Celebrating a legacy of beauty and confidence

1. Vicki Belo 2. Scarlet Snow Belo 3. Hayden Kho 4. Andrea Beldua 5. Nicole Andersson 6. Ruffa Gutierrez 7. Cristalle Belo-Pitt 8. Camille Co-Koro 9. Chris Nick Delos Reyes 10. Gina Lorenzana 11. Raymond Gutierrez 12. Liz Uy 13. Anne Curtis 14. BJ Pascual 15. Rei Germar 16. Donny Pangilinan 17. Mateo Laurel 18. KC Del Rosario 19. Bea Millan Windorski 20. Vanna Garcia 21. Ahtisa Manalo 22. Bela Racelis 23. Peewee Reyes-Isidro 24. Vice Ganda 25. Sarah Geronimo 26. Virgie Ramos 27. Anthony Pangilinan 28. Maricel Laxa Pangilinan 29. Garlic Garcia 30. Solenn Heussaff 31. Jess Wilson 32. Nicole Hernandez 33. Iñigo Zobel 34. Quark Henares 35. Michelle Dee 36. Rhian Ramos 37. Emilienne Vigier 38. Mari Jasmine 39. Sergio Azuaga 40. Gazini Ganados 41. Alexa Ilacad 42. Hannah Pangilinan 43. Ivana Alawi 44. Andrea Brillantes 45. Zeinab Harake 46. Rocio Zobel 47. Max Collins | Collage by Tine Paz-Yap

In the world of aesthetic medicine, no other name may resound as loudly as that of Dr. Vicki Belo’s—a pioneer in the field, starting from just a small clinic in 1990 and evolving into a household name when it comes to all things beauty 36 years later.

Last week, the doctor, entrepreneur, and beauty icon celebrated her birthday surrounded by family, friends, and her “Belo babies”—artists, celebrities, and public figures who have long entrusted caring for their skin to the Belo Medical Group.

After the festivities, Dr. Belo shares some of the ideas and people that ground her as the Belo Medical Group continues to thrive.

What are important lessons you can share with young women who also aspire to start their own business?

Find what you are passionate about and figure out how to make money from it. I have a passion to make people happy by making them beautiful; that’s why I first started being an aerobic instructor for 12 years, and then later became an aesthetic dermatologist.

Be imaginative. Play scenarios in your head over and over again and figure out the challenges you might face and how to fix them. Another important tip that might help is to figure out how to delight people because people love surprises and novelty. When I was just starting out and on a limited budget, I would bake apple pies or chocolate chip cookies and serve them to patients. Now that I can afford better, we have surprise gifts for our patients—my latest Belo Nexa clinic has a robot barista that makes 3D art!

What are the essential qualities of a woman in order to thrive in their chosen field?

To thrive in any field, it’s also important to be courageous. Remember that courage is not the absence of fear—it’s being fearful but doing it anyway.

You should also be ready to work 24/7 and take on many roles. When I first started Belo 36 years ago, we were only four people in the clinic. I knew how to do facials, massages, and cleaning. I loved every second of it!

Most importantly, make sure that you have a higher purpose. Higher than just making money. For me, it was making people look great to give them more confidence to be the best versions of themselves and live their best lives.

What’s a misconception about women entrepreneurs and business owners you want to disprove?

It’s not true that women entrepreneurs are too emotional or that we get a bit crazy five days a month because of our periods. Women entrepreneurs are a good combination of business acumen with a heart! (Thanks, Pia!)