Vanguard Aesthetics and Merz Aesthetics® recently held the 2024 Tala Awards, celebrating the very best aesthetic practitioners in the industry through a delightful evening that highlighted every facet of beauty.
Recently, Vanguard Aesthetics and Merz Aesthetics® celebrated the 2024 Tala Awards together with over 300 partners from the growing Philippine aesthetics industry. Now in its sixth year, the annual awards ceremony recognizes doctors who share the same thrust and drive to enable more patients to Look Better, Feel Better, and Live Better. This year’s theme, “Confidence to Shine,” takes inspiration from the outstanding performance of these dermatologists, plastic surgeons, aesthetician physicians, and beauty clinic owners all over the country.
Guests donned classic and modern Filipiniana ensembles in black, gold, and silver, as they flocked to attend the event held at The Shangri-La at The Fort’s Grand Ballroom.
As they stepped into the bridgeway leading to the ballroom, a gallery of moving photos featuring Ultherapy® Philippines ambassador Heart Evangelista, and the latest Ultherapy® campaign — “The Power of U” — greeted them. Further down the foyer were displays of Merz Aesthetics® products. These include the only regenerative biostimulator Radiesse®, and the latest in the Belotero® line, Belotero® Revive. Crowd favorites like the Belotero® Soft, Intense, Balance and Volume, as well as the Merz Anti-Wrinkle Injection, also adorned the venue.
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Paving The Way For Beauty
A countdown featuring the history of Merz Aesthetics® and its products signaled the start of the event, with host Issa Litton introducing Raymond Ong, the Merz Asia Pacific regional associate vice president, regional commercial.
In his opening speech, Ong highlighted the inimitable passion of aesthetic doctors in the country. He went on to praise their commitment, quoting author Simon Sinek: “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion. Tonight is your night, and we appreciate and acknowledge you.”
“Our vision is not ours alone, and we thank all of you who are with us here tonight, for placing your continued trust in Merz Aesthetics® brands, and in Vanguard Aesthetics,” Ong continues, emphasizing his shared commitment with Merz Aesthetics® and Vanguard Aesthetics on robust marketing support and product innovations, as well as continued education and groundbreaking studies to further grow the aesthetics space in the Philippines.
The Vanguard ACES
Truly focused on placing aesthetics practitioners in the limelight, the night began with the first ever recognition of the Vanguard ACES (Aesthetics Champions & Educators). The group of stellar key opinion leaders and trainers have been instrumental to Merz Aesthetics® and to Vanguard Aesthetics in the past year — and are considered the first batch of Aesthetics Champions & Educators of this program.
“Your mission of helping Filipinos look better, feel better, and live better is only going to get bigger from here. And you, our dear doctors, are the best part of this amazing journey!” announced Dr. Stephen Claudio, regional medical affairs of Vanguard Aesthetics, alongside Dr. Kathlea Newland, the EAM associate director for medical affairs of Merz Aesthetics®.
Doctors who received the recognition included Aivee Aguilar-Teo, Ailynne Marie Vergara-Wijangco, Almond Derla, Angela Gomez, Angela Hernandez, Arnelle Quiambao, Beverly Ong Amoranto, Camille Angeles, Christian Peralta, Contessa Salvador-Alapag, Emy Christine Onishi-Limchoa, Gerald Sy, Henry Claravall, Irene Gaile Robredo-Vitas, Iris L. Templora, Jonathan Nevin Yu, Lindsay Gail Wilson Torralba-Garcia, Ma. Carmelita Vergara, Ma. Suzanne Datuin, and Stephen Lacson.
Only the Authentic Ultherapy®
As a fitting ode to the shining confidence emanating from the crowd that night, vibrant performances opened the awarding ceremonies, introducing the cutting-edge treatments of Vanguard Aesthetics and Merz Aesthetics® like Ultherapy®. While similar machines claim the same level of efficacy, there is a reason it remains to be the Gold Standard* for non-invasive skin lifting and tightening.
To introduce the Ultherapy® segment of the night, a live painting performance by Odette Cagandahan enthralled the audience, revealing the face of Ultherapy® Philippines, Heart Evangelista. As the lights dimmed, the voice of the ambassador could be heard, narrating prose that was an empowering, enlightening, and genuine account of her own personal milestones.
