Cellulite is a devil to treat. It just seems to scoff at exercise and diet and won’t budge an inch. In addition, older procedures and topicals for cellulite can be messy, unpleasant, costly and disappointing. A new device at our office, PelleFirm™ radio frequency is producing admirable results, comfortably, quickly and affordably. Two years ago, we made our first foray into energy-based treatments for facial laxity with a radio frequency device called Pelleve (also by Ellman) and an ultra sound system called Vanquish, which some of you may already be familiar with. We liked the results they produced, our patients concurred and seemed to appreciate that the treatments were easy on their lifestyles, as well. So, this year we are applying our hard-earned expertise with radio frequency to give our patients the bodies they once had, before babies, sun exposure, stress, etc. PelleFirm is an FDA-cleared device with a lot to recommend it. There is really no downside to it. Improvements can be seen after the first appointment and from there, it gets better and better. Touch-ups are easy to do and in most cases, you are out of the office in less than an hour!
If you’re 30 and above, you might be looking at the undersides of your arms with despair. There, weight fluctuations, hormones, muscles and movement causes the delicate, oil-poor skin to stretch continually and what’s left behind is loose, crepe-paper-like skin you’d rather nobody noticed. PelleFirm is terrific for this too. Still another target…areas that have previously undergone liposuction. Here again loose, crepe-paper-like dimpled skin is often an unfortunate “leave behind” from lipo procedures which reduce the fat and therefore, the volume below. PelleFirm is a good solution. We are all very excited about the introduction of PelleFirm at the office this spring and what it will do to beautify and refresh thighs, arms, tummies, butts and bust for our patients. It’s a common sense, low-risk modality we think will fill a rising need and please a great number of people.
Category Archives: Dermaroller
Dermaroller & Platelet Rich Plasma: They are Safe, Progressive and On-Trend!
I think of Dermaroller® Microneedling as a spin-off on FRAXEL laser technology….same principal, non-ablative, a dispersed pattern that stimulates new tissue. It’s gentle and low-risk and pairs well with fillers and Botox. And it is also an overall tightener and plumper, as it causes a revitalization and remodelling of your skin’s natural collagen (collagenesis) and vascularity (angiogenesis). Results in Europe are well-documented. There are studies abroad for Acne scars, stretchmarks and flattening elevated scars, that I find interesting.
Platelet Rich Plasma is anti-aging on the cellular level, using your body’s stem cells and growth factors, so there is no risk of allergy. PRP amplifies collagen production and improves organization, fibrin deposition and blood supply to the treated area. It’s effects are progressive. It works in the deep tissue so I pair it with surface-oriented technologies like peels, fillers, Botox and resurfacing for a wonderful update.
I think it’s important for me to put the value of these 2 new offerings in perspective for my patients. More and more, cosmetic dermatologists like me are showing interest in new directions; we’ve worked for many years with lasers, peels, ablation, fillers and neuro relaxants, all of which are “target oriented” (i.e. we use them to diminish wrinkles, pigments and imperfections that already exist). So naturally, we are excited by therapies that can induce a new wellness and vitality in skin going forward. Dermaroller and PRP are examples of this. They are integrative, synergistic and progressive. What this means to patients is that by adding these new therapies to their usual regimen of fillers, Botox and resurfacing, they are not only subtracting the old surface damage at present, but also adding deep development of better quality tissue to their skin’s future. In a sense, our goal is to teach the skin to rebuild itself better and better. The energy-based treatments we added last year—Ulthera and Pelleve-were moves in this direction. This year, Dermaroller and PRP are more on the same trend!