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Updated: Sep 17, 2025
Tissue Characterization after a New Disaggregation Method for Skin Micro-Grafts Generation
Published on: March 4, 2016
Histologic Study of Abdominal Skin Treated With Mechanical Dermal Micro-Coring Technology for Minimally Invasive Skin
Ashish C Bhatia1,2,3, Karl Napekoski4, Jill Edgecombe5
1Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Background:
Mechanical Dermal Micro-Coring Technology (MCT; Ellacor System) achieves skin tightening and wrinkle reduction through direct mechanical excision of skin cores using hollow needles and collagen stimulation via the wound-healing response.
Aims:
To evaluate histopathology and immunohistochemistry of the skin and subcutaneous tissue after a single and multiple treatments with MCT.
Patients/Methods:
In this single-center pilot study, 6 female patients scheduled to undergo abdominoplasty were divided into 2 cohorts. Subjects in cohort 1 (safety cohort) received 1 MCT treatment at a depth of 4 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm, each administered at 1 of 3 unique test areas, with tissue sampling/abdominoplasty 30 days after treatment. Subjects in cohort 2 received 1, 2, or 3 4 mm-depth treatments at 1 of 3 unique test sites, with 30-day intervals for > 1 treatment. Tissue sampling/abdominoplasty occurred 90 days after initial treatment. Histopathology was performed at a central laboratory, and biopsies were evaluated using H&E, Herovici, and Movat stains by blinded evaluators.
Results:
A robust increase in new collagen compared to the control tissue was observed for 1 to 3 treatments in all samples. There was no evidence of inflammation or scarring, consistent with earlier preclinical and clinical histology.
Conclusions:
MCT-associated histological changes confirm that in addition to skin removal, treatment results in an increase in collagen and homogenization of the dermis in the treated area.
