$300,000 in One Year: Why EVERESSE was a Game Changer for this Laser Expert

Paul Kraft, CLT, LSO, is a laser specialist at Vida Bela Plastic Surgery in Plano, Texas. With a background in both dermatology and plastic surgery, Paul is renowned internationally as an early trailblazer in creating multi-modality treatment protocols to address any patient’s unique needs, often in a single treatment with a short healing time.

As one of the early adopters of EVERESSE, Paul shared with us why he added this device to his arsenal, how it has impacted his patients, and the different ways he’s using it in combination protocols.

WHY EVERESSE CHANGED THE GAME

Q: Thank you for sitting down with us! Can you share with the audience a bit more about your background? 

Paul Kraft Day: I have been a customer of Cartessa for about four years now, but I’ve been in lasers for 16, going on 17 years now. I started my career in this industry in medical dermatology right out of laser school and back when lasers were first starting to take off.

I have always been a multi-device provider. My approach is to use whatever tools necessary to achieve the best results for each individual patient. My first Cartessa device was the Tetra, and I’ve expanded on that since with several others.

Q: With lasers being your bread and butter, what made you decide to bring EVERESSE into your practice?  

PKD: The most common thing I do every day is something I call regenerative maintenance, where we put energy into the skin at multiple depths, tricking the immune system into building collagen and elastin, knocking out reds and browns, lifting, tightening, and more. At the time, I needed something that was going to be highly focused on skin tightening. As an early adopter of RF microneedling, I thought EVERESSE was a gamechanger for tightening the skin without injuring the epidermis. We got early access to the device and ended up with one of the first EVERESSEs in the field (in North America).  

Q: What was your first impression of EVERESSE?

PKD: From the very first procedure with it, I could tell the EVERESSE was something really different, special, focused. I quickly learned that I could literally sculpt with this device; it earned a spot in my lineup. And now, one of my most popular combinations is the Motus PRO and EVERESSE in the same procedure. They both have no downtime and instant results. [This combination] is transformative for patients, and it’s a great revenue source as well.  

A Cut Above The Rest

Q: Given your extensive experience with different devices and modalities, we’re curious to hear how EVERESSE is different from the other devices you’ve worked with in your career.

PKD: We are fairly accustomed having this conversation with patients: we did this great procedure on you, and now we wait two to three months to see how your immune system is going to respond, and then we’ll start seeing the results – which is a huge leap of faith.

We’ve never had a procedure like the EVERESSE where the patient sits up and instantly you see dynamic change. Plus, it’s quick, has no pain, no discomfort, and no downtime. Patients literally can go right back into their day, which was absolutely breakthrough. And the fact that we can see such great results and improvements that just keep on getting better is why EVERESSE has quickly become a mainstay in my practice.

Q:  How would you compare EVERESSE to other non-invasive skin tightening devices you’ve had experiences with?  

PKD: I've had the Softwav done to myself, because everything always starts on my face when we’re thinking about bringing in a new device. And I’ve been very close to Xerf. Marketing claims are one thing, but the reality is another. With EVERESSE, there’s a lot of power available in the device, the tip quality and the cooling ability is incomparable, and I can adjust how far the energy goes based on fluence and number of pulses and types of pulses.

Having experienced all these other skin tightening devices, there’s really no comparison [to EVERESSE]. It has a long way to go before it’s replaced by something else.

The other great thing about EVERESSE is that it plays well with other devices. I’m often doing two or three or even more modalities in a single treatment to deliver the best, most dynamic results, so the EVERESSE fits well into my approach.

Q: You mentioned that one of your most popular combinations is the EVERESSE and Motus Pro. When stacking When you’re stacking these two modalities, which treatment do you perform first? 

PKD: I start with the Motus PRO – I use both the Alexandrite and YAG wavelengths. Then I add EVERESSE on top, targeting the face, neck, and collarbone. I’m relatively aggressive with the settings, but the treatment is very tolerable as both devices have integrated cooling (Motus PRO with the sapphire tip, EVERESSE with continuous water cooling). I can get a tremendous change from this combination.  

DiVERSE APPLICATIONS

Q: Who kind of patients do you recommend EVERESSE to? 

PKD: If they're not a GLP patient, I'd say anybody 35 or 40 or over, I'd rather get started them earlier rather than later. As long as they have visible laxity and elasticity issues, we can get a really fast turnaround with that.

Most of my patients are on GLPs now, including myself on the GLP-3, so we're seeing a lot of loose skin and volume loss. I’d recommend EVERESSE to anyone on these weight loss medications.

I can also perform very targeted treatments with the EVERESSE, such as lip lifts, brow lifts, and tightening around the eyes. But fixing the skin is always the first step; I am the skin wizard. I insist on treating the skin first, then as we go, we can add in these targeted treatments like the lip and brow lifts as a standalone.

Q:  How do you think EVERESSE fits in with injectables, specifically fillers? 

PKD: I have always focused on very natural looking enhancements in all the practices I've been with over the years. It’s a prerequisite for me. If we have patients that haven't been doing fillers or they're considering doing fillers, I always tell them, we need to adjust the laxity and tone and all that good stuff with energy-based modalities first and then reconsider if we're going to do fillers. And if we do, always lift, tighten, resurface first, and then use fillers for fine-tuning at the end of the road.

early adoption, rapid success

Q: How many treatments do you perform on average?

PKD: I quit counting tips. For the first year, I used to have a bin that I would put all my used tips in – there were a lot of tips. Now, I’m doing anywhere from three to six EVERESSE treatments a week, and it’s almost always in conjunction with the Motus PRO or Helix.

The other thing I want to mention is the addition of the new larger S Tip, which has really enhanced my EVERESSE procedures immensely. I know it’s technically designed for the body, but I’ve been using it for V-Shaping the lower face and neck, and it’s the best thing in the world.

Q: From a business standpoint, what impact has EVERESSE had on your practice? 

PKD: We were one of the first practices to get the device, so we had a “cold start” – not a lot of people had heard of the device when we first got it. In our first year with EVERESSE, we did close to $300,000.  

Q: What would you say to a practice that already has other modalities, where does EVERESSE fit?  

PKD: As far as energy-based modalities, I see EVERESSE as a major food group. It's incredibly important, and it does things other devices don't do, and vice versa.

The injectables side of our practice is evolving as well. We now often combine energy-based modalities with biostimulatory injectables and see great results. There’s no competition, we’re just opening up new vistas for what we can accomplish by leveraging multiple modalities, including injectables.

Follow Paul Kraft Day @paulkraft | Follow Vida Bela Plastic Surgery @vidabelaplasticsurgery