How Long Should a Pelleve Treatment Take?

Question

How long should a Pelleve treatment take? I think my technician spent about 20 minutes total for face and neck in the first of three treatments. From what I've read, it should last 45 min to an hour. I'm going tomorrow for the 2nd of three sessions, should I insist on a full hour? no results to speak of from the first treatment, and at $1800 for the 3 sessions, it's a heavy hit and I want my money's worth.

Philip Solomon, MD, FRCS · Answer

Pelleve results vary. I believe it is a useful antiaging device but its results are subtle in most cases. A full facial treatement should take about 45 minutes. There are other more aggressive antiaging skin treatments such as CO2 lasesr which has downtime and risk. In my practice Pelleve is terrific for patients trying to preserve collagen in their 30s and 40s. Each year we lose facial collegen. With regular pelleve treatments you are stimulating and maintaining collagen.. It works well in conjunction with IPL, botox and fillers.

Sheila S. Nazarian, MD · Answer

In my experience, Pelleve treatments of the face can take as little as 20 minutes. With more experience, I am able to get the temperature of the skin to the effective temperature of 40-45 degrees Celcius faster than when I first began using the machine. I make 5 passes to get every area of the face to this temperature range 5 times. I just made a video and is being uploaded as I answer you! XOSheila Nazarian

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

Every provider may perform a cosmetic treatment differently, but in our practice it takes 45 minutes to do Pelleve on the face and neck. We have a very high patient satisfaction rate with this procedure.

Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACS · Answer

It is true that the company that manufactures the Pelleve advises that a full facial treatment typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour. 

	You will know if you are getting an effective treatment if the area being treated becomes very warm before the technician moves to the next area. The treatment should never be painful, but the more heat that you can tolerate the more effective the treatment will ultimately be.

	You should have mild swelling and redness that usually goes away within a few hours to a day.Many people see the result immediately after just one treatment, with lasting improvement for up to six months as the skin produces new collagen. 

	If you are concerned with the length or effectiveness of your treatments you should discuss them with the supervising physician. We have seen remarkable results with the Pelleve in my practice.

	I hope this information helps.

	Best of Luck,

	Dr. Clevens

Vivek Bansal, MD · Answer

We did not buy the Pelleve system because we have not seen enough data on the effectiveness of the treatment to justify the cost. Thank you for your question and good luck.

How Long Should a Pelleve Treatment Take?

Answers (5)