POSTED UNDER Ellacor REVIEWS
Ellacor worth it for face/neck
ORIGINAL POST
WORTH It for Face/Neck. NOT Worth It for Above Knees (Off Label)
4ever YoungJune 26, 2022
$3,000
I watched and waited to get Ellacor for nearly a year. I then waited to write this review until the full healing was over.
The concept is perfect. They punch out cores of 8% of your skin in your mid to lower face. (and neck in my case)
And you can repeat it, up to monthly for even more improvement. Less risk of looking unnatural as a facelift might.
The Ellacor treatment was not painful for me during or after, and I took no drugs -- most people do. They do inject a local.
MID-LOWER FACE & NECK thumbs up.
The progress is slow enough-- it takes 3 months to see the outcome -- that if I hadn't taken pics, I would have barely noticed.
None of my friends could tell any difference, but the pics don't lie, it DID make a substantial positive difference.
Ellacor is still not for everyone IMO. They say '3-5 days downtime', but I learned that is just for the ability to put on makeup, and even that can take 2 weeks if your skin is still raw.
I had an event 4 weeks after treatment and still had to cake on thick makeup to hide the red squares. thick makeup --ugh). It took at least 2 months for me to not have to cover up my red squares.
I was told beforehand that was rare for redness to be there after a month, but my friend who did it still has red spots after 3 months. And another clinic told me multiple people took 3 months. I believe it takes longer if you are fair-skinned as we are.
So ASK re redness duration, especially if your goal is multiple treatments to get the result. I'm happy I did it this once, but I would not go the through months of healing again -- and the worry about scarring. That is too long to do Ellacor multiple times.
____________
ABOVE THE KNEES thumbs down
Okay, in fairness, knees are off-label. (so is the neck fwiw). But, I wanted to avoid knee wrinkles that we starting.
So, 3 months later I still have red square scars in the entire area. I just did BBL laser for it last week. Fingers crossed that they go away. A PA told me it was taking multiple IPL treatments for redness.
____________
MORE:
I also did CO2 laser on my upper face at the same time. That looked great, and my local doctor & I can see the improvement. Healing was in the normal time frame.
Good news/bad news: Ellacor dissolves filler. For me that was *good* as my filler from years ago had migrated lower (Go on YouTube, it's more common than you might think). So, I was happy to have it gone.
__________
BOTTOM LINE:
Ellacor is still new. I would wait for more RealSelf reviews to try it out. Especially since Cytrelis is just starting to scale this, so they will have to make sure there is adequate training and the right calibration. The downtime may improve as they do so.
I'm not sharing my doctor's name, because this review is on the technology, not the doctor. Important to separate the two.
The concept is perfect. They punch out cores of 8% of your skin in your mid to lower face. (and neck in my case)
And you can repeat it, up to monthly for even more improvement. Less risk of looking unnatural as a facelift might.
The Ellacor treatment was not painful for me during or after, and I took no drugs -- most people do. They do inject a local.
MID-LOWER FACE & NECK thumbs up.
The progress is slow enough-- it takes 3 months to see the outcome -- that if I hadn't taken pics, I would have barely noticed.
None of my friends could tell any difference, but the pics don't lie, it DID make a substantial positive difference.
Ellacor is still not for everyone IMO. They say '3-5 days downtime', but I learned that is just for the ability to put on makeup, and even that can take 2 weeks if your skin is still raw.
I had an event 4 weeks after treatment and still had to cake on thick makeup to hide the red squares. thick makeup --ugh). It took at least 2 months for me to not have to cover up my red squares.
I was told beforehand that was rare for redness to be there after a month, but my friend who did it still has red spots after 3 months. And another clinic told me multiple people took 3 months. I believe it takes longer if you are fair-skinned as we are.
So ASK re redness duration, especially if your goal is multiple treatments to get the result. I'm happy I did it this once, but I would not go the through months of healing again -- and the worry about scarring. That is too long to do Ellacor multiple times.
____________
ABOVE THE KNEES thumbs down
Okay, in fairness, knees are off-label. (so is the neck fwiw). But, I wanted to avoid knee wrinkles that we starting.
So, 3 months later I still have red square scars in the entire area. I just did BBL laser for it last week. Fingers crossed that they go away. A PA told me it was taking multiple IPL treatments for redness.
____________
MORE:
I also did CO2 laser on my upper face at the same time. That looked great, and my local doctor & I can see the improvement. Healing was in the normal time frame.
