Cellulite treatment: Compare practices from our network

Cellulite is the dimpled, uneven look of skin, most often on the thighs and buttocks. Most women have some, including people who are slim and very fit. It forms where fibrous bands beneath the skin tether it downward while the fat between them pushes up.

Because cellulite is a structural issue rather than a matter of excess fat, treatments that remove fat often do little for it. Cellulite treatments instead work on those bands or on the tissue around them, either by releasing the bands directly or through repeated mechanical massage.

Cellulite is common and medically harmless. No treatment removes it for good, and results vary from person to person; the aim is a smoother look, not perfectly even skin.

The practices in our network offer two different approaches:

• Cellfina. An FDA-cleared, minimally invasive procedure that releases the fibrous bands behind each dimple, using local anesthetic. Usually a single session, with results lasting years in studies.
• LPG Endermologie. A non-invasive device that combines suction and rolling massage, given as a course of sessions. Low risk, with modest and temporary results unless continued.

Weight loss and exercise can also make cellulite less visible for some people, as extra weight can accentuate it and more muscle can make the skin look firmer.

Cellulite is shaped by the bands beneath the skin, not just by how much fat there is. Liposuction and fat-reduction devices remove fat but are not an effective treatment for cellulite, and can sometimes make it more visible.

Cellulite treatment generally suits healthy people near a stable weight who are bothered by dimpling on the thighs or buttocks and have realistic expectations about how much smoother the skin will look.

It is less suitable if you:

• Are mainly bothered by excess fat or loose skin rather than dimpling
• Are seeking weight loss
• Are at an unstable weight or actively losing weight
• Expect a permanent, complete result

Assessment. Your provider looks at the type and pattern of your cellulite, your skin quality and whether fat or loose skin is part of the picture, then explains which treatment fits. For Cellfina, the dimples to be treated are marked beforehand.

Cellfina. After local anesthetic, a small device uses a micro-blade beneath the skin to release the fibrous bands causing each dimple, so the skin can spring back smoother. Treatment takes about 45 to 60 minutes in the practice, with no general anesthesia or stitches.

LPG Endermologie. A treatment head combining suction and rolling massages the skin and underlying tissue. Sessions are repeated over a course, often once or twice a week, and need no anesthetic.

After Cellfina, bruising, swelling and tenderness are common. Bruising usually peaks after two to three days and settles over one to two weeks. Most people return to normal activities within a day.

• Walk gently straight away to stay active without aggravating swelling
• Wait about one to two weeks before intense lower-body exercise
• Follow any instructions on compression garments and wound care
• Attend follow-up so your provider can check the result

LPG Endermologie needs no recovery time. Any improvement builds across the course and tends to fade once sessions stop.

Cellulite treatments are generally low-risk, but each has trade-offs worth understanding:

• Bruising, swelling and tenderness, common after Cellfina, usually settling within two weeks.
• Uneven or limited improvement, some dimples respond better than others, and a touch-up is occasionally recommended.
• Results that do not last, with massage-based treatment, improvement fades without continued sessions.
• Cellulite returning, weight change, aging and hormones can change skin texture again over time.

When to seek medical attention

• Increasing pain, redness or warmth in a treated area
• Discharge from a treatment site, or fever
• Bruising or swelling that keeps getting worse after the first few days

Contact your provider's practice directly, or seek emergency care, if you experience any of the above.