The doctor is in — and ready to listen
Do you really get pimples when you’re in love? Do oily foods cause acne? Could you go bald from stress? Is too much nail polish unhealthy for your digits? The answers are yes (somewhat), no, yes, and yes.
Dr. Filipino Pablito C. Buñag Jr. has seen and heard it all — from teenagers with alopecia universalis (even the hair on the brow falls out), to kids with psoriasis, and women who undergo cosmetic procedures in the hope of winning back their husbands.
Dr. Buñag is assistant medial director of the Belo Medical Group and has his own dermatology practice at the
With such a setup, he sees both sides of his specialty. Of course, he knows that if he put all his time into cosmetic dermatology he would make more money, yet he says that was never the reason he went into medicine. “I became a dermatologist because I love the specialty. I really wanted to become a doctor from the very beginning; my late father was a doctor and one uncle is an EENT specialist in the
His choices changed along the way, too, from pediatrics to obstetrics but the
Dr. Vicki Belo was a classmate of his at UST and they had their residency together at Makati Med in 1991. He became part of the Belo Group in 2000 after Vicki invited him to join her growing practice. “One time Vicki and I were making kuwento, there were some problems on the administration side of the clinic and she asked me to join the meeting. I gave her some insights and she said, ‘Work na lang with me.’ And so I did.”
His job at the Belo Group is both administrative and medical. In both roles, Dr. Buñag distinguishes himself as somebody people can talk to and ask even the most basic questions without fear of looking ignorant.
“I’ve always believed that doctors should instruct and educate. I really spend time with my patients explaining to them their disease,” he says emphatically. “One of the most common causes of treatment failure is that the patient does not understand what she has. That’s why I get a lot of patients who’ve seen other doctors before me, and the medicine we prescribe is more or less the same yet my treatment plan works better. It’s that knowledge combined with the medicine that gives you a higher treatment success. Most doctors now are too much in a hurry, they just tell the patient, ‘You apply this and this,’ and then the consultation is over. The patient has to know all factors about the disease and how to apply the medicine properly and why — I write down the procedure for them para may kodigo sila.”
Has the Internet — with its wealth of information and misinformation — made it easier or harder for doctors to deal with patients? After all, a little
knowledge, especially about skin conditions, can be a dangerous thing. Dr. Buñag laughs and says, “It’s only hard for the doctor if he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But, yes, patients can sometimes bully you.”
As assistant medical director for the Belo Group, Dr. Buñag goes around the various branches, irons out patients’ complaints and evaluates the goals and treatment plans.
He realizes that because the Belo Group has become as big as it is patients try to put one over the center and that the doctors themselves must meet the challenge of satisfying very demanding people.
“It’s very different — my private practice and here. Here the patients are willing to pay but you have to be prepared to satisfy them and make sure they are happy after. The Belo Group has the latest technology in cosmetic dermatology, the latest treatment plans, and medicines from abroad, which may explain why some procedures are pricey.”
Dr. Buñag says that in the past most of his patients were women, but now the gender split is even, whether for skin, hair or nail problems.
“Twenty years ago the connotation of dermatology was that it was only for women. Now that it has become popular in the past 10 to 15 years, people have more access to it, the prices have gone down, and the stereotype that it’s only for the rich no longer holds true.”
The major problem men face when it comes to hair is androgenic baldness and dandruff. The former is hereditary — as inevitable as the forces of nature — but Dr. Buñag says it can be delayed.
“Women react more when it comes to hair loss, they cry in front of the doctor and we let them express how they feel, we talk to them. With men it is also devastating, but I should say that some men don’t care so much, sometimes it’s their wives or girlfriends who take them to the doctor. It all depends on the personality of the patient — there are men who are more vain than others and those whose jobs require them to look good.”
Dr. Buñag says the trigger factor for alopecia areata — which affects both men and women — is stress which is why patients must change their lifestyles while undergoing treatment. “You have to lessen the stress in your life, otherwise the treatment will not be maximized.”
He also separates fact and fiction about hair, skin and nails. One: some two-in-one shampoos can cause acne breakout because they are too strong; he recommends using a separate shampoo and conditioner. Two: vitamin E as a supplement for the skin is largely hype. Yes, it is an antioxidant, but he thinks vitamin C makes for a better antioxidant. Three: oily foods don’t necessarily cause pimples — there are studies that have debunked this myth already. Four: the thing about nails becoming yellow or wavy is true — too much nail polish and manipulation can damage the nails and sometimes the nails are an indication of underlying diseases in the liver and kidney.
And five: yes, people who are in love can develop pimples — but for a whole other reason. “It’s because of the stress factor,” says Dr. Buñag. “There’s an indirect connection because our bodies secrete some hormones. This can also be triggered when you’re apprehensive and uncertain. What if you’re happy? You secrete endorphins. That’s what love is — you’re both happy and anxious at the same time.”
And that, as they say, makes the world go round — pimples or no pimples.
