A Helping Hand: Featuring Dr Sylvia Ramirez

Dr Sylvia Ramirez, well-known as the medical and scientific director of Cutis Medical Laser Clinics, shares how she balances her marriage and work life in the June issue of LIV, Expat Living Singapore’s monthly fashion and beauty magazine. 

EXCERPT: A Helping Hand (LIV, Expat Living Singapore's monthly fashion & beauty 
magazine)

Originally from the Philippines and now a Singapore citizen, the ever-busy SYLVIA RAMIREZ has dedicated her career to the health and beauty industries. We chat about her business and her work partnership with her other half (yes, it’s possible!), and we learn a lot about aesthetics in the process.

What first inspired you to start up your own clinic here in Singapore?
Before we started our own business, I focused on doing non-profit work. After working at NUS, I then moved to a not-for-profit healthcare think tank in the United States where I led projects for the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

These projects aimed to improve the quality and reduce the cost of care for patients with high-cost chronic conditions such as kidney failure. I now continue to work on these projects in a consulting capacity.

It was actually my husband’s idea to combine our two main areas of expertise – aesthetic dermatology, and research and evidence-based clinical care – to set up a clinic aimed at making a difference in people’s lives. With my background in medicine and experience in research, we felt we could offer people with different needs an alternative option for treatment, and help them look and feel their best. We set up Cutis Medical Laser Clinics in 2009 to offer dermatological, aesthetic and age-management services.

The most gratifying part of my work is the chance to get to know so many incredible individuals from all parts of the world. I not only get the opportunity to spend a block of focused time with a patient during their treatment, but also to learn about the person. I think it’s a very privileged thing, and I’ve grown so much by taking care of people from all over the world.

You run your business with your husband; how does that partnership work out for you both?
Absolutely fantastically. Our aspirations are very similar, and we’re very committed to each other, so the business never takes priority over our relationship. We respect each other’s thoughts and contributions, and each of us handles different areas of the business.

You always look immaculate; what are your beauty secrets?
That’s kind of you to say! Like most women, I know it’s not always easy to look and feel your best. We have to take moment-by-moment decisions to make the right choices when it comes to our health and well-being, be that physical, emotional or spiritual. I try to exercise regularly and choose nutritious food, and I use good quality preventative skin care and treatments.

When it comes to fashion, I’ve learnt over the years what types of clothes suit me and have stopped following trends – I wear what works for me and my body, and I stick to that formula.