Vlad Bunoan

Dr. Michelle Supapo of Ysera Aesthetics Center

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Leah C. Salterio

MANILA — In an aesthetics industry often fueled by celebrity endorsements, viral TikTok treatments and aggressive sales tactics, Ysera Aesthetics Center is charting a different course — one built on medical discipline and patient-first care.Six years after opening its doors in January 2020, the clinic has expanded from non-surgical procedures into facial and body surgeries, while maintaining what its founders describe as a non-negotiable principle: safety over sales.“I’m a doctor first, not a businesswoman,” said Dr. Michelle Supapo, who leads the clinic’s non-surgical services. “I say no to patients more than I say yes.”When Ysera opened, business development head Noel Agbayani manned the front desk himself.“We didn’t have any budget to hire a receptionist,” he told ABS-CBN News. Just months later, pandemic lockdowns forced the newly opened clinic to close for a cumulative six months.Ysera previously had a branch in Ortigas, but the clinic was closed down two years ago. “Many of our patients follow our doctors,” Agbayani said. “The distance of the two clinics was just near, so the patients can just transfer if they want to see their preferred doctor. We decided to close it.”Ysera has two non-surgical doctors – Supapo and Dr. Celestine Azurin. For surgical, Dr. Patrick David Tan performs the facial surgeries, while Dr. Plutarc Encela does the body surgeries and handles liposuction, breast augmentation and butt lift. They started offering surgical services in 2023. Tan is the classmate in medicine of Supapo’s younger brother. “They’ve been friends ever since,” Agbayani said. The brother is an orthopedic surgeon, who graduated from the Philippine Orthopedic College. He also joined PAPSI (Philippine Association of Physics and Science Instructors).<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1771896907268IMG_2916.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-dragging" width="960"/>Non-surgical doctor Dr. Michelle Supapo of Ysera Aesthetics Center. Handout</div>Ysera’s expansion became a challenge for the team, especially when they started their surgical procedures. “That’s very risky,” said Agbayani. “That was not the hardest but the most challenging. That was high-risk for us because we were not known yet for surgical. But we started to market him (Dr. Tan) and get his work to become recognized by other people.”Drs. Tan and Supapo both graduated University of Sto. Toma and are also members of PAPSI. “In one of her classes, Dr. Michelle saw Dr. Patrick whom she knows through her younger brother,” said Agbayani. “The plan started so Ysera was born. It was Patrick who started Ysera even before he graduated, since Dr. Michelle was working for another clinic before.”Dr. Tan’s family own Kairos Maternity and General Hospital in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. He comes from a family of doctors. Officially, he and Dr. Supapo are business partners for Ysera Aesthetics Center.They get to concentrate on their respective crafts, so the business side was relegated to Agbayani.The mushrooming pace of skin clinics in Manila proves the huge potential of beauty clinics. “But it’s also a bad thing that there are other doctors who are teaching their staff, who are not physicians, to do injections or insert IVs (intravenous),” Agbayani lamented.<div> </div><div>Injectables</div>Dr. Supapo, who takes care of Ysera’s non-surgical patients, concentrates on anti-aging and aesthetic treatments. She does not do pathologic treatments and refers the patients to dermatologists. She focuses on injectables. “We started in 2020 and we were the lowest among the priority clinics of patients,” said Dr. Supapo. “We want to abide by the rules and regulations and right after we opened in January, we were mandated to close because the lockdown started. We were closed for a cumulative six months in 2020. Thank God, that was the turning point of self-care. We saw our patients in good times and bad times.”Dr. Supapo learned her fine motor skills when she earlier took her first specialization before she shifted to aesthetics. “Injectables need light hands, fine motor,” she stressed. “That’s not an easy field to master. Similar to an artist, your basis is the face.