Denise Dajles, CEO of Cytrellis Biosystems, is steering the company through a major growth phase for ellacor, a first-of-its-kind device that removes excess skin without surgery. The technology targets a long-underserved group of patients: those with noticeable skin laxity who aren’t candidates for, or interested in, surgical intervention, yet need more than standard energy-based treatments can provide.
A Market Reshaped by GLP-1 Drugs
Dajles points to the surge in GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy as a key driver of demand. With a large share of American adults now using these drugs, many patients are losing substantial weight and left with loose skin on the face, abdomen, arms and knees. Ellacor works through what the company calls Micro-Coring Technology, using hollow needles to remove tiny sections of skin and prompt the body’s own regenerative healing process, resulting in tighter, more natural-looking skin.
Building Trust Through Clinical Evidence
Introducing an unfamiliar treatment category has required more than marketing, according to Dajles. She emphasizes that Cytrellis leans on more than ten clinical studies and peer-reviewed publications to back its claims, avoiding exaggerated before-and-after imagery common elsewhere in aesthetics. That evidence-first approach, she says, has helped win over physicians who quickly moved from skepticism to requesting training once they connected ellacor to the GLP-1 trend among their own patients.
Cytrellis has since expanded internationally, with a presence in Canada, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa, Japan and South Korea. Dajles says the company remains in the early stages of growth, with room to expand into new indications, markets and physician networks — all while staying grounded in the patient outcomes that motivate the work.