What’s one thing that up to 90% of women have in common?
Cellulite! It’s something we’re all talking about and all wanting to improve for ourselves in one way or another. So let’s talk about what the options are.
To start off, let’s discuss what cellulite actually is and what causes those dimples to appear on our skin in the first place. Cellulite is a phenomenon where the tethering bands that connect our skin to our deep underlying muscle fascia creates dimples or a wavy light texture on the surface of our skin. It has nothing to do with weight and can appear after weight gain or weight loss.
So what are the treatment options for cellulite? We used to have a device called Cellfina, and this was a subcision device that allowed us to sever these connective bands to release and smooth the skin. This treatment gave great results, but the problem was that it was extremely expensive and labor intensive to perform, so it never gained much popularity in the dermatology community.
We now have a new targeted verifiable subcision device called Aveli. It performs similarly to cellfina, but in a much more comfortable and less complicated fashion! Aveli goes under the skin and allows us to release these adhesions to smooth out the surface of the skin and remove that cellulite appearance. It’s getting great reviews from the doctors who are currently performing it!
Severing those tethering bands is going to be the most effective treatment option for cellulite, but I often get asked what else can be done. Here are some other options that, while not as effective as subcision, will help minimize the appearance of cellulite:
- Building muscle. This helps by increasing the volume under our skin and essentially stretching the skin a bit to smooth out the contours. Emsculpt is a great option for this as is good old diet and exercise!
- Tightening devices, like Thermage, will improve the integrity of the skin and aid slightly in the minimization of cellulite dimples
A note of caution: an injectable treatment called Quo has been used in the industry for cellulite treatment, however, this is not a treatment I recommend to anyone. There have been a lot of reports of complications such as hyperpigmentation and a type of bruising that essentially stains or discolors the skin long term from the use of this injectable. So if this is something you are interested in please make sure to do extensive research and know the risks.
To find out what I think about at home cellulite creams and devices watch my YouTube video below!