Good news/bad news: Ellacor dissolves filler. For me that was *good* as my filler from years ago had migrated lower (Go on YouTube, it's more common than you might think). So, I was happy to have it gone.
__________
BOTTOM LINE:
Ellacor is still new. I would wait for more RealSelf reviews to try it out. Especially since Cytrelis is just starting to scale this, so they will have to make sure there is adequate training and the right calibration. The downtime may improve as they do so.
I'm not sharing my doctor's name, because this review is on the technology, not the doctor. Important to separate the two.
4ever Young's provider
UPDATED FROM 4ever Young
6 months post
(Almost) 6 month update part 1
4ever YoungSeptember 13, 2022
It has been almost 6 months. I think my face looks the same as at 3 months. I realize I should take pictures -- as hard to remember. Cytrellis does state 3-6 months for full healing/impact. So it will be important for me to take photos.
I'm still glad I did my face.
I want to add that for a while the skin texture ('dewiness') for my face didn't seem as good as before Ellacore -- and now it's finally back! I also did some exfoliation a couple of times (light glycolic acid -- only for a minute), and maybe that helped.
I'm use to laser treatments where the 'injury' actually improves texture right away.
It may have just been time, but it is a relief to have healthier looking skin again.
KNEES
The BBL did help the red marks on my knees somewhat -- but it took months -- for the first month I noticed no improvement.
I'm going for 1 more round of BBL for my knees this month and my fingers are crossed that they will finally look normal again. The good news is at least makeup covers it -- but who wants to wear makeup on their knees? I actually do wear makeup on them when I'm out with shorts as I'd be too self-conscious about the red marks otherwise.
Once the knee redness goes, I can better assess any improvement in knee wrinkles.
If Ellacor + 2 rounds of BBL is what it takes, it will have been worth it for my knees and I will revise my rating for it.
Yes, BBL adds to the cost -- but I don't see any other solution for knee wrinkles. Surgery on an area you bend all the time is too risky for me.
I'm still glad I did my face.
I want to add that for a while the skin texture ('dewiness') for my face didn't seem as good as before Ellacore -- and now it's finally back! I also did some exfoliation a couple of times (light glycolic acid -- only for a minute), and maybe that helped.
I'm use to laser treatments where the 'injury' actually improves texture right away.
It may have just been time, but it is a relief to have healthier looking skin again.
KNEES
The BBL did help the red marks on my knees somewhat -- but it took months -- for the first month I noticed no improvement.
I'm going for 1 more round of BBL for my knees this month and my fingers are crossed that they will finally look normal again. The good news is at least makeup covers it -- but who wants to wear makeup on their knees? I actually do wear makeup on them when I'm out with shorts as I'd be too self-conscious about the red marks otherwise.
Once the knee redness goes, I can better assess any improvement in knee wrinkles.
If Ellacor + 2 rounds of BBL is what it takes, it will have been worth it for my knees and I will revise my rating for it.
Yes, BBL adds to the cost -- but I don't see any other solution for knee wrinkles. Surgery on an area you bend all the time is too risky for me.
UPDATED FROM 4ever Young
6 months post
6 month update with pics
4ever YoungSeptember 13, 2022
I just took my ~6-month photo in the same lighting as the 3 month. I can't tell the difference between 3 months and 6 months.
But then I took a pic in super unflattering lighting. Still an improvement over my before pic, but not as great. Looking back, that before pic must have been taken in unflattering lighting too.
Trying very hard for consistency and accuracy. I'm always aware of lighting and angle in before/after pics.
My conclusion: Yes, improvement from before Ellacor. My current look is like the more flattering pic, but my 'before pic' was not as bad as it looked relative to my 3 months due to the unflattering lighting.
Thus the improvement from Ellacor is not as remarkable -- but still I at least had improvement. And I'm happy with my current look.
ps Good news: Knees redness MUCH better from the first BBL round (took new pics) -- but not posting those pics to keep anonymity.
But then I took a pic in super unflattering lighting. Still an improvement over my before pic, but not as great. Looking back, that before pic must have been taken in unflattering lighting too.
Trying very hard for consistency and accuracy. I'm always aware of lighting and angle in before/after pics.
My conclusion: Yes, improvement from before Ellacor. My current look is like the more flattering pic, but my 'before pic' was not as bad as it looked relative to my 3 months due to the unflattering lighting.
