Judy Ann Santos, now 46, looks better than ever.
Used to being ridiculed for her round face, she laughed when PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) lead correspondent Arniel Serato referred to it as “pandesal.”
Judy Ann quipped, "Gusto yung pandesal lang, yung siopao, nawala.”
But seriously speaking, there’s one treatment that the award-winning actress swears by: Ulthera, which, according to its website, is the "gold standard for nonsurgical lifting and skin tightening."
At her lunch get-together with the press on December 22, 2024, she began, "Yung mga plantsa, ganyan, ganyan,” but nothing invasive.
"Takot ako sa surgery, ‘te,” she said before adding, "Ang pinaka-surgery ko na lang, yung na-caesarean ako.”
Even the Ulthera is “masakit na masakit...pero, day, napakagandang makapagpa-contour."
She described, "Para kang sinasapak. Parang kang kinukuryente ng rubber band lalo pag dito,” pointing to her jawline.
But Judy Ann assured, "Pero ang ganda-ganda ng effect, so, titiisin ko.
"Ito yung tiis-ganda lang. Pero no pain, no gain talaga."
How much?
JUDY ANN SANTOS ON COSMETIC SURGERY
While she hasn’t ruled out cosmetic surgery completely, Judy Ann remains cautious about invasive procedures.
She said, “…pag iniisip ko, kung at some point ba, pag tumanda ako, maaari bang magiging gano’n? Hindi ko naman sinasara.
"Because gets ko naman, e, na sa kalakaran ng teknolohiya ngayon when it comes to beauty, ang dami talagang mga gandang machines that can help you with everything."
It pays to have a beauty doctor she trusts.
JUDY ANN SANTOS CHANGES MINDSET
But the glow is not all due to the treatment or the anti-aging products she uses.
She reflected, "Mas may confidence na lang talaga ako ngayon.”
Before, she admitted to getting affected by people’s comments about how she looks.
Now, those seem inconsequential. And all she has is gratitude.
"At saka siguro kasi., yung ang lakas na lang pagka-dedma ko sa pangkabuuang buhay, yung again, cliché, pag masaya ka lang talaga siguro at nagagawa mo lahat ng gusto mo sa oras na kaya mo, nagagawa ka lang oras ko bilang nanay, bilang asawa, bilang artista, bilang chef.
"Pag nagagawa ko silang lahat, at nabibigyan ko pa rin ng time yung sarili ko, kaya baka alam, nakakapag-act, nakakapag-act, yung happiness basta lang siya lumalabas.”
Happiness is the best beauty pill.
She also gives credit to the people around her for making everything less stressful.
"Kasi masuwerte talaga ako sa team na meron ako ngayon.
"Kasi gets nila yung pagkakatao ko, gets nila kung hanggang saan yung energy na kaya ko. "Gets nila na ito yung gusto ko.
"Kaya kong magtrabaho ng dire-diretso, basta nakikita ko at nagagawa ko yung routine ko sa mga anak ko at sa asawa ko. Basta may pahinga lang ako ng isang araw, every time na may dire-diretsong trabaho, okay ako.
"So I guess that's my recipe for a content life.”
Judy Ann thanked them all in her acceptance speech for the best actress award she received from the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival.
Mommy Jane is her manager Jane Buencamino; Ralph is her road manager Ralph Mercado; Tippy is her assistant Tippy Fernandez; Anna is her close friend Anna Dasig; Mama Carms is her make-up artist Carmi David; Raven Dizon is her hairstylist.
Read:
Here's the story behind Judy Ann Santos's Christmas Day panata
Judy Ann Santos reacts to potential Best Actress win at MMFF 2024
Judy Ann on 50th MMFF Best Actress win: "Para akong hihimatayin."