Apollo TriPollar RF on The Doctors

Dr. Ordon: Thank you for joining us on Aesthetic TV. Today, we're going to talk about how to get rid of something none of us want, but we all get as we age.

Misha: That is unfortunately true, Dr. Ordon. No matter what you do, wrinkles and sagging skin are going to eventually creep up on every face, even the fittest of bodies.

Dr. Ordon: That's right, Misha. Adult skin loses one to two percent of its dermal collagen deposits every year. But the good news — we don't have to live with the wrinkles and loose skin we get from aging anymore. We have great treatments available that can rejuvenate the skin on both the face and the body.

Misha: I love it. Well, I know that I'm starting to see a few lines already on my face that I could definitely live without. And we all have those little trouble spots that we wish we could firm up. I'd love to know more about what treatments are available to get rid of these irritating wrinkles.

Dr. Ordon: Well, I think I have one that you're going to love. It's called TriPollar, and it uses radiofrequency energy.

Misha: Radiofrequency energy — that sounds a little bit intense.

Dr. Ordon: Well, it's actually a very safe and effective treatment method. It's been used in medicine for over 75 years, and we've been using it in aesthetic medicine for more than 10 years already. And I've asked leading Los Angeles cosmetic dermatologist and plastic surgeon Dr. Ronald Moy to join us today, to tell us more about TriPollar and how it can help keep a refreshed, rejuvenated appearance. Dr. Moy, thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to Aesthetic TV.

Dr. Moy: My pleasure. I want to tell you and the audience some things about TriPollar and how it can be used on the face and the body. TriPollar radiofrequency technology is an innovative, proprietary third-generation radiofrequency technology developed by a company called Pollogen. TriPollar harnesses the inherent benefits of radiofrequency technology and overcomes the limitations of the previous monopolar and bipolar technology that Dr. Ordon and I have used. It's simple to use, and it's extremely efficient. TriPollar treatments deliver immediate, visible tightening and contouring effects from the first treatment, and they're long-lasting aesthetic results without any surgery and without downtime.

Misha: So you mentioned mono and bipolar technologies. How is TriPollar different and superior to them?

Dr. Moy: That's a good question. Monopolar is the first generation that Dr. Ordon and I used. It's radiofrequency, but it uses one electrode to deliver electrical energy and then a return pad that's connected to the leg or to the back, which closes the electrical circuit. The electric current passes through a large part of the body area, so there's really no control over the depth of penetration, which caused a lot more pain. And because the energy wasn't focused, it required a lot more power to reach the therapeutic window. Oftentimes it really couldn't be done without a lot of pain. The second generation is bipolar technology, which uses two electrodes on the treatment-area applicator, with the current flowing between these two electrodes. Now, this confines the treatment area somewhat, but still doesn't really achieve the effective treatment focus. Since both monopolar and bipolar technologies aren't focused, they usually require much higher energy levels to achieve clinical results. And this high energy is focused near the electrodes and not necessarily in the skin, where you really want the tightening effect. Not only that, this can cause pain and a higher risk of burns and skin damage — and I've had that happen with the first generation. In addition, these older technologies require cooling mechanisms to mitigate these risks, which results in less efficient heating of the skin layers. With TriPollar radiofrequency technology, the controlled energy is delivered with three or more electrodes, and it's centered between them, so it limits the energy to a smaller treatment area. This focused energy delivery results in improved treatment efficacy that gives immediate, visible results. So our patients are really happy even from the first treatment. The treatment is painless, it's pleasant, because it's really low power that's needed. My wife had a treatment and said she felt no pain at all.

Misha: Well, it sounds like TriPollar is a great advance in RF technology for aesthetic medicine. I'm dying to know how the treatments actually work, though, on both the face and the body.

Dr. Moy: TriPollar treatments will reduce facial wrinkles by heating the skin from within, using medically proven radiofrequency energy. This internal heat causes collagen to contract — collagen fibers are the key structural components of the skin. This contraction results in immediate wrinkle reduction. Simultaneously, the heating causes an increase in metabolism of the fibroblast cells, and these cells are responsible for collagen production, which also gives tightening. The new collagen provides the skin with added flexibility, some thickening, and leads to long-term wrinkle reduction.

Misha: Wow, well, it sounds quick and easy. How long does the treatment actually take to perform?

Dr. Ordon: You know, Misha, this is another one of those lunchtime procedures. There's no surgery and no downtime. You can walk into your doctor's office at the beginning of your lunch hour and walk out 30 or 40 minutes later, looking younger and feeling better.

Dr. Moy: That's right, Dr. Ordon. Patients can immediately return to their normal routines following a treatment.

Misha: I like the sound of that. Well, how many treatments does a patient need to get optimal results?

Dr. Moy: Well, patients will notice a difference after the first treatment — even in the middle of a treatment they often see a difference. But we recommend about four to six sessions, with about a week between treatments, to get the face and the body absolutely looking their best.

Misha: Now, I'm not the best at tolerating pain when it comes to getting treatments. So what does a TriPollar treatment feel like, and should I be a little nervous?

