ALYCE ASSUNÇÃO: From the Pantanal to the International Debate on the Future of Aesthetics
HEALTH COVER EDITION - OCTOBER 2026 ISSUE
Dr. Alyce Assunção’s journey begins in Poconé, Mato Grosso, amid the landscapes of the Pantanal, and now reaches the international stage of discussions surrounding the future of aesthetics. A biomedical professional, entrepreneur, and founder of AFA Instituto in Cuiabá, she has built her career at the intersection of clinical practice, international training, and a pursuit of knowledge that has taken her to several countries, including South Korea.
It is along this journey that her interest in regeneration has taken shape: understanding what happens within tissues before a transformation becomes visible. This perspective lies at the heart of The Regeneration Code, a subject she brings to the international debate, proposing a broader view that goes beyond procedures to consider the biological processes involved in the body’s response.
Her experience in South Korea holds a particular place in her professional development. Through meeting professionals such as Dr. Kwon Hanjin and visiting local clinics, Alyce encountered an approach that sparked her interest in skin quality and the continuity of care. The experience broadened her perspective on a field in which the pursuit of immediate corrections often shares space with less visible, yet decisive, considerations in each patient’s assessment.
This perspective requires an understanding that similar procedures can produce different responses. Technology is part of the treatment, but its application depends on tissue characteristics, individual conditions, and the achievable goals in each case. For Alyce, this understanding begins before selecting the equipment or technique. It is during the assessment that both the possibilities for intervention and the limitations that must be communicated to the patient are established.
The same caution guides her business decisions. As the head of AFA Instituto in Cuiabá, she must assess new developments entering the market, distinguish commercial opportunities from advances supported by evidence, and determine what makes sense to incorporate into clinical practice. In a sector defined by the rapid pace of new launches, knowing when to reject a trend is also part of building an institution. In this context, trust depends as much on the quality of the services offered as on the clarity with which the limitations of each treatment are explained.
This is where The Regeneration Code finds its central question: to what extent can an understanding of biological processes contribute to better-informed aesthetic decisions? The subject encompasses aspects such as metabolism, cellular communication, and tissue remodeling, but it also demands rigor in distinguishing established mechanisms, hypotheses under investigation, and conclusions that science has yet to substantiate. The discussion becomes particularly relevant as scientific terminology circulates through a market that does not always demonstrate the same level of commitment to evidence.
At AMWC Dubai, Alyce brings this interest to an international forum for professional exchange. Her participation offers an opportunity to share the perspective she has been developing in Brazil and engage in dialogue with other professional experiences. Beyond her presence at an internationally recognized event, what matters is the substance of the ideas she intends to advocate: the need to bring aesthetic practice closer to a more rigorous understanding of the processes underlying treatment outcomes.
The distance between Poconé and Dubai helps illustrate the scope of her journey, but it does not fully explain what sustains it. Alyce retains a connection to her origins that extends beyond personal memories. Her familiarity with the Pantanal’s natural cycles, her relationship with the local community, and the image of the jaguar, a symbol of the region, all inform the way she interprets choices and change. Adapting to new environments without losing one's identity is an idea that runs through both her personal story and her understanding of her profession.
Behind the travels, training programs, and professional commitments that accompany her career, there is also a family structure that makes this journey possible. The support of her husband and children emerges in her account as an essential part of this process, shaped by time apart, adjustments, and shared decisions. It is a dimension that rarely takes center stage in professional narratives, yet it helps explain what makes long-term ambitions sustainable.
Between clinical practice, the management of AFA Instituto, and international training, Alyce is building her work around a question that remains open to further investigation: how can a deeper understanding of tissue responses translate into more responsible decisions? The answer cannot be found in a single technique or in promises of universal results. It depends on individualized assessment, up-to-date knowledge, and a willingness to recognize what is known, what still requires further study, and what should never be promised.
In the following conversation, Alyce reflects on the influences that have shaped her journey, the principles that guide her decisions, and the personal commitments that remain with her as her work reaches new horizons.
1. You were born in Poconé, in the Pantanal, and today your work reaches other countries. Much has changed along the way. What has life taught you since those early days that still influences your decisions, even when opportunities arise that could lead you down different paths?
“The Pantanal taught me to respect the natural rhythm of things. There, everything depends on the cycles of water, drought, and flooding. No one can rush nature, and those who try always lose. I carry that lesson into my profession: the body has its own rhythm, too, and I don't promise shortcuts. I also learned that we never forget where we come from. I grew up in a small town where people know one another by name and a person's word means a great deal. Today, even when major opportunities arise, I ask myself whether they align with who I am. If they don't, they're not for me, no matter how brilliant they may seem. And then there's the jaguar, the symbol of my homeland. It survives because it adapts to its environment without losing its strength. I think that's what I try to do: adapt to every new place without losing the woman who left Poconé.”