Thus the improvement from Ellacor is not as remarkable -- but still I at least had improvement. And I'm happy with my current look.
ps Good news: Knees redness MUCH better from the first BBL round (took new pics) -- but not posting those pics to keep anonymity.
Replies (5)
September 14, 2022
Thank you for your post, with Ellacor so new it’s great to read an honest review!
I am scheduled for my first treatment but keep going back and forth on if I should just go for the facelift with more dramatic improvement but has the trade off of recovery time and higher risk.
Did you contemplate a face lift?
How long did the redness on the face last?
I am scheduled for my first treatment but keep going back and forth on if I should just go for the facelift with more dramatic improvement but has the trade off of recovery time and higher risk.
Did you contemplate a face lift?
How long did the redness on the face last?
September 14, 2022
My biggest advice to you if you go with Ellacor is to make sure whoever is doing the procedure has done a number of them.
Yes, I contemplated a facelift. My recovery time with Ellacor was pretty long -- really 2 months before I I didn't need heavy unnatural looking makeup to cover the red.
I've been told that my recovery time was longer than others, but you never know.
I didn't do the facelift because of the risk of an unnatural-looking result. Just looking at celebrities, it seems impossible to predict. From my 'expert' friend: Folk with facelifts can look fine from the front, but from the profile view, their skin pulls oddly when they talk.
So if I were you: I'd do a round of Ellacor, and see what my results and recovery time were. If results are good and your 'visual' recovery time is low, then IMO repeated Ellacor procedures will be far more natural looking than you might get from a facelift. (unless your muscles are droopy too and you need the SMAS facelight -- just tightening skin won't get you there.
And remember that BBL/IPL can supposedly get rid of the redness if it lingers.
Yes, I contemplated a facelift. My recovery time with Ellacor was pretty long -- really 2 months before I I didn't need heavy unnatural looking makeup to cover the red.
I've been told that my recovery time was longer than others, but you never know.
I didn't do the facelift because of the risk of an unnatural-looking result. Just looking at celebrities, it seems impossible to predict. From my 'expert' friend: Folk with facelifts can look fine from the front, but from the profile view, their skin pulls oddly when they talk.
So if I were you: I'd do a round of Ellacor, and see what my results and recovery time were. If results are good and your 'visual' recovery time is low, then IMO repeated Ellacor procedures will be far more natural looking than you might get from a facelift. (unless your muscles are droopy too and you need the SMAS facelight -- just tightening skin won't get you there.
And remember that BBL/IPL can supposedly get rid of the redness if it lingers.
September 19, 2022
Hi, from my understanding the cores can go up to 4 mm deep into the skin, (from 1 to 4 mm i think) would you mind me asking how deep the machine went with your session? Thanks a lot x
September 22, 2022
I don’t see your doctor listed. Would you share their name and contact information
Replies (37)
Dermatologists charge MUCH less than plastic surgeons. One plastic surgeon I looked into were charging $3500 just for the mid to lower face. Another plastic surgeon charged less, but the PA did it. Not criticizing that, just being clear.
I was told by someone else that knees take longer to heal.
It was Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute, with Jill Waibel. They were half the price of the places in Calfornia.
This was last Spring, so prices may change. But I think since she is a derm and not a plastic surgeon, she simply charges less.
Plus, my understanding is Dr. Waibel was part of the trials, so had more experience than anyone else -- had been doing this for years. That was important to me.
It was cheaper for me to fly there and get two sections done than to do otherwise. I wore a mask on the planes, so I didn't stand out.
I have a question, im almost 30 but my concern with this is the scars? Did you notice any (minimal) scarring on your face? Since what this device does is basically tiny punch excisions, im really scared to scar my face
Thanks a lot!
The good news is I had absolutely no 'little holes' scarring from it. Just the red marks from the original squares. Yes, those are scars but BBL or IPL should treat it. I've heard from one provided that it was not uncommon to need it and it adds to the cost. Another said more rare. Maybe as the machine is more tested and providers get more experience that will be more rare.
I will find out after round two of BBL on the red marks on my knees whether the redness really is reversible. It will take a couple of months.
Yes, I had laser before this -- multiple times. FYI, laser helped my acne scarring and skin texture, but I never noticed tightening. My girlfriend who also took longer than they stated also had laser done multiple times. We share ideas and have done similar things.
It had been at least a couple of years since we each had laser though.
I just posted an update.