Launched under Belo Medical Group, “The SCAR Project” is a long-term initiative that provides customized treatment and rehabilitation for individuals living with life-altering scars caused by trauma, accidents, abuse, burns and medical conditions. The project combines surgery, laser technology, regenerative treatments, rehabilitation and psychological support as part of what Belo describes as a holistic healing journey. 

After receiving nearly 800 submissions from across the country, the organization selected seven individuals — now known as “The First Seven” — whose stories and conditions represented some of the most complex cases submitted to the project. The initiative formally launched its first seven participants on 15 May.

Among the key figures behind the initiative are Belo Medical Group founder Vicki Belo, chairman and medical innovation advisor Hayden Kho Jr. and CEO Gina Lorenzana, alongside celebrity advocates Alden Richards, Bianca Umali and Iza Calzado. 

More than cosmetic repair

For Kho, “The SCAR Project” was never designed simply to make patients “look normal,” but to help restore identity, confidence and dignity.

“My role here is to organize and to make sure that every single individual will retain their own identities,” Kho said. “We extract their real desires and hopes and we make it happen.”

Kho stressed that the initiative extends beyond medical procedures and often involves helping patients reclaim dreams interrupted by trauma.

“People will think this is limited to surgeries, injectables, products and procedures,” he said. “But one patient, Sophia, wants to be a princess. So we got her a dressmaker, shoes to match her outfit and, because her dream is to dance, we’re even trying to make that happen for her.”

He said the team approaches each case with the goal of restoring not only physical function but also self-esteem.

“We want to correct the defects,” Kho said. “But the goal is not just to make them look normal. We want them to feel like stars.”

The line between self-esteem and value

Kho also revealed that the organization became deeply selective in choosing participants, particularly after receiving hundreds of submissions.

“There’s a thin line between self-esteem and value,” he said. “My job is to carefully discern which cases are about building self-esteem and which ones are really about seeking value through appearance.”

According to Kho, some applicants were declined because the procedures they sought did not align with the project’s purpose.

“We will improve their looks to build their self-esteem,” he said. “But we don’t want their looks to become their identities.”

He reflected on society’s tendency to attach worth to physical appearance, saying the project ultimately hopes to challenge that mindset.

“Our identities are not attached to how we look,” Kho said. “One day, all of us will age. Beauty changes. What matters is that people understand they are more than their appearance.”

A project built for the future

Belo Medical Group CEO Gina Lorenzana described “The SCAR Project” as an evolving initiative that has already grown beyond its original concept.

“When Doc Hayden first thought about this as a germ of an idea, he created communities around it,” Lorenzana said. “And even today, as I see the project unfold and continue to evolve, we’re realizing this is something that will continue far into the future.”

For Lorenzana, the initiative aims to shift conversations surrounding scars and identity.

“When we talk about beauty, appearance and scars, we often think only about the external,” she said. “But so much of it is really internal.”

She added that Belo hopes to expand the initiative through partnerships both in the Philippines and abroad.

“What started as a germ of an idea is now sparking a powerful conversation around identity and going beyond skin deep,” Lorenzana said. “We can see a future where more partners become involved, more lives are impacted and even our understanding of identity begins to change.”