The Apollo Lands At Skin Rejuvenation Center & Spa

An exciting event has taken place in our little town of Danvers: the Apollo has landed!

Okay, we’re not talking about space travel, here, but to many women this news rivals in significance.

The Apollo is a revolutionary new tool in science of skin care to help women fight the effects of aging. Created by a company called Pollogen, the Apollo will tighten the skin of the face and neck area painlessly, and without any surgery. Treatments last usually up to two hours, and the results are long lasting in the clinical trials.

The technology is not news to European women who have had access to it for years; but with recent FDA approval in the United States, Saundra Grillo of Skin Rejuvenation Center & Spa is the first to get it and offer it to women on the North Shore.

Grillo recalled from her earliest memories a strong desire to be in the cosmetic field. “I wrote a letter to Estee Lauder when I was ten years old asking her what I should do, because I wanted to be a cosmetic chemist," she said. "She sent me books and pamphlets, that I’m sure I didn’t understand, but she sent me a letter telling me what I needed to do.”

Now, as President of , Grillo is a licensed Medical Esthetician and Permanent Makeup Artist who is a nationally recognized educator, lecturer and practitioner. Originally from Walpole, now residing in Salem, she has owned and operated her medical spa for over twenty years, first on Newbury Street in Danvers, and now at 105 Water Street in Danvers for the past five. Her background is in education and fine arts, and she also has a masters in business, so she’s been able to incorporate all of her skills and education into her successful career.

When Grillo learned more about the Apollo at the last International Congress of Aesthetics, she contacted doctors in the Phillipines to find out what kind of results they’d had. "I knew I wanted this machine," she said, after hearing their positive experiences.

It took about a year of jumping through hopes to get the Apollo, but Grillo said now that its in, women are flocking. "I am booked out three weeks. My clients are so excited about this; I’ve been getting phone calls asking if it’s [yet] in for weeks, and now I can finally tell them: yes, the Apollo has landed at Skin Rejuvenation,” she laughed.

Using three electrodes, and no metal on the body, the aesthetician can control the amount of heat to the given area without needing to cool off with ice, which was necessary with the previous two technologies. Grillo described the procedure as feeling like a hot stone massage, only better.

“I tell my clients: we’re aging every day; nothing can stop the aging process, and of course because every individuals lifestyles are so different, the results will vary, but most of my clients are seeing results after the first visit. A week later, they look even better because it they’ve begun to remodel the collagen fibers under the skin, so their face looks more uplifted, their eyes wider. It’s amazing.”

Alongside Grillo, the staff includes Dr. Anthony Conti, who has over 4000 patients in his own practice, Linda Feeney, a registered nurse for over thirty years who got her degree from Boston Children’s and a licensed aesthetician for twenty five years; and Lisa Dunn who Grillo said, gives the best facial around.

“I want my clients to feel comfortable when they walk through the door; I wont let them leave without taking samples of the products, and we like to follow up with our clients and make sure they are doing well. ”

Services at Skin Rejuvenation Therapy include a full menu to relax, rejuvenate and pamper, from body wraps and exfoliation, detoxifications and massage; medical microdermabrasion, chemical peels, Perfector Treatment, Cryo Stem Skin Therapy, and laser treatments, all geared towards women who want to achieve a more youthful looking appearance without undergoing surgical procedures. The newest machine, The Apollo, also reduces the appearance of acne scars, stretch marks and cystic acne.

"We’re making history here in Danvers," Grillo said, noting that the machines traveled to town from Israel. "It's been a pretty intense way to end 2011 and a great way to go into 2012. This is my passion. It’s what I was meant to do-and I love that I get to do this."