As a medical professional who works to make her patients not just look, but also feel beautiful, Dr. Kaycee Reyes reminds us that beauty is, indeed, so much more than what meets the eye.
By Maan D’Asis Pamaran
Photography by Mark Chester Ang
The blockbuster Barbie movie tackled societal expectations on women, including having to look a certain way in order to be successful. Sadly, it’s not all fiction.
“These expectations can put undue pressure on us, and, as women, this is challenging because we need to work hard and we have to take care of our family and, through it all, we still have to look beautiful,” explains Dr. Kristina “Kaycee” Cuevas Reyes Bacani of Luminisce Skin and Laser Clinic.
While she is in the business of making people feel beautiful, Doc Kaycee, as she is fondly called by her patients, adds that how a person takes care of himself or herself from within is equally important. This is why she offers holistic premium skin, body and wellness solutions that are tailored to fit to every individual’s specific needs in her clinics. Kaycee says she was inspired to study medicine by a glamorous and well put together pediatrician she met when she was a child playing along the hallways of her uncle’s hospital in Tanauan, Batangas. She initially wanted to specialize in pediatrics, but while she was in her first year of residency, she decided to go in a different direction.
“I had a realization one day at 3 a.m., that this was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was not going to be happy, and therefore cannot provide the best for my patients. It was a good thing that Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan had invited me to work with him in traditional medicine at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH),” she shares with PeopleAsia.
There, she learned to complement medical science with traditional or alternative forms of medicine like acupuncture. “This exposure taught me that what I learned in medical school might not be the only thing that I can offer to the patient. I can also offer things that could complement their treatments to make them feel better. Right now, I practice evidence-based medicine and then I pair it with alternative or complementary medicine, which is mainly preventive,” she explains.
Seeing how the state of one’s skin shows signs of overall health, Kaycee pursued her studies overseas, eventually earning a Diploma in Dermatology from King’s College and a Master of Science in Clinical Dermatology from St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital in London.
After having served as a visiting fellow in Dermatologic Laser Surgery at the National Skin Centre in Singapore, she now specializes in lasers and in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Kaycee also completed a visiting fellowship in Dermatologic Laser Surgery at the University of Ramathibodi Hospital — Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. She has also recently completed her Master of Science in Preventive and Regenerative Medicine at Dresden International University in Germany, making her one of the few physicians to have an internationally accredited degree in the field.
“I always knew that if I’m going to have my own practice, it’s going to be not just about skin, pathologic or not just aesthetic, it’s more of holistic, meaning wellness inside and out. You make the patient better by also looking into his or her overall health,” she explains.
She established Luminisce 11 years ago. Her first branch at the Bonifacio Global City is now joined by two more clinics in Alabang and The Podium. “We offer a combination of aesthetic dermatology, cosmetic surgery and preventive medicine. So when I see a patient, just in case he or she has a concern, it’s not just aesthetic I look at. I review, for example, the patient’s hormones, stress and other factors. Sometimes, it’s not just the body, or your health, or your beauty. It’s also the mind. Mental health is just as important, especially now that everything is fast-paced. It’s just so hard to catch up and evolve.”
She adds, “We’re known for medical aesthetic, not really for preventive medicine. But usually you will see that patients have other concerns aside from just getting a treatment done. I ask about their concerns and give them options that they might not be aware of. I assess them and find out what may be lacking in their wellness journey and suggest some preventive measures that they might want to incorporate in their lifestyles.”
This is also why she launched her line of Innosense products such as Pure Organic juices, honey citron elixir, turkey patties and cauliflower rice, to help boost natural nutrition towards holistic wellness. The idea came as she is raising her two children and want to give them the benefits of good, healthy food even when she is busy pursuing her career.
When she is not occupied by work and bonding with her family through traveling, swimming and baking, she also channels her energy to bringing health care to the provinces as the vice president of the Health Futures Foundation, which runs the Alaga Ka Project. “I am still working with Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, and we bring nurses and midwives to offer basic health services such as immunizations to far-flung barangays.”
True beauty
Over the years, Kaycee noticed how much the industry has evolved. She notes, for example, that Gen Zers are more open about going to her clinics for treatments, and they are quite proactive about taking care of their skin and undergoing preventive procedures. She has also been getting more male patients for procedures such as lifting, pore minimizing and getting stronger-looking chins and jawlines.
“I am also happy to see patients who take extra care to make themselves beautiful. Usually, going to our clinic is the last thing they do in taking care of themselves. They also exercise and eat healthy, making us the add-on for aesthetics,” she says.
More than just giving their patients the perfect nose inspired by a photo of their favorite celebrity, for example, she says, one of the questions Kaycee and her team ask is what their favorite facial feature is. “For me, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and it is important that they also celebrate their own true beauty and like what they see. This also comes from knowing yourself and loving yourself, without the expectations and opinions of others.”
Self-love is beautiful, and she always wants proven safety and effective results from the products that she uses on her own skin. “I also take probiotics and antioxidants, and I avoid processed food because it increases the risk of inflammation on the body. I try to exercise at least three to four times a week. I am more mindful now because of the kids. You have to take care of the body because it’s where our mind resides, and where the spirit is,” she says.
The doctor, who is in the industry of helping people gain confidence through their appearance, ends the interview by giving her own definition of beauty. “It is something that can inspire you and ignite your passion. It’s not just the way you look, but also the way you walk, the way you laugh and the way you inspire other people. Life is about making yourself better, not just by improving your looks, but also making yourself better in each aspect of your life,” she concludes.
Art direction by Dexter Francis de Vera
Makeup by Precious Antunez
Hair by Rudolf Davalos
Styling by Bea Guerrero and Christopher Alerta of New Collective Style
