“Walang retoke (no touch-up)” and “natural beauty.” These are the two comments netizens always make each time pictures of local female stars in their prime are posted on Facebook.

Social media users have to understand that even in the days of yore, publicity photos of movie stars already involved an entire glam squad — from the trained makeup artist to the seasoned hairstylist.

Then came the skilled photographer. Angles of the subject were carefully studied. Susan Roces may have been dubbed as “the face that refreshes,” but she was difficult to photograph because of her prominent cheeks.

The last stage required a touch-up team to correct imperfections on the images captured on camera. Yes, publicity photos even then had to undergo photo-shop. Unlike today when there are so many apps to make corrections to photographs, in the old days, it was a laborious process.

But to the credit of the people doing the retouch, they were able to perfect those images. They did the job despite the absence of modern technology.

And so, the creases that formed around the mouth of actors when they smiled for the camera magically disappeared. Eye bags? Those were the easiest to erase.

“Walang retoke?” Hah! Sorry to disappoint you, but the pictures of stars in the past that you so admire today had all been touched up.

You want more? Hold on to your seats, but even in the 1950s, faces were already being altered by doctors. They didn’t say, “Salamat, duktor (Thank you, doctor),” because there were no ex-deals yet in those days.

Hush-hush job

Doctors didn’t advertise back then since that smacked of lack of professionalism on the part of the medical practitioner. Only those who performed circumcision put out advertisements – in the classified ads. Doctors who tampered with faces though kept their work hush-hush.

Sometime in the 1950s, at around 3 in the morning, there was panic on the set of a film that was being rushed for exhibition. No, there was no accident. The situation was worse than that: The nose of the female star was melting under the hot klieg lights!

The actress had paraffin injected into her nose to give her a nice profile. Too bad for this movie queen, the spotlights used in those days were hot and harsh. Her wax-infused nose was surely going to melt under that heat.

She was lucky though that in the place where they were filming, there was a house nearby that had a refrigerator. In the 1950s, not all homes had refs. Ice cubes were brought in to help save her disintegrating nose.

In the 1980s, an action superstar was so bothered by his potbelly that he sought medical remedy to help bring him back in shape. Liposuction had yet to be perfected and still unsafe and so his doctor had to be creative.

What his doctor did was to cut him up – like he was undergoing a cesarean operation. I don’t know if it was a bikini cut that his doctor did on him. Most likely, even the term bikini cut did not appear yet in medical books that time.

All I know was that he was opened up and the doctor scraped off all the fat in his stomach. After that, he was stitched up back again.

When the anesthesia wore off, he was said to have been in so much pain that he howled like a hyena in the desserts of Africa. Oh, how he prayed to the saints in heaven. He could have also called on the gods of Olympus, except that he didn’t know anything about Greek mythology.

Crease-free faces

Today, those who undergo liposuction are often outpatients. And there are a lot of medical procedures to choose from to get rid of body fat. Radio frequencies (RF) can help melt fat in all body parts – from the arms to the thighs, and especially the stomach.

Fitness centers – or gyms – have ceased to be a profitable business. Skin clinics, however, are now making a killing because everyone wants it the easy way. Quick fix. That’s what most people embrace today.

What’s alarming is that the clients of a lot of skin clinics are mostly in their teens. That shouldn’t be cause for worry if those youngsters go for acne treatments. Or maybe allergies.

These teens, however, go to skin clinics for Botox. Teen stars as young as 17 or 18 now have their faces injected with Botox. And since “influencers” rule the world today, their followers do the same.

I have no medical background, but I feel that there is something terribly wrong about teens having Botox, which paralyzes muscles to make the face crease-free.

Botox is short for Botulinum toxin. I don’t have the medical expertise to explain how it works. But I do remember that when it came around early in the millennium, people were wary of having Botox.

It was deemed to be poison. However, decades have passed and it is still around. No one seems to have died after undergoing the procedure. But is it for young people?

I didn’t want to ask just any dermatologist because I may not get an objective answer to queries running in my head. I can imagine some dermatologists pushing Botox for teens since that’s good for their business.

In my research, I found out that the best resource person to ask is a member of the Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive Aesthetic Surgeons – or PAPRAS. There are less than 200 of them in country.

This was how I met Dr. Trish Correa of SG Clinic, which is owned by Ms. Helen Camacho and some Singaporean partners. SG Clinic offers liposuction, eye bag removal and other major medical procedures, including serious burns.

According to Dr. Correa, no, it is not good for teens to have Botox for the simple reason that the age of 18 even up to 21 is still part of the pediatric stage. But why do teens today want to have Botox procedures?

“To have glass skin,” says Dr. Correa. Glass skin is a type of complexion that is luminous, smooth – without pores. It’s the Korean influence, says Dr. Correa.

The real price

What those teens don’t realize is that having glass skin is genetic. Koreans have the best skin types because they don’t have pores. Plus, their skin tends to be thicker. They even improve on that by having a rigorous skincare regimen.

The Filipino youth though still want the glass skin of the Koreans. And that can be achieved through Botox, which will make the face smooth – like glass.

Dr. Correa cautions young people against having Botox injections because they may have to pay the price later. That may result in the atrophy of facial muscles. As they mature, they will lose volume in their face – and that will make them look old.

Rhinoplasty (nose job)? Dr. Correa says that has to wait till the patient’s bone has matured: 18 for females and 21 for males. Apparently, women truly mature faster than men.

She advises teens though to start their skin care early because as the saying goes: “An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure.” Aging fast may be prevented by using sunscreen, having a healthy diet – plus drinking a lot of water. Always stay hydrated.

Teens may also start using moisturizer early. Of course, that depends on the skin type. If the face is prone to breakouts, a consultation with a dermatologist is necessary.

To brighten up the skin, there’s vitamin C. Dr. Correa says that there are also products over the counter that may serve as alternative to Botox – though it is best to buy those in reputable skin clinics.

So, when can one have Botox? Early 30s – Dr. Correa advises. And that shouldn’t even be full Botox. This means that the dosage should be low. It’s just to prevent wrinkle formation.

At 50, one can already undergo a face lift. Two former matinee idols therefore made the right decision by having their faces done when they were in their 50s. When they hit 60, nobody noticed that they had undergone a procedure earlier.

I do not want to judge those two men because looking good is part of their work. In showbiz, good looks count for so much. Talent is a bonus. But youth is precious.