Exilis Skin Tightening Treatment
Non-Surgical Fat Removal and Body Contouring in the San Diego Area
Dr. Melanie Palm is an expert in the use of Exilis to tighten and tone skin, remove stubborn fat deposits, and for body contouring without surgery. She serves as a clinical investigator, advisory board member, and speaker for BTL, the maker of Exilis. Her offices are located in Solana Beach, CA just north of San Diego.
What is Exilis?
Exilis is a no-downtime, no pain, in-office procedure used for both combined skin tightening and non-invasive fat removal and body contouring. It is used to tone skin and improve skin texture while reducing unwanted areas of the fat using radiofrequency technology. Exilis is completed as a series of sessions and gently warms the skin to encourage collagen growth and reduce unwanted fat.
How Does Exilis Work?
Exilis is a monopolar radiofrequency device. Specialized, safe electrical energy is delivered by the Exilis handpiece to the skin. A grounding pad, usually placed on one’s back during the treatment, ensures safe delivery of the radiofrequency. During treatment, radiofrequency energy flows from the treatment tip to the skin, warming the skin to approximately 42 to 44 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, collagen undergoes structural changes. Over a period of weeks to months following treatment, new collagen growth is encouraged, leading to improvement in skin texture, laxity, and even wrinkles.
What Areas Can Be Treated with Exilis?
Exilis is FDA-cleared for skin toning and firming and can be used on many areas of the face and body. Common areas of treatment on the face include the neck and jowls where it is used to tighten skin and reduce fullness related to fat deposits.
Exilis is also an excellent procedure for tightening and toning areas of skin laxity on the body. It can be used on the abdomen, flanks, arms, and thighs to slim the silhouette and improve skin texture due to aging.
Exilis Treatment FAQ
Exilis is priced as a package of four sessions to encourage the best results. Pricing is based on the area of treatment. Discounts are provided when multiple treatment areas are treated.
Exilis is easy and painless. Treatment to a single area takes approximately 20-30 minutes. During treatment the Exilis handpiece is constantly gliding over the skin in continual arcs and circles. The treatment feels like a warm roller ball floating over the skin’s surface. No pain medication or numbing cream is necessary.
A series of treatments is recommended. Exilis is typically performed as 4-6 sessions spaced two to four weeks apart, depending on whether skin tightening, fat reduction, or a combination of both is being targeted.
Not at all. Unlike many other skin tightening devices, there is no downtime following treatment with Exilis. The skin appears normal and without inflammation after treatment. The skin may feel slightly warm to touch or pink for several minutes following treatment.
As Exilis works by stimulating new collagen growth, a process called “neocollagenesis,” results take some time to develop. Typically, results are seen within a period of weeks to months.
Exilis leads to visible skin tightening effects but maintenance treatments are always encouraged. Typically, patients may have a “touch-up” session once six months to a year, although the frequency is highly dependent on the individual.
Patients with relatively good skin elasticity or “spring back” respond more readily to treatment. Younger patients may have more dramatic responses. Patients with poor skin texture may have more modest results or require more frequent treatments. Anyone seeking skin tightening or mild body contouring of stubborn areas of fat without surgery may benefit from Exilis.
Small areas needing skin tightening or small amounts of body contouring are best suited for Exilis treatment. Frequently treated areas on the body include the abdomen, thighs, arms, knees, and neck. A more superficial treatment head of Exilis, called Protégé Elite, is used to treat crepiness on the face including around the eyes and lower face.
Adverse effects from Exilis are uncommon and mild in nature. Mild redness or a hive-like reaction is possible but rare. A burn or nerve injury is extremely unlikely given the automatic shut-off safety features on this radiofrequency device. This differentiates Exilis from other radiofrequency devices that may cause burns or pain, especially when treatment occurs over bony surfaces.
Yes. Exilis is an excellent complement to Ultherapy, a robust ultrasound device used as a nonsurgical alternative to deeper tissue tightening. Exilis may also be combined with Protégé Elite during the same treatment, another radiofrequency device that best targets crepey, superficial skin changes. Patients that have undergone liposuction may also benefit from a series of Exilis treatments following surgery to encourage further skin tightening and enhance the body contouring effects of liposculpture. Typically, botulinum toxin injections such as Botox and Dysport are avoided on the same day of treatment. Fillers such as Juvederm or Sculptra are best completed at separate visits. However, other aesthetician services may be completed on the same day, and Protégé Elite could be completed the same day as some laser or light-based procedures such as IPL or Spectra.
If you are in the San Diego area and would like to learn more about how Exilis can tighten and tone your skin, remove unwanted fat, and give you a smoother silhouette, call Dr. Melanie Palm at 858.792.SKIN (7546) to schedule your appointment.
