Everything You Want To Know About The Belo Skin Genius

Up until recently, if you wanted a non-invasive skin lifting and smoothing treatment, you were limited to Ultherapy and Thermage machines which, make no mistake, can really work to target and address skin concerns such as premature aging and sagging. However, this particular technology wouldn’t go so far as to be able to fully address skin concerns such as scarring (from acne or other wounds), uneven skin tone and texture, large pores, and the list goes on.

Enter the Skin Genius, which is a treatment that addresses both skin laxity/looseness (like Thermage FLX) and skin texture (like Belo’s own Skin Quality Program), all in one. You may have been curious about the all-in-one magic of the Skin Genius, or perhaps seen your favorite Hollywood celebrities on social media going for a quick Genius session on the regular, but just didn’t know where to start reading up if it's for you. Whether you are familiar with it or not, this treatment might be exactly what your skin needs to “wake up” and get that extra boost of glow!

In a nutshell, the Genius is a revolutionary treatment that takes microneedling to the next level by combining it with radio frequency (RF) energy to reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and texture, brighten complexion, and correct minor sagging and firm up skin with minimal to no pain and downtime. While it can treat practically any area of the body you wish, even smoothing cellulite like magic, it’s normally used on the face, neck, and chest area. This treatment sees ultrafine needles (49 of them to be exact!) penetrating the skin in order to cause minor injuries that stimulate healing from the inside out, waking up the cells to work harder. Simultaneously, these needles work to deliver RF energy to firm up, tighten, and boost the skin’s natural production of collagen and elastin over time.

When the Belo team asked us who would want to try firsthand the Belo Skin Genius treatment, I automatically raised my hand and volunteered as tribute. I’m always curious about the latest skin improving technology and treatments—especially when they are non-invasive and painless—and I had heard many great things about this revolutionary procedure that I just needed to try it for myself. And so there I was, a couple of weeks after turning the big 3-0, when I headed down to the Belo flagship clinic at One Bonifacio High Street to try the Belo Skin Genius firsthand and, spoiler alert, it didn’t disappoint!

Belo Medical Group was the first in the country to bring in the Lutronic Genius machine late last year and it was heavily tested by Dr. Belo and Dr. Kho before it was slowly introduced to their hand picked skin treatment offerings in clinics. The Belo Skin Genius is a powerhouse skin-tightening and skin texture-improving treatment that lifts and rejuvenates the skin, and much like in other countries, gives results that can last for 6 months to 12 months. However, Belo does the Genius a bit more special in technique and, without revealing too much, uses the Lutronic Genius machine to its max potential so that clients walk out with a maximum glow up and the most bang for buck.

The procedure

My Belo Skin Genius procedure began with a thorough and effective application of anesthesia (emla) to areas of the face. (I say thorough and effective because if the anesthesia is weak, you will likely feel pain and discomfort. I’m happy to report that in my experience through the years, Belo clinics’ emla/anesthesia is the most numbing I’ve experienced. This was the case when I tried the Thermage FLX last year in April at the Belo Alabang clinic. While waiting for the anesthesia to work its maximum effect, Dr. Robby Romero gave a quick but thorough orientation and run through of the Skin Genius. He noted that, what makes the Skin Genius so special, is that it analyzes and adjusts the technology and power it delivers based on the area it is about to work on—making it practically impossible to walk out of the treatment room unhappy because of a miscalculation of what your skin needs.

After 30-40 minutes, we began the procedure by dividing the first sections of the face to work on and where to focus. For this, we halved my face into two sides—the right and the left—also so we can gauge how much needs to be done per side to achieve maximum facial symmetry and balance, as well. On my face and neck, with particular attention to eyelids which were beginning to look a bit droopy, Doc Robby delivered a total of 1515 pulses at a depth of 2.6 mm. The best part for me, with the Belo Skin Genius tech, you can use the same RF energy waves on the neck to firm and lift. (Other machines don’t allow for this because they penetrate too deep, whereas Skin Genius reaches a level that is adequately safe but also adequately effective.)

The results/payoff

I’ll be extremely honest here but it was actually kind of shocking to see the results so quickly. With other treatments similar to this, some that use ultrasound technology and others that use radio frequency energy waves as well, the results don’t show up right away… perhaps begin to be visible within a month or two months. (I’ve tried both tech before.) With the Belo Skin Genius, you’ll see it instantly. That’s not to say your skin will look perfect because it will definitely look a bit swollen and irritated (from the microneedles penetrating skin) but it is definitely tighter, firmer, and more lifted. There is downtime of about 1-3 days while your skin heals but it’s worth it—and skin looks and feels refreshed, brighter, and more radiant every day that passes by! (Plus, the needles don’t penetrate so deep that they will leave scars or damage skin.)

