I have been to this office several times. Every recommendation has been excellent and I got exactly the results I was told to expect. The Dr’s explanation of procedures and options is thorough. To be clear: it is only the Ellacor procedure that I …one week after…am not thrilled with. And that may be my fault for not thoroughly researching or asking proving questions.
I was not prepared. Bad on me. So lot believe 3x sue to week. Blood dripping down neck & into ears during procedure. After: oh this tinted moisturizer will cover it up in 5 days. And use this bleaching cream. Lol. No way. This is bad!!! Had to cancel lots of events/appointments. Got blood blister on lip. Have bruises on neck and she didn’t touch my neck. Don’t know outcome yet but …BE WARNED!…this is a MAJOR procedure. Expect significant downtime. I did return on day 3 for excel v laser to help w/bruising..:minimal help. Updated on 7 Nov 2023: Using arnica and Alastin and fade cream like mad. Hoping..::but ashamed to be seen in public even with lots of cover up. Everyone asks…..WHAT HAPPENED Fading has slowed waaay down in past 2 days. Had excel v on day 3 to help. Maybe it did. But neck bruising showed up on days 4 & 5 Updated on 19 Nov 2023: So! Now that bruises are gone & most of swelling my BF said “ I don’t know if it was what you did but you do look younger” I do think skin around Jaw and chin are tighter. Also acne scarring seems less noticeable. Worth it if I’d been prepared for down time & being scared outta my wits.
Dr. Pentel is the absolute best in the industry! I had yet another wonderful experience with her this past week when receiving botox and tear trough fillers. She is incredibly knowledgeable and skilled at what she does and always exceeds my expectations with my results. Her results are so natural and I did not bruise. I went right back to work after my injections. I also want to point out that her entire team from check in to the assistant in the room are very professional and welcoming. I won't let anyone else inject me. Dr. Pentel and the entire staff at Southside Dermatology are 5 star!
I am a 30 year old female who is 5'4 and about 140lbs. I eat right, exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle. Every since I was about 15 (puberty time) I have noticed my armpits dripped sweat. Nothing that smelled, just liquid, like a dripping faucet. I only wear tank tops and when its cold i'll put a jacket over a tank top or get a sweater that makes me look like a flying squirrel when I put my arms out. Whether I'm hot or cold, I drip. My right arm has always been worse and anxiety definitely makes it worse. I have had Botox one time (and it worked for about 8 months) but haven't done it again because I can't get my insurance to cover it, and its expensive. About a month ago I started researching the surgery to get my sweat glands removed. I was sick of not being able to wear what I wanted, having to literally live my life around how my armpits would drip. I even have napkins in the car that I dab myself with before I go into any place. Its embarrassing and the thought of going back to school or work (now that my kids are getting older) was weighing on my mind because of my sweat. It sounds so silly, but anyone who suffers with this understands the way I feel. I looked up a few places and decided with the Spa and Laser center at Southside Dermatology in Jacksonville, FL, about a 3-hour drive from my house. They were clean and sooo helpful/easy to ask questions. They use tumescent numbing after 4 lidocaine shots (at injection sites of tumescent), after gridding my armpit. The pain was about a level 3 for the lidocaine shots, and I didn’t feel a thing for the entire procedure. My husband drove me home and I iced my pits for 20 on/20 off for the remainder of the day. They were swollen and bruised, but 0 pain. She even told me to take something to sleep, but I didn’t, and I slept the entire night just fine. The next day they were very swollen. Like, half a grapefruit under each armpit swollen. I was a tiny bit worried but I had no hot/red spots and still 0 pain. Everything looked good so I guess it was normal. I wouldn’t have wanted to work or anything, as I felt uncomfortable from the swelling, so I just hung out all day. Day 3 was considerably less swollen, I even cleaned my house (vacuuming, mopping, etc). Today is day 4. They’re a little swollen and still numb, but not bad. I went for a 3 mile run and I feel great. Ok, so now for results. I haven’t worn deodorant since the day before my procedure. I have 0 smell and I haven’t dripped one single drop. I was moist under both armpits after my run today, but it was normal sweating, not excessive. If these results continue I will just cry from being so happy. I could not have asked for better results so far. I know