Lea Cabanillas before and after treatment.

MANILA, Philippines —  A letter sent to GMA-7’s “Wish Ko Lang” in 2006 set in motion a journey towards renewed confidence and happiness for a woman suffering from a facial deformity.
 
Lea Cabanillas cannot recall how many ugly names she’s been called over the past 27 years because of a facial deformity she sustained as an infant. Her ill-informed mother had placed dry-ice on her left cheek, which she thought would provide relief to a mild burn, but which on the contrary caused further tissue injury.
 
Every birthday was a reason for Lea to celebrate – and wish that her scar would one day disappear. But every year added disappointment instead, and whatever little confidence she had, was slowly waning.
 
At 18, her father, an employee of the Regional Trial Court in Pampanga promised that he would save up for Lea’s plastic surgery. They had a bamboo coin bank where all their spare coins went.
 
Lea’s father, however, died a few months before her 25th birthday, with no money left for their family after his father’s long bout with emphysema.
 
Lea has done everything from wishing on stars, praying novenas; breaking wishing bones; visiting quack doctors; tossing coins in a wishing well, and completing dawn masses during Christmas. No hope came.
 
Until that letter to the wish-granting show led to her getting professional help from Beverly Hills 6750 (Multi-Specialty Aesthetic Institute).
 
Major, major change
Lea met the top-caliber medical professional team of Beverly Hills 6750, which after a series of consultations and treatment planning among its staff, proposed a series of cosmetic procedures.
 
“While one may think of burn injuries as caused by heat, as in a fire or an explosion, Lea’s burn injury may be called a ‘cold burn’ --- or one that is caused by the skin¹s exposure to extreme cold temperatures.  Apparently the mother interpreted the advice given to her to apply dry ice-compress to the cheek area, as applying actual dry-ice,” explains Dr. Eduardo Santos, Managing Director of Beverly Hills 6750.
 
Dry-ice is a solidified gas, carbon dioxide, which can reach a temperature of ­78.5 degrees centigrade. Exposure of the skin to dry ice for a relatively short period of time can produce damage not only to the skin, but to the underlying, fat and muscle tissues, as well.
 
According to Dr. Santos, Leah’s scar had contracted well below skin level, suggesting that her original injury was a deep one. Apart from the physical deformity, there was an apparent impact on her psychological and emotional well-being. Leah’s facial deformity left her with low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
 
“They were manifested in her hesitancy to socialize, her body language; tendencies to cover her face with a handkerchief. She also would hardly go out of the house unless she was accompanied by someone, usually her sister,” adds Dr. Santos.
 
When the Beverly Hills 6750 team first saw her, they decided to immediately focus on addressing the cosmetic appearance of the scar. But they realized that aside from that, they also had to address other facial features. Her droopy eyelids gave Lea a sad look. Her nose was also down-turned. There was also a lack of volume in the face that made her look older than she actually was.
 
To address these issues, the following procedures were performed: two sessions of scar revision, spaced six months apart; an upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty); a noselift (rhinoplasty) and two sessions of autolgous fat transfer to certain areas of the face and beneath the scar. Her teeth were also cosmetically enhanced by cleaning and cosmetic bonding --- to address the gaps between her teeth.
 
Doctors who worked on Lea’s facial reconstruction noted remarkable progress after the scar revisions. The complete work took a little more than a year to finish. The stellar list of Beverly Hills 6750 doctors responsible for the procedures included: Dr. Francisco Manalo who performed the two scar revisions, Dr. Rene Valerio for the rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and two sessions of autologous fat transfer; and Dr. Edgar Dungo for the dental work.
 
Winner!
“Noong unang operation ko, nahimatay po si Nanay sa sobrang tuwa. Hindi ko po inaasahan na darating ang araw na ito! Hindi ko po alam kung paano pasasalamatan ang “Wish Ko Lang” at Beverly Hills 6750 sa ginawa nilang ito para sa akin,” says Lea.
 
Along with her beauty surgery, Lea received training certificates on speech and personal development along with nuggets of health and wellness advice from the doctors of Beverly Hills 6750.
 
Beverly Hills 6750’s tagline of “Believing in Positive Transformation” could not have been more appropriate than in Lea’s case!
 
Lea, who now works in a call center, smiles and says, “I am so thankful for these blessings. I’m happy! I could not ask for more.”