The procedure itself was painless, maybe just a bit of a tingling sensation at some parts of the face and neck, notably where skin is thinner and more sensitive. I was able to very easily carry a conversation with Dr. Robby and Berna, who assisted him the whole time. My downtime was 2 days, and I was instructed to minimize sun exposure and only use facial cleanser, sunblock (for day time), and the two topical medicine creams to help my skin heal fast. Within a week, my pores already felt smaller and my overall complexion was brighter and more even. My skin was already less bumpy and was smoother and more taut to touch. Big difference personally was my slimmed down face and neck, as well as lifted eye area. Now, five weeks later, I can definitely say the Belo Skin Genius “woke up” my skin—it's brighter, tighter, and smoother in texture.

Interview with Dr. Belo

For this story, I got to chat with Dr. Belo herself via Zoom for a comprehensive Q&A about the Belo Skin Genius treatment! Read on below. 

1. What do you personally love about the Belo Skin Genius?

The first thing I love is that it’s totally painless. The second thing is that, unlike other tightening devices like Thermage and Ulthera, this one, there’s a skin texture component. It makes your skin texture much better. I had some scars from pimples before that never responded to Fraxel (laser), Thermage (radio frequency), or Ulthera (ultrasound)—which went away in one session of Skin Genius.

Also, when I do my Skin Genius, I do it together with the LaseMD which is a thulium-laser delivery system that uses nanoparticles to deliver serums to the deeper layers of the skin. (There’s resveratrol for hydration and anti-aging, stem cells to create more collagen and elastin, etc.)

I also love [Skin Genius] because it’s the only machine that’s effective for arm, armpit, and butt tightening—none of the other machines work for body and skin tightening in the way it does. It’s also perfect on the neck. No other machine can do it—Ultherapy and Thermage cannot tighten the neck. It’s also great for eyelids. Whereas for Thermage and Ulthera, you need a separate tip pa. The nice thing about Genius is that you can do your whole face and that includes the neck as well in one session.

2. Please explain the tech behind Belo Skin Genius and why one might want to consider it.

Microneedling has been around for a really long time. The concept behind it is that when you injure the skin slightly, you wake up the fibroblasts which are the factories that make collagen and elastin, and enable faster healing. But, microneedling isn’t that great on its own. Sometimes, it could actually create some holes or damage the skin too much that it cannot heal it. So parang pa minsan may mga holes ka pa from microneedling instead of improving it!

Adding radio-frequency, which is enough heat, allows these microneedles to go down to the level of the dermis (below epidermis and above subcutaneous)—there is a junction between the dermis and epidermis and when you hit that level and create heat, it wakes the skin cells even more. You have more elastin, collagen, and all the healing substances. It really helps with acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, and it can really make elastin and collagen thicker. That’s what the radiofrequency does—it gives more oomph to the effect.

3. Who benefits the most from the treatment?

I think it’s really made for younger people. If you’re older, you’ll likely need to do more sessions. It will definitely benefit. For example, a young person can do one session and see a big difference. But if you’re above 45, you need to do 2-3 sessions to get the same results. For Skin Genius treatments for patients 45 and above, you have to do 2 sessions 3 months apart. Whereas for 45 and below, just one session every 6 months to a year. 

4. Three signs someone should book a Skin Genius treatment, stat!

First, if you have acne scars because it is the best for acne scars. Second, it’s good for sagging jawline. Third, it works well for droopy eyelids. 

5. Post-procedure effects and results to look forward to?

Immediately after procedure, there’s skin tightening and lifting. After one month or two months, you’ll notice that pores are getting smaller and scars are disappearing. The patient will notice an improvement in overall skin texture. There’s also a visible glow from new collagen and elasti. Pigmentation gets better and eyes are more open. 

6. How can patients maintain the results of the Belo Skin Genius post procedure?

They need to use creams! We have a whole program of the zero blemish from Zein Obagi and the Fillmed Boosters, as well as the LaseMD.

Book an appointment at Belo through their website https://www.belomed.com/, or through their numbers (+632) 8819-BELO (2356) and (+63) 999-8857273 on Viber. Follow Belo on Instagram at @belobeauty for promos and updates. Shop Belo Med products at shop.belomed.com.