BODY by BTL Wows Patients and Providers

An interview with Roxanne Krempa

By Kevin A. Wilson, Contributing Editor

Originally appeared in The Aesthetics Guide, September/October 2017 Issue

Roxanne Krempa is lead body sculptor and practice manager at Bay Area Body in San Francisco, Calif., the body sculpting arm of the practice of Kathleen Welsh, M.D. She developed and manages the body sculpting practice, and is a proponent of Body-By-BTL for its ease of use, non-invasive nature, and outstanding results. For her, each component of Body-By-BTL provides something different, unified by safety, efficacy, quality, and a low consumables cost moving toward the common body shaping goals for each patient. She is responsible for treatment planning but has also used the devices and interacts regularly with patients. “What we use depends on the patient’s needs,” she explained. “Often we’ll use the three devices together if patients want the most correction from debulking to specific area reshaping, and for some a simpler debulking with BTL Vanquish ME on the torso or legs is sufficient. Some are just seeking to treat cellulite so we’ll generally rely on BTL Exilis Ultra plus BTL Cellutone.”

According to Krempa, Body-By-BTL broadens the patient base. “The thing about BTL Vanquish ME, and even BTL Exilis Ultra, is that everyone’s a viable candidate regardless of their size. We do a lot of cryolipolysis but it has very specific uses, and many patients who want some kind of treatment are just not viable candidates for it. With BTL Vanquish ME you can treat most anyone and get results you can see. And BTL Exilis Ultra is so customizable, between the different applicators and control of treatment depth, you really don’t have to turn people away. And you get significant results with these, alone or together.”

The ubiquity of skin tightening with BTL Exilis Ultra is also a major benefit, she added. “Everyone can use skin tightening, and wherever there’s fat reduction from treatment or natural weight loss, or some combination, you’ll have skin laxity and people want that tightening as part of the outcome.”

With the largest spot in the industry to date, the non-invasive RF of BTL Vanquish ME is scientifically proven to melt fat in massive areas in up to four comfortable, 45 minute treatments applied to the torso (Core applicator) or thighs (Flex applicator) without shelving or other signs of demarcation. The RF field is automatically configured when placed 10 mm from the surface of the treatment area, and differences in tissue impedance assure fat specific treatment non-invasively. Fat and other debris are processed by the body naturally and are removed via lymphatic drainage. Transformations can be quite extraordinary, with abdominal circumference reductions as high as 29% as shown in clinical study.1

BTL Cellutone is an acoustic wave cellulite treatment whose mechanical vibrations improve microcirculation (and thus local oxygen supply) as well as waste removal and drainage. While BTL Cellutone may be used by itself, it is best and most often used to enhance treatment with BTL Vanquish ME or even BTL Exilis Ultra. Among other things the combination results in more rapid onset of results, which patients love. “This is an integral part of our regimen, and we usually use it before and after most BTL Vanquish ME treatments as well as after BTL Exilis Ultra.”

The dual-action RF and ultrasound of BTL Exilis Ultra relies on RF to melt fat and tighten skin, with ultrasound assisting in the process by improving tissue time to temperature target, and promoting uniform heating. The effects of Exilis RF have also been scientifically demonstrated.2 Variable Peltier cooling not only protects the skin, it helps modulate treatment depth for therapies that can tighten skin at the surface or melt subcutaneous fat. EFC (Energy Flow Control) technology guarantees consistently optimal energy delivery via on-board monitoring and adjustment of energy output, assuring both top outcomes and comfortable patients. “As far as consistency goes the RF output of BTL Exilis Ultra is the most consistent I’ve ever seen, in my experience,” she stated. And with both fat and skin treatment capabilities, it’s an ideal cellulite fighter, attacking underlying fat and tightening the skin as well to leave a smoother, youthful result. Users can employ the larger standard applicator for the body, a smaller standard applicator for areas such as the face and neck, or the finer F-Tip for pinpoint accuracy suitable even for periocular use. “BTL Exilis Ultra is the only thing we have for cellulite other than injections, which many patients do not want due to issues such as downtime, and the results have been well received.”

Patient experience with Body-By-BTL is universally positive, according to Krempa. “So far we’ve seen excellent results overall,” she said. “Patients undergoing BTL Vanquish ME plus BTL Cellutone definitely tend to be satisfied, but the happiest are those who also receive BTL Exilis Ultra as well. For those who underwent BTL Exilis Ultra for skin tightening, fat reduction, or cellulite, we have 100% patient satisfaction up to this point.” The experience of undergoing treatment itself is also positive. “Patients using BTL Vanquish ME, for example, tend to report that it’s pretty relaxing and comfortable. We explain every aspect of the treatments and results thoroughly, under promising and over delivering, so that there are no surprises, but the basic safety and comfort of Body-By-BTL devices makes this easier.”

Body-By-BTL, due to its non-invasive nature and the modalities employed, are also highly suited for use with other technologies. Many practitioners combine these devices not only with other body sculpting modalities as well. Bay Area Body is a top provider of cryolipolysis, so it’s no surprise that BTL technologies have been safely and easily used in conjunction with that popular therapy by Krempa’s staff. BTL Exilis Ultra is regularly employed after cryolipolysis to enhance the fat reduction result and especially for tightening. “Cryolipolysis is a great modality but it’s not for everybody, and by its mechanism of action there’s no chance of additional tightening other than whatever skin contraction the patient gets naturally, so tightening with BTL Exilis Ultra can make a big difference.”

“We also combine BTL Exilis Ultra with some of our older modalities such as fractional array bipolar RF for additional tightening and toning of the skin, for example.” Krempa also reported using the injectable poly-L-lactic acid filler with BTL Exilis Ultra in cases of severe cellulite, where spot volumization is needed to augment the result.