I had the chance to meet Vicki Belo when she was one of my clients (turned the tables on her) back in 1995. Her business was reeling from the recent death of a liposuction patient (not hers) and was now shook by its schizophrenic nature: am I a spa or a butt stretcher? Am I a surgeon or a breast augmenter?

Even her current site has problems articulating exactly what it is plastic surgery is needed for:

Ideal beauty is the attractiveness that is best suited for the individual, with an emphasis that this can be accomplished based not only on what fits the meaning of being beautiful according to the current times, but also the compatibility of this style to the person's total make-up.

Wha?

That said, the woman had vision (and great skin!). She knew that cosmetic procedures in the U.S. were becoming massively popular because the technology was advancing into making it both more effective AND accessible. Prices for procedures were falling and consequently the market expanded.

Her vision was to be the best in her field, technically. And she had the credentials and the gear. However, her marketing approach was different (which is why the philosophical mumbo jumbo above is really all that, philisophical mumbo jumbo): cosmetic surgery, from butts to boobjobs, is about sex. And indeed sex sells. Yes, they have patients recovering from burn injuries, but why cut yourself up if not to look more physically attractive? It's not like going to the gym to start looking good AND be healthier. Furthermore, I believe the notions of changing your physical appearance -- a higher level of vanity -- is so alien to Filipinos, who themselves are culturally not all that physically vain, that Belo needed to "popularize" the idea of doing exactly that. Compare Korean women in college -- with their fashionista packaging, their extrafolded eyelids and their wanton use of makeup -- with their Filipino counterparts and you'll see what I mean.

So, calling on Rosanna Roces (a current favorite at BV) to become her celeb endorser was sheer marketing genius. Rosanna is fun, she's provocative, she's sexy and she's "masa" (almost "jologs") that she is able to embody (pun intended) all the narcissism and vanity that surrounds cosmetic surgery and poke fun at it -- making it appear acceptable. And, more importantly, current, and as easy as smiling and twisting her hips.

Now, curiously enough, Vicki Belo has a new vision:

The future, according to Dr. Vicky, is the thread face. It involves no cutting of facial skin and its healing time is much quicker than a traditional face-lift.

"I have been doing this procedure for three years now and Americans have been doing it for three months only," she says. "That's why I was invited to speak on this Russian-invented procedure. I said that the Philippines could be the cosmetic surgery capital of the world.

Yes, yes, the world.