they say it takes 1-3 months for final results so I will have to update here. If my results stay the same (I had level 5), I will not be having another treatment and I thought for sure with the amount I sweat before that I would need at least 2 treatments. I have been wearing my husbands t-shirts since I came home (to hide swelling and bruises) and haven’t had ANY wetness at all. I had seriously read every single review on Miradry and goggled everything I possible could’ve and I can say it was worth every single penny so far! Long-term results is all I am anxious about, so we’ll see how things go as time passes. Updated on 18 Apr 2017: Updated on 15 May 2017: I'm still in shock of how amazing Miradry is. Im also still a little worried the sweat will come back. At 4 weeks and a few days I am still about 90-95% dry in my right armpit and about 95-97% dry in my left (it never sweat as much). I sweat when I exercise (normal damp wetness). When i'm cold or a normal temp, I don't sweat, at all. When I'm hot, I get sticky or damp. I have not had one single drop of sweat drip down my arm since the morning right before my procedure. I wear deodorant but probably don't even need to. As far as how my armpits feel, they're not back to 100% yet. They feel like the in-between of when something is numb and coming back to feeling. Not sore, just strange. They look completely normal though. Every once in a while I feel the stretching "band" they're talking about but I am not restricted in movement or anything. At this point if I stay the way I am, I don't know if i'll even get a second procedure. All in all, Miradry has been amazing in my case and I hope it stays this way. Serious life changer!!!! Updated on 8 Jun 2017: Tomorrow is 8 weeks since i've had miradry. I would say that my sweating is reduced by about 90-95% (my left armpit might even be more). I don't know if I'll be having another treatment. At the same time I want to so I can try to reduce even more, I feel that before the treatment I would've only dreamed of having my sweat reduced as much as it is now. My only regret is that I didn't have Miradry done earlier. I have not had one single drop of sweat drip down my arm and I am only wet when I run or am outside for a while (Its summer in SC, so high 80's to 90's). When I am cold, I am completely dry. I know 1500-2000 is a lot of money to shell out for a procedure but if you're contemplating getting it, go for it. It's really worth the shot and if you get results like me, you'll be so happy!
I had Cellifina in July 2019 and although I loved that it was local (gas) and it is a treatment that gave me 80% improvement, my provider did not tell me that there was a guarantee (the machine messed up towards the end - literally kicked back - and they missed several areas), but every time I contacted them to get resolution, they never responded. When I went there, they told me a myriad of different stories. I even contacted Cellifina and they were going to resolve it, but then COVID hit and, despite my sending them photos that they requested of the two areas that needed redoing, they never responded back (albeit, it was a difficult time). That being said, it was definitely worth it. It was uncomfortable, but if you have good compression garments and maxi pads to soak up the leaking (I did leak thru to my bed, so keep a towel under you), it's not so bad. It took 6 weeks for most of the bruising to go away, but a year for the circles on one butt check (this was when the machine was malfunctioning) to go away! I'm posting photos from before, right after, a year later, and 3 years later (you'll see that the photos look 'nice' due to the lighting, then you'll see the ripples that are really there). I did lose 10 lbs last year which made my skin looser and the 'missed' spots look worse. Right now I'm considering a procedure to tighten the skin, get rid of the cellulite that's left/correct the missed spots, and maybe take away a little fast on my inner & outer thighs. I have no idea what will work best for my situation at this point. Overall, I recommend it as all of the other things I tried (lasers, endermologie, non-invasives) didn't do a thing. The next step is probably invasive, but I'm looking at the least traumatic ones.
The staff member did go over the procedure in detail and explained the time frame and the results I was going to receive. $1200.00 later I still have the same problem with my skin. I did complaint and they offer me a supplemental treatment and to put it mildly it was a joke. I should have seeing Dr. Pentel first, however, I believe the service and results of treatment should be an extension of the Dr. who is leading the office, and her reviews were excellent. In their defense, the staff at the front office was very kind, friendly and professional.