Ellacor is a nonsurgical skin rejuvenation treatment that leverages a pioneering technique called micro-coring to smooth wrinkles and tighten skin.
This novel treatment, also called fractional tissue extraction or microexcisional skin removal, uses hollow needles to precisely remove between 6,000 and 12,000 tiny “micro-cores” of excess skin, without thermal energy or plastic surgery.
These tiny cores extend through the full thickness of the skin, but they’re so minuscule (less than half a millimeter in diameter) that they're intended to not leave a scar, as Rosemont, Illinois, plastic surgeon Dr. Stefan Mark Szczerba explains. “I tell anyone interested in Ellacor to think about when you get your blood drawn. That hollow needle does not leave a scar. This is the same size needle—just attached to suction! The goal is to remove the little core of skin, without leaving a scar.”
As much as 8% of the skin’s volume can be removed in a single session, and a series of treatments can create more significant skin tightening and smoothing benefits than many nonsurgical treatment options.
“When the Ellacor treatment is repeated a few times, the removed surface area can approximate what is removed with a mini facelift,” says Dr. Szczerba. “This impressive amount of skin tightening that happens with micro-coring has a significant change to the wrinkles of the skin, all without scars from incisions.”
Ellacor is FDA-cleared to treat both moderate and severe wrinkles in the mid- to lower face. According to Dr. Jason Pozner, a plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida, who was involved in Ellacor clinical trials, treatment areas commonly include the cheeks, around the mouth, and under the chin. Some doctors are also using it “off label” on areas like above the knees and on the décolletage.
The minimally invasive procedure typically takes less than 30 minutes and requires only a few days of downtime.
RealSelf Tip: Micro-coring doesn’t tighten the underlying muscles or fascia and isn’t FDA approved for skin tightening, so like all nonsurgical treatments, results don’t match those of a traditional surgical facelift.