2. Your training includes experiences in different countries, including South Korea. Getting to know other cultures also means encountering different ways of thinking about and practicing a profession. What did you discover during that experience that you brought back to your own practice and might never have learned if you had remained exclusively in Brazil?
“In South Korea, I encountered a different relationship with the skin. There, skincare begins early and is part of a daily routine. Skin isn't treated only when a problem appears; it's cared for to maintain its health. The focus is on skin quality, radiance, and texture, rather than simply correcting or adding volume. That changed the way I look at my patients. I began thinking less about ‘what do I need to correct?’ and more about ‘how can I make this tissue healthier?’ I was also impressed by the discipline and technical precision of Korean professionals, including Dr. Kwon Hanjin, and the clinics I visited. The United States gave me my foundation in anatomy, but South Korea showed me that the most enduring beauty comes from healthy skin. That perspective is the foundation of what I do today at AFA Instituto.”
3. In The Regeneration Code, you draw attention to something that doesn't always receive the same emphasis as the aesthetic outcome: tissue health and the biological processes involved in each treatment. In practice, how does this understanding change a patient's assessment and the decisions that follow? And how do you navigate this conversation when a patient's expectations don't necessarily align with the body's response time?
“The device delivers the stimulus, but the tissue determines the response. Two patients can undergo the same laser treatment with identical parameters and achieve very different results. The difference may lie in their skin condition, repair capacity, and factors that influence collagen production. That's why my assessment goes beyond what I see in the mirror. I look at nutrition, protein intake, the rate of weight loss, and signs that may indicate changes in the body. Today, many patients lose weight rapidly, which can also lead to a loss of lean body mass. Collagen production depends on several factors, including adequate nutrition. Sometimes, the first step isn't a procedure, but rather assessing what needs attention before proceeding. When it comes to expectations, I prefer to be honest from the very first consultation. I explain that tissue responses develop over time and that results depend on each individual's body and the treatment recommended. When patients understand the process, they're better equipped to evaluate what they can realistically expect. To me, a responsible outcome is worth more than a quick promise.”
4. As the head of AFA Instituto, your responsibilities extend beyond clinical care. Entrepreneurship also requires deciding what is worth expanding, which opportunities to pursue, and which boundaries to maintain. Have you ever had to turn something down that seemed promising because it didn't align with the professional or the business you wanted to build?
“Yes, more than once. Being an entrepreneur in the aesthetics industry means constantly facing offers: the latest device, the product that promises everything, the procedure everyone wants to try. Not everything that generates quick revenue helps build a solid brand. My criterion is simple: I only introduce something at AFA Instituto if it's something I would use on myself or my own family, and if it's supported by scientific evidence. Saying no is also a way of caring for patients and the team. Every refusal protects the trust people place in our work, and that trust is the greatest asset a clinic can have.”
5. Your participation in AMWC Dubai brings your work into contact with professionals and discussions on an international scale. In this environment, what would you like to see addressed more seriously regarding the future of aesthetics? Is there an idea that still faces resistance within the industry but that you consider essential to its evolution?
“I would like to see greater scientific honesty. Aesthetic medicine is evolving very quickly, and marketing often gets ahead of the evidence. In my presentation, I make a point of showing what has already been proven, what is still being studied, and what we don't yet know. Saying ‘we don't have that data yet’ doesn't diminish a professional. On the contrary, it builds trust. The idea that still faces resistance is that aesthetics doesn't begin with the procedure. It begins with tissue health, the patient's nutrition, and metabolism. There is still a very strong culture of volume and fillers. I believe in an approach to aesthetics that builds skin quality, respects biology, and delivers natural, long-lasting results.”
6. To conclude, I'd like to step away from the professional side of things for a moment. Those who follow your journey know the biomedical professional, the entrepreneur, and the projects you develop. But is there a part of you that rarely comes into view when the conversation turns to work? What would you like people to know about the woman behind it all?
“Behind the biomedical professional and the entrepreneur, there is a family-oriented woman. My husband and children are my foundation. Every trip, every course abroad, and every stage I step onto comes at a cost at home, and they have understood every absence and shared every dream with me. None of this would have been possible without them. There is also the girl from the Pantanal, who is still moved by nature and the simple things in life. I would like people to know that I also have doubts, feel exhausted, and experience fear, just like any woman trying to balance it all. The difference is that I've chosen not to let fear make my decisions for me. If a woman from a small town in Brazil can reach a stage in Dubai, other women can reach the places they've always dreamed of, too.”
