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It’s roughly eight months to our wedding day, yet I’m a long way off from my body goal (I know, I have major body issues, but I’m a bride-to-be—that’s my excuse). For now, I’m still pinning all my hopes and efforts on hot yoga and cardio from regular 5K brisk walks. And while I’ve made the effort to cut back on food, moderating what I eat has proven to be as hard as losing weight in my 30s. Unfortunately, age slows down metabolism.

So, it’s good to have a back up plan, and recently, I got a few ideas from Aiko Melendez, who remains an absolute stunner at 41 with a more fit bod. If she can get back in shape at 41 through an active lifestyle, balanced diet (she hasn’t had rice in three years and avoids pork!), and a little help from a certified professional who can do wonders, then so can we regular ladies, right?

Aiko Melendez with Contours Medical Director Claudine Roura

Aiko is the newest face (and body) of Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute, and she went through several procedures under the hands of Medical Director Claudine Roura, reportedly the pioneer of Vaser Liposcuplture in the country and the only one authorized to administer it here. Aiko began the procedures in May 2016, and looks incredible now, less than a year later. I saw Aiko’s svelte and proportioned figure for myself at the press conference. While it’s true that her amazing transformation is a combination of many activities and elements, strategic treatments that combine both surgical and non-surgical procedures show that cosmetic enhancement done right can enhance the effects of one’s fitness efforts. She has lost 52lbs. to date and continues to be motivated by how happy she is with how she looks and how people are noticing it, too. She still hopes to lose 20lbs. more!

So yes, we still have to work for it, ladies. Sure we can take diet pills, apple cider vinegar, L-carnitine, etc., but according to Dr. Roura, while these help, they have to be combined with a strict diet and exercise program, then enhanced with treatments if we are to achieve the results we really want. Here are some of the treatments that I’m adding to my “desperate measures” options when I still haven’t achieved my dream body a few months before the wedding:

1. Vaser 4D Tummy Tuck. Want to get rid of your love handles or muffin top? This combo treatment targets loose skin, muscles, and fat deposits to help you achieve a shapely silhouette with a more toned torso. It’s 4D because it includes movement, besides length, height, and width in the procedure. This highly sophisticated technique not only produces a natural result, bruising and swelling are also visibly less, so you can reportedly recover in a shorter amount of time. You can supposedly even travel soon after. For Aiko, Dr. Roura also fixed an old liposuction; apparently, it’s easy to do a suction, harder to sculpt to make everything look even, and this is what Dr. Roura does with what’s left after suctioning out the fat. This procedure is not for weight loss, it’s for sculpting.

2. Vaser Lipo of Thighs and Arms. Sometimes, no matter how long or hard you exercise or what nutritional plans you try, there remain hard-to-melt fat areas in the body. Then there are those saggy, bulky, and disproportioned arms and/or legs that we just want to hide under loose, dark clothing. A reportedly safe and steady solution to consider for these problem areas is Vaser Lipo, which allows for quicker recovery—three days are enough for most patients to get back to a light version of their normal routine—and helps one achieve slimmer and more toned arms or thighs in two to three months.

3. Thermitight Skin Tightening for Lower Face and Neck. A lot of brides focus too much on weight loss that they forget to ensure they have glowing, tighter, and softer skin that will look good in closeup photos, too! This minimal invasive treatment can reportedly help you achieve better skin, as it gently targets specific tissues to delay signs of aging, remove double chin, and improve the jawline—things that I’m now super conscious about! The procedure involves using injectable RF to heat the dermis of the skin to tighten and stimulate new collagen formation, as well as tone and smoothen skin. The complete procedure involves manageable downtime that reportedly leaves no scarring with almost immediate results that continue to improve as days go by.

4. Thermidry for Underarm Sweating. Excessive underarm sweating is the last thing we want in any event, especially if it happens to be our big day, which can take us from the wedding preps, church ceremony (sometimes sans air-conditioning—imagine how hot that can get in our long white gown and veil), all the way to the post-ceremony shoot and all-nighter reception and party. Those wet marks on our white dress and just the knowledge that our pits are sweating buckets? Totally a confidence downer. So for those who have tried everything to keep this problem at bay, Thermidry for underarm sweating is reportedly a safer, more affordable (than Botox injections) option. It’s also supposed to be without downtime and can last for a good number of years.

Aiko talks about her experience undergoing all four treatments

A caveat: None of these treatments are safe for breastfeeding moms. If you’re considering them to get back to your pre-pregnancy body, make sure to do so when you’re no longer breastfeeding and only at least six months after you’ve given birth.

To know more about Contours, contact their main clinic at +632-5564878 or email drclaudine@rouradermsurgery.com. For a complete list of services and branches, visit contours.com.ph. 

CONTOURS Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute is located at the following: 

• 2nd floor, South Park Plaza, Paseo de Magallanes, Makati City, Philippines. Contact them at +632-5564878, +632-4035533,+63915-1163911, and info@contours.com.ph.
• 5th floor Bldg A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. Call them at +632-6354984.
• 3rd level, SM BF Paranaque, Dr. A Santos Ave. Sucat, Paranaque City. Call them at +63916-5509873.

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