By Beth Landman
Despite the multitude of treatments, new machines and injectables that pop up in aesthetic doctors’ offices, advances are few and far between, so when they appear, we take note. Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank is on the trail of two such breakthroughs, to be introduced this fall. “We have been living in a world of redundancy, a new filler or a new neurotoxin, but they basically all do the same thing,” he says. “What I am most excited about are new technologies that have categorical shifts. There has been a COVID bottleneck—things that were supposed to come out were slowed down—but now a lot is happening.”
One system he is focused on is Ellacor, which employs a new skin-extracting method called fractional microcoring. “This machine has been in the making for three to five years, and it’s almost like a sewing machine,” he says. Small needles core out and quickly remove little pieces of skin, and those holes close up in 24 to 48 hours, tightening the area and reducing wrinkles. Approximately 8 percent of surface area is removed in each treatment, with three or four sessions suggested at monthly intervals. There are only about three days of downtime, so you can have the procedure on a Thursday and return to work Monday.
“It’s great for moderate laxity and lines, and it’s much closer to a face-lift than any device on the market,” says Dr. Frank. He also looks forward to eventually using it on the body.
“Ellacor is FDA-approved for the mid and lower face, but I foresee it being used on the arms, thighs and décolletage. Crepey skin on the body is one of the biggest complaints patients have. With this, you are cutting out skin without having to do surgery.”
Another new tool Dr. Frank is eager to introduce is the Emface, which, like the original Emsculpt, uses electromagnetic energy to contract and tone muscles. “We are seeing new devices that work directly on the structural weakness of the face that develops with age,” he explains. “We can expect a similar groundbreaking technology for improving the muscular support of the face that Emsculpt delivered for the body.”
The technologies have come along at just the right time, says Dr. Frank, because people have relied too heavily on Botox and fillers. “Botox, when overused, can exacerbate the droop of a forehead, and filler can make the face look fat rather than defined,” he explains. “Although injectables will never be abandoned, we are finally on the precipice of technologies that can complement these treatments, and target the aging processes at their root cause.”
Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank is a celebrity cosmetic dermatologist with locations in the Upper East Side and the West Village. pfrankmd.com
