Costs: Crepey Skin on the Body. Is there anything I can do? Part 3/3

Crepey skin on the body! We’re fit, healthy and aging. What can we do?

• Part I was on prevention
• Part II was on specific body areas and newer RF and laser tech.
• And Part III is on costs, and what may be possible in the near future.

There really hasn’t been much new in the laser world in the past decade, but radiofrequency (RF) and other uses of sound waves is truly starting to come into its own, in my opinion.  I’m going to an advanced RF and laser technology conference in about 3 weeks, so stay tuned for more that’s new and coming.

I really advise staying away from Groupon (Is that still a thing? I hope not.) promotions that exceed 5-20% (signals a problem to me) and clinics that advertise a lot — unless they are a start-up. If they are good, why aren’t they busy?

Costs are really, REALLY dependent on where you live. The same procedure, with an experienced MD or mid-level, may be twice or sometimes even three times as much in New York or Beverly Hills. I’m going to give “mid-market” general estimates and “gestimates” below, but you’ll need to check in your own community. The best doctors tend to charge more. Also, for most doctors, “consumable” costs have gone up. A “consumable” is the Botox or Dysport vial that needs to be reconstituted after it arrives, or the tip for a Fraxel Dual, treatment for example.

Cost Ranges for Body Treatments (examples):

• Fraxel Dual: While the face usually runs around $800-$1,300, body sites will almost always be more due to more surface area. Many clinics will estimate this individually due to that. Remember, there are 2 wavelengths on this laser. One is for texture and one for brown spots. Most clinics will price these as one treatment and then customize for you.
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Not great for the body generally, but wonderful for the face, eyes, chest and neck. Can run anywhere from $1,000-$4-7,000 depending on the how many areas treated. Should be MD only.
• Profound (deep RF): There’s a subQ tip for fat on the body and a dermal tip for face and neck. Generally ranges from 4-8K depending on what’s being done.
• BBL: Generally not great on the body due to the possibility of “striping” with it. If you’re interested in removing brown spots, usually a “roller” technology, not a “stamping” technology, will be better.
• Superficial RF — Like the Thermage, Exilis: These are not as effective on the body as it is on the face and range from $800-$2000 generally. I’m very interested to see how some “mid RF” devices perform over time on the body, like the Morpheus 8 or Cutera Secret for example. More data is needed.
• Coolsculpting:  The results for this treatment can vary greatly depending on the individual. This depends on how many treatments are needed and the size of applicator used.

Also, microneedling on the body doesn’t work generally!

I Hope this Helps,

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD
Founder of SkinTour
Follow my skin tips and travels on Instagram!