“The biggest challenge for me is not to make a beautiful patient more beautiful. The risk of having complications is high. There are women who are beautiful and yet, do not get satisfied with the treatment they’ve done. So we have a surgeon for body dysmorphic disorders.”She has denied treatments for patients. “There are quite a lot of patients who were blindsided by treatments, so on our sixth year, I say no to patients more than I say yes,” said Supapo. “For me, it’s not a loss. When we started, Patrick and I, our goal was really patient care. The safety of patients goes first. We want our patients to trust us. I’m happy to refer the patients to other doctors.”The holy grail advice that Dr. Supapo gives to patients is to have a good skin care routine. “The basic will be a good facial wash, good moisturizer and sun screen,” she said.In the advent of many lunch time procedures and injectable machines, patients normally end up with so many bruises. “Today, there are so many new technology with very minimal down time,” Dr. Supapo said. “We are an elective industry. We have to be extra careful with the treatments we offer.“The patients choose to see us. We are not bounded by health cards and PhilHealth. They pay through cash basis. So we have to give patients the best possible treatments. We cater through all walks of life – A to D patients. Some even save up for their treatments. It sparks joy in me when I see my patients in pictures posing their look and they look really good.”<div> </div><div>Lip filler</div>One of Dr. Supapo’s specialties is lip filler. “There are patients who want more and more,” she said. “They are never satisfied. I say no to a lot of that. Also there are a lot of machines. I just tell them, ‘I’m here as your doctor to guide you. So I will tell you what you need. So please trust me when I tell you that you don’t need this particular treatment.’“I always tell them [any] procedure is not risk-free. No matter what procedure you do, there is always a risk involved. As a doctor, I don’t want to subject any patient to unnecessary risks. My goal for every patient is to bring out the best in you and still look you. I never want patients to feel, after coming to us, her features changed.”“They come to me with a handful of concerns. I want to list down the top three after a patient consult. There’s a fine line before monetary gains and what is best for the patient. I will rather be remembered as a doctor who will prioritize patient’s safety first versus financial gains.“Patients feel that. You recommend ten treatments right away? We can create a treatment plan the patient is comfortable with. I don’t want them to feel na parang nabudol sila. Hindi ‘yung isang bagsakan. I’m a doctor first, not a business woman. In the clinic, we take it slow, the patient’s pace.”<div> </div><div>Not magic</div>Aesthetic treatments are not “magic,” insisted Dr. Supapo. “There are no instant results. You need multiple sessions to achieve your goal. So let’s focus on your first goal. When we’re done with that, let’s move on to the second. My priority is always face because you cannot hide it even with so much concealer or foundation. The body you can hide with clothing.“So for patients who are in their 40s and are really busy, I try to create a treatment plan. The patient does not have to go to the clinic often, yet she can do a lot of other things, like injectables or bio-simulators come in. The interval is three months.“For the CEOs, businesswomen, working women or working mothers who are busy, I try to schedule their treatment in advance and they can follow it. Something doable with their schedule. We don’t give her something that’s not in line with what she needs.” Some of the ladies who visit Ysera saw the treatment of TikTok. “I saw this treatment, my friend did it. It looked nice on her. But it’s not suitable to the patient. They have to understand every patient is different.”For 2026, Ysera Aesthetics Center will bring in non-invasive machines to do procedures that patients can do with no down time. “My goal is to bring the best treatments all over the world here to the Philippines,” said Dr. Supapo. “Filipino patients deserve good treatments in a sense that they get what they need.”

In an aesthetics industry often fueled by celebrity endorsements, viral TikTok treatments and aggressive sales tactics, Ysera Aesthetics Center is charting a different course — one built on medical discipline and patient-first care.

In an aesthetics industry often fueled by celebrity endorsements, viral TikTok treatments and aggressive sales tactics, Ysera Aesthetics Center is charting a different course — one built on medical discipline and patient-first care.

Why Ysera Aesthetics Center does not rely on celebrity endorsers

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Why Ysera Aesthetics Center does not rely on celebrity endorsers

Leah C. Salterio

Published Feb 28, 2026 11:15 AM PHT

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