlier, the best version of yourself.
05:32Yeah, since we're talking about dermatology and content creation, was there a key moment or decision that helped you bridge your medical career with content creation?
05:43Kasi a lot of girls now, of course, like, syempre they have their medyo traditional dream.
05:52But at the same time, they also want to be content creators, which we all understand and we also support.
05:58So, how did you bridge that gap? Like, what made you realize na you want to do that?
06:04Well, ako kasi I started making content. I remember that was just before the pandemic. I think it was 2019.
06:10I was inspired by my uncle who's an orthopedic surgeon.
06:14Kasi yung ginagawa niya, kasi actually a spine surgeon, yung ginagawa niya, nagka-create siya ng PowerPoint presentations to show patients.
06:20Kasi paulit-ulit lang naman yan. For example, yung condition mo ganyan.
06:23So, nagpaprepare siya ng PowerPoint presentation to show patients who have the same problems. So, that complete, wala siyang nakakalimutan.
06:30So, ako sabi ko, eh, parang okay yan. Nagwakaya ko ng videos.
06:33That's how I started. And it was when I realized na parang, oh, yung videos ko pala are not only useful to my patients.
06:40They're also useful to those who don't have access or have limited access to anything about dermatology.
06:45Kasi, I mean, especially in the provinces, hindi pa naman ganun ka dami yung gumagawa ng mga treatments that we do.
06:52Or like, sometimes in far-flung areas, they have the internet, but they don't have access to doctors.
06:56So, when I realized na parang, oh, I can reach pala more people with what I do.
07:01That's actually, that was my turning point.
07:03And that's when I decided, oh, I want to keep doing this, not only for my patients.
07:06So, Cosmo has evolved over the years from print magazine to digital platforms.
07:12And so has the way we talk about beauty, confidence, and self-care.
07:17Did you ever read Cosmo growing up?
07:19And what does it mean to you now to be part of that conversation, both as a doctor, but also as a creator?
07:26Cosmo baby ako. Ano ba yung tawag doon?
07:28I remember kaya lang dati kasi syempre di na makakarelate yung mga young ones ngayon.
07:31Bumunta ba ako ng National Bookstore? Inaabangan ko pa yung releases.
07:34Cos usually they have the monthly, di ba? Monthly sya.
07:37And then, inaabangan mo pa yung nasa cover, ganyan.
07:40And then they have like, how do you say it, yung mga articles na paulit-ulit sya every month, di ba?
07:45So, yeah, it was very, very different then.
07:48And, you know, it was my go-to for beauty, lifestyle, and anything fashionable at that time.
07:53Especially since I'm from the province, so we have very, very limited access.
07:56So, parang yun yung nagkoconnect samin, mga taga-province, to like what's in in Manila, and the metro.
08:02I'm so happy that it's still here, it's still around.
08:05And now, it's like a more modern way nga of sharing the information.
08:10I think it kind of, it runs parallel to how information was disseminated before,
08:16na talagang you really wait to go to a doctor's office and sit down and read a pamphlet or something.
08:22A brochure about whatever it is that you have a problem for.
08:25And now, it's all online na.
08:27Sobrang accessible na nga yun.
08:28And yun nga, we connect na with each other.
08:30Like, it's not just like a siloed thing.
08:33Na parang, oh, that's the doctor's opinion and this is Cosmos.
08:38Pero now, it's really like collaborative in it.
08:41Yeah.
08:42Okay, so that's it.
08:43Doc, do you have anything else you want to share to the Cosmo girls?
08:46Well, first of all, I really enjoyed this conversation with you, Ida.
08:49Yes, it's our second one.
08:50There are a lot of people who remember, you know, when I was a teenager.
08:55But, you know, things are not always going to be easy.
08:58But, just think of the challenges that come your way as, like, a way of making you go into a better person.
09:04We need that.
09:04It's not possible for everything, right?
09:06And you would appreciate what, you know, achievements and goals you've reached if you go through hard times and difficulties.
09:14Okay, so yun lang.
09:15And, you know, please support me.
09:16Yes, can you share your socials with us?
09:18So, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
09:22Also, on Facebook as at Irene Gale.
09:25I share most of the information about the skin and sometimes some trendy reels also.
09:32We try to make it fun too, especially on my YouTube channel.
09:35I do collab with a lot of other content creators who are into skincare, lifestyle, even, you know, makeup, etc.
09:44That's it for today's episode of Cosmo Convos with Ida.
Be the first to comment