As snippets of her early years were revealed, Evangelista went on to encourage everyone to own their power. “Take the chance, even when the chances evade you. Take the leap, whether or not a safety net has been cast,” she expressed. “Set no boundaries, fight for your goals, make those mistakes. Own your narrative. And be authentic. This is your place. You’ve finally found her. You’ve found The Power of U.”
True to her status as a global fashion icon, Evangelista entered the ballroom with grace. As she walked onstage, she indeed embodied the gold standard of beauty. With a quick tête-à-tête with host Issa Litton, the star captured the attention of everyone in the room through her presence and charm.
“The Power of U” is a campaign that dares people to find and define their transformation story. Being in the public eye for most of her life, Evangelista has learned to find her own power — to be her own woman, carving her path and taking control of her personal narrative.
As she puts it, “The Power of U is being your unique self. There’s no one who will be like you…as cliché as it may sound, it is what’s inside that will truly shine, and what will save you in the end.”
The Tala Awards Stellar Winners
The 70 nominees vying for brand and overall awards shone bright during the special ceremony. House of Obagi (HOO) took home a total of four awards — the Overall 3-Star Award, 5-Star Merz Pure Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Award, 3-Star Ultherapy® Transducer Award, and 3-Star Ultherapy® Control Unit Award.
Skin MDC Laser Dermatology Slimming Center also took home four awards for the night. Aside from the Overall 3-Star Award, Dr. Diane Chan took home the 3-Star Belotero® Award, 5-Star Merz Pure Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Award, and 3-Star Radiesse® Award.
The biggest star of the night was The Aivee Clinic, taking home the highest and most prestigious Overall 7-Star Award, presented by Raymond Ong, Ryan Ng (Vanguard Aesthetics chief executive officer), and Tetet Go (Vanguard Aesthetics general manager).
“The recipient of this award is a commercial leader in the Philippine aesthetics industry. We are happy that together with Merz Aesthetics®, they have helped empower countless Filipinos to discover the confidence to be and the confidence to shine,” Ng explained as he presented the award to The Aivee Clinic. “May you always inspire Filipinos to be the grandest, fullest, and always a step further with the confidence to shine.”
Industry Leaders
With their exceptional performance, The Aivee Clinic took home a total of six awards for the night. Aside from the Overall 7-Star Award, founders Dr. Aivee and Dr. Z Teo also took home the 7- Star Ultherapy® Transducer Award, 7-Star Merz Pure Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Award, 7-Star Belotero® Award, 5-Star for Ultherapy® Control Unit Award, and 3-Star Radiesse® Award for the night.
Dr. Aivee and Dr. Z —alongside ambassadors Kylie Versoza and Bela Padilla—went onstage to accept the award and dedicated the success to their team of doctors, nurses, and staff, as well as to their patients who have trusted them through the years.
“It is truly an honor to be receiving the top award for tonight […] We are extremely grateful as this year also marks the 15th year Anniversary of The Aivee Clinic,” they shared. “It’s truly a milestone for us to be recognized once again, and consistently for almost a decade now. It’s a testament of our unwavering commitment to provide the highest quality treatments to our patients.”
At the end of her speech, Dr. Aivee shared a message to her fellow doctors and health care practitioners: “Before we end the night, I would also like to congratulate all our co-awardees. Thank you, Vanguard Aesthetics, for recognizing all the hard work and efforts of everyone in this room. May we all continue to elevate the standards of the dermatology and aesthetics industry locally and globally.”
Merz Aesthetics® and Vanguard Aesthetics congratulates all the winners of the 2024 Tala Awards, and looks forward to strengthening the partnership further.
On Ultherapy® || For more information on the product and a complete list of accredited Ultherapy® clinics, you may visit ultherapy-asia.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram at @UltherapyPH.
On Vanguard Aesthetics and Merz Aesthetics® Products || Visit vanguard-ph.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @VanguardAestheticsPH.
*Gold Standard Reference:
Fabi, Sabrina G. et al . “Optimizing Patient Outcomes by Customizing Treatment With Microfocused Ultrasound With Visualization: Gold Standard Consensus Guidelines from an Expert Panel.” Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD vol. 18,5 (2019): 426-432.
Park, Je-Young et al.“Customized Treatment Using Microfocused Ultrasound with Visualization for Optimized Patient Outcomes: A Review of Skin-tightening Energy Technologies and a Pan-Asian Adaptation of the Expert Panel’s Gold Standard Consensus.” The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology vol. 14,5 (2021): E70-E79.
