Please see this 66-year-old female who improved her lower leg cellulite appearance through scarless RENUVION technology.
Cellulite refers to the appearance of lumpy skin dimples; cellulite risk is increased with skin thinning that occurs naturally with aging. Additionally, aging of the skin results in skin growth, looseness, and sagging, compounded by the effects of gravity.
What is Cellulite?
Cellulite is the undesirable appearance of redundant skin that typically occurs over the upper legs and buttocks. The cellulitic appearance is compounded by stretching out of retaining ligaments, which are rope-like cables that keep your skin attached to the underlying muscles; finally, rubber band-like molecules that keep the skin taut, called elastin, are depleted from the skin as you age, resulting in your skin feeling more stretchy.
A unique group prone to Cellulite are patients who have gained and subsequently lost substantial weight. These patients can include post-pregnancy moms who gained more than 50 pounds during pregnancy or bariatric patients who lost 50 to 100 pounds. Infrequently, we also see cellulite appearance in overweight patients as children and young adults who have subsequently acquired a healthy lifestyle and voluntarily lost weight.
The main pathology for Cellulite includes the overgrowth of skin and stretching out of supportive cables, called retaining ligaments. Aging alone results in the growth of skin cells and, thus, an increase in excess skin. This is compounded by weight gain that results in the growth of fat cells that then push on and stretch out the retaining ligaments.
Once weight loss or even liposuction is performed and the fat cells shrink down or are removed, these cables can become redundant, thus making the skin loose and creating a dimple. Any residual fat will then herniate along with the areas of thinned-out or excess skin or stretched-out cables. This sequence of events creates small crater-like appearances characterized by dimples. This cellulite appearance is most observed in the thighs, hips, and buttocks. Interestingly, Cellulite affects women mostly.
Historic treatment for Cellulite
The treatment of Cellulite requires addressing the pathophysiology that has evolved throughout the last decade. An early theory regarding the formation of Cellulite was that a central normal caliber band in the center was retained that pulled against circumferentially stretched-out bands. The rationale was that this central band needed to be released. Cellfina was introduced as a proprietary method utilizing a microblade to cut the central connective tissue’s normal band. The Celfina system used a suction cup that pulled up the skin to allow for the localization of this band. The second maneuver involved tightening the stretched-out bands. Cellulase uses a laser device to tighten the retaining ligaments tissue bands along the perimeter of the dimple. However, these two maneuvers still need to eliminate Cellulite effectively.
Definitive treatment of Cellulite at SurgiSculpt
Definitive treatment of Cellulite requires not merely the transaction or tightening of retaining ligaments but the elimination of skin redundancy. Regardless of minimal skin redundancy or many cellulite dimples because the skin is moderate to severely loose, a skin reduction procedure must be considered.
The Renuvion J plasma scarless skin tightening tool can be employed for minimal to moderate loose skin, for patients with moderate to extensive skin looseness, skin excisional surgery such as a lateral thigh and buttock tuck will be advocated. It is important to reiterate that noninvasive cellulite treatments are ineffective once cellulite forms. Rather than surgical, both elimination of fat deposits and redistribution of fat tissues as well as accommodation of skin redundancy must be made to improve the appearance of skin.
SurgiSculpt for Cellulite Surgery Consultation
If you are concerned regarding the appearance of Cellulite, then a virtual consultation can be completed to assess the severity of your Cellulite. Once you have completed your consultation, a definitive recommendation will be made to eliminate your cellulite appearance. In addition, it is important to consider precautions that must be taken to avoid the recurrence of Cellulite. First, you must adhere to a healthy lifestyle that will prevent weight gain, increasing your body fat and adipose tissue, and stretching out the skin structures.