Dr. Moy: You have absolutely nothing to be scared of. It really feels like a warmth, or like a hot stone massage, is what my wife said. It's very pleasant, it's pain-free. In fact, we have patients that are so relaxed that during a treatment they actually fall asleep.

Misha: Is TriPollar something that works on pretty much anybody with wrinkles?

Dr. Moy: Yeah — unlike lasers, TriPollar is really suitable for all skin colors. Even the darkest skin color, my skin color, any type of skin color, and it's really not affected by any of the skin pigmentation issues. That's really a great advantage TriPollar has over laser treatments.

Misha: I noticed in that video that the practitioner was using a kind of video monitor during the treatment. What is that all about?

Dr. Moy: I'm glad you asked. That's the LumaCam. The LumaCam works with the TriPollar and helps us to see exactly how we're treating the skin in real time.

Misha: Wow, that looks really high-tech. Now, what exactly are we looking at here?

Dr. Moy: Well, you can see that the healthcare provider is actually doing the treatments, and on that screen behind is where you can see the thermal measurements. So we make sure that we get the temperature up to the right temperature, so that we get the skin contraction and the tightening that we want. And you can see she looks very comfortable. She's looking at the thermal energy on that screen.

Dr. Ordon: So as you can see, the LumaCam represents another evolution in delivering radiofrequency treatments. It uses infrared technology to show both the patient and the practitioner the temperature of the skin. This way we know that the skin is being heated to the proper 40 to 42 degrees Celsius for the face, and 42 to 44 degrees Celsius for the body. These are the temperatures you want to get and maintain in order to see the best results.

Dr. Moy: That is the tightening that we want.

Dr. Ordon: Well, in fact, we have a LumaCam here today. Take a look. I'm going to show Misha's face, and you can see precise measurements. If we were doing a treatment, you'd be able to see where the treatment is most effective and get precise measurements of her skin temperature. We can see you heating up there.

Misha: Yeah, that's amazing. Isn't that cool? Well, this really is a benefit to both the patient as well as the practitioner — they can actually see that heat that's being generated. And this treatment is all about generating heat in the right place to get contraction and new collagen.

Dr. Moy: Well, that's exactly it. The LumaCam is the most advanced diagnostic tool available for radiofrequency treatments. It's really a huge leap over the old way of manually testing the skin temperature with a thermometer, which really requires stopping the treatment. By visually mapping the skin temperature in real time, you can really ensure the best possible results.

Misha: Well, speaking of results, let's see some actual patient results that you brought with you here today.

Dr. Moy: You can see here really significant tightening — that maybe is comparable to some of the surgery that you perform, right?

Dr. Ordon: Yeah, I mean, that amount of lax skin — she looks like she's had a mini tummy tuck.

Dr. Moy: Here you can see, really, in this neck area, where a lot of people are always complaining about this looseness, you can see at least modest tightening after six treatments. It's probably not as good as a facelift or a neck lift, right? But still significant tightening.

Dr. Ordon: For sure. And I mean, we talk about it all the time — surgery is not for everybody.

Dr. Moy: And this is one of the most common areas that people come to me with complaints about, and that is this arm area. I don't think we have a good operation for this, but you can really see both fat reduction and tightening of the skin.

Dr. Ordon: There was really no good operation for this, right? Not one that doesn't leave significant scars. That is incredible.

Dr. Moy: And then this is cellulite, and maybe some unevenness that maybe you would call, well, cellulite and loose skin. And we really get really amazing treatments. There are certainly other things out there that people have touted for cellulite — this is the best that we've seen in our hands. Especially that it's non-invasive and really easy, and they're easy treatments.

Misha: Those are some really incredible results. Now I know exactly what to do as those inevitable wrinkles start appearing on my face as I get a little bit older.

Dr. Ordon: And of course, as always, patients need to maintain a healthy diet and get some exercise to help maintain those results. And also, it's always a good idea to start maintaining your beauty before age gets too much of a head start. It's far easier to control and maintain a youthful appearance if you begin while you still have that youthful appearance.

Misha: I couldn't have said it better myself, Dr. Ordon. And TriPollar is a great procedure for someone just starting to notice those fine lines and wrinkles on the face, as well as those who want to tighten areas like the stomach or the thighs or arms. Now, Dr. Moy, thank you so much for being here with us today, talking about TriPollar treatments for facial wrinkles and skin tightening on both the face and the body. It's such a great technology, and I'm sure our viewers will love the results.

Dr. Moy: I'm sure they will too. Thank you very much for having me on your show.

Misha: If you would like to find out where you can have a TriPollar treatment in your area, make sure to visit the Aesthetic TV physician finder on our site for more information.

Dr. Ordon: Well, that wraps up another episode of Aesthetic TV. We hope you enjoyed learning about TriPollar and how it can help you look and feel your best. I'm Dr. Andrew Ordon. Thank you for watching Aesthetic TV, and remember to stay tuned and stay beautiful. Bye, everyone.