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This new technology is being marketed as a mini facelift; a 30 minute procedure with little discomfort and a 4 day healing period. Here’s the truth.
Bottom Line: Not yet ready for prime time, avoid it for now.
Ellacor is being hyped as the latest and greatest technology to allow skin tightening and a mini facelift like effect. It is a micro-coring device which means it uses a needle instead of using a microscopic laser wave to damage old collagen, get it to slough off (think aerating your lawn), and then new collagen growing in. This needle is small, but visible and takes a chunk out of your skin in tiny increments. Each treatment removes about 5-7% and then skin tightening is the desired effect. As it turns out, that’s not quite the whole story.
Problems with Ellacor micro-coring:
- Leaves “track marks” on the skin up to 2 months and sometimes longer
- Redness persists longer than many lasers.
- Hyperpigmentation – brown areas – persist even if double layering high zinc sunscreen
- Odd line of demarcation in the middle of the cheek because current protocols require this placement
- Skin tenderness and sensitivity can persist for several months.
Marketing vs Reality
- 30 minute procedure – I was there for 2.5 hours which included check in, photos, injectable numbing (some topical would have been nice prior), procedure and check out.
- Healing in 4 days – At 2 months I still had visible marks, especially across the mid-cheek that were difficult to cover with makeup. Please see our Instagram at drbrandith_skin for the photo series of me healing.
- little discomfort – this procedure requires injectable numbing and still was not very comfortable due to incomplete anesthesia. A dental block for the perioral area would have helped, as would have some prior topical numbing.
- Little or no bruising. A considerable amount of bleeding and bruising, especially around the mouth and mid-cheek, is most likely due to the injectable numbing.
- Puffiness lasted the predicted 3-4 days.
- Improvement right away. You may see no effects at 40 days but this response can be variable.
I hope this helps,
Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD
Founder of SkinTour & MadisonMD Skincare
Follow my skin tips and travels on Instagram!
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