Dr Gerdica de los Santos: the Dominican woman transforming lives through aesthetic medicine in Spain

• Dominican doctor Gerdica de los Santos founded her own clinic in Barbastro, Spain, and has become an international reference in aesthetic medicine.

From Barbastro, a small city in the province of Huesca, Spain, with barely more than 17,000 inhabitants, a Caribbean rhythm rings out among aesthetic treatments, smiles and upbeat music. There, Dr Gerdica de los Santos, a Dominican doctor, has achieved what to many seemed out of reach: founding her own clinic, joining one of the most prestigious medical laboratories in the world and becoming an international reference in aesthetic medicine. Her story is a journey of perseverance, in which she has crossed borders, faced fears and broken down barriers, all while staying true to her roots and to her real vocation: healing, listening and transforming.

Humble roots, big dreams

Born in the Dominican Republic, Gerdica grew up in a humble family that was rich in values. At the age of eight she moved with her parents and sisters to La Romana, where she spent much of her childhood and youth. The eldest of three sisters, she remembers with gratitude her mother’s strict but far-sighted discipline: “Saturdays were not for sleeping, they were for studying English and computing,” she says, laughing. That routine, which at the time felt like a nuisance, she now recognises as a vital tool in her international career.

Her love of medicine began in childhood, inspired by her paediatrician. Although she felt unsure when she finished secondary school, every time she wrote a list of possible professions, “medicine” went back to the top. And so it was. She trained as a doctor at the Universidad Central del Este (UCE), graduating summa cum laude and standing out as one of the best in her year.

In 2009 she received a scholarship to study in Spain. Although her first choice was the United States, she ended up accepting an opportunity in Barcelona, without knowing anyone in the country. “It was a clash of emotions. I had no family, nobody to support me, but my parents pushed me. Thanks to them, I dared,” she recalls.

During her time in Spain, a personal crisis related to her skin led her to discover aesthetic medicine. “I had breakouts on my face and no cream worked. I was moved to study skincare, and I ended up falling in love with this branch of medicine,” she explains. That is how her new passion began: helping others feel good inside and out.

Aesthetic medicine: far more than appearance

For the doctor, however, aesthetic medicine goes beyond the physical. “I see a lot of emotional need in consultations. Many people arrive with deep wounds they are trying to heal through their appearance. Sometimes I spend an hour explaining to a patient that they are fine as

they are, that they are beautiful. They leave grateful, not only for the treatment, but for feeling heard.”

One of the testimonies that affected her most was that of a patient with low self-esteem who wore a fringe to hide the dark circles under her eyes. After a simple treatment, her attitude changed completely: “I gave her back her confidence, she started having face-to-face meetings again and she told me I had given her back her life. That is priceless.”

Her clinic, a dream achieved

The aesthetic medicine specialist believes that nothing she has achieved has been by chance. Her success, she says, has been part of a divine plan. “I firmly believe that everything that has happened to me has been part of God’s purpose. To be where I am today, in a small town, without knowing anyone, and to have become part of an internationally prestigious medical laboratory… that is not luck, that comes from heaven,” she says with feeling.

One of her greatest achievements has been founding her own aesthetic clinic, the Clínica Doctora Gerdica de los Santos. She did it alone, with no family nearby. Today, as well as running the centre, she has created jobs for other women.

“Being a foreigner also puts stones in your path, but I wanted something of my own. To be able to say: this is mine, I have worked for it and sweated for it. It is an immense source of pride,” she says.

She describes starting a business as diving into a swimming pool without knowing whether there is water in it: “Leaving the security of a steady job to open a business is hard. Nobody sees the process, they only see the result. But if I did not love my profession, I would not do it.”

Being a woman, a mother and an entrepreneur in a foreign country multiplies the challenges. “There are many responsibilities, often you are alone, but because I love what I do, it does not feel like work. I live it with passion.”

She says that, although adapting was difficult, her Dominican essence has always been her driving force. “Wherever I am, I carry a piece of my homeland. In my practice there is Caribbean music, décor with palm trees and a positive vibe that everyone notices.”

She treats her Dominican patients like family: “I give them little gifts, discounts. We are a culture that is contagious. I always leave a drop of my roots wherever I go.”

From student to international trainer

Today, Dr Gerdica is an official trainer for Fillmed laboratories, one of the most recognised brands in aesthetic medicine worldwide. What began with a simple enquiry on Instagram ended up making her an ambassador and speaker in countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Saudi Arabia, where she has lectured to more than 900 doctors.

“I was good with a needle, but I found it hard to communicate. I spent nights practising in front of the mirror so I could speak in public. Nobody knows how hard I have worked, how much fear I have overcome to be where I am,” she says with feeling.

At her clinic she also runs exclusive training, including her flagship lip course, GerdyLips, where she shares with other professionals the techniques she has perfected over her career.

Although she admits to having many dreams still ahead, today she wants to stop and enjoy what she has achieved: “Sometimes we look to have more and more, but we do not enjoy what we already have. I want to focus on living this moment, this clinic that seemed an impossible dream. I want to be thankful for what I have achieved.”

Her advice for those still hesitating to chase their dreams is clear: “Go for it. Do not be afraid. It is better to say ‘I tried and failed’ than to live with ‘what would have happened if…'”