Cellulite

Cellulite is not a disease, but rather a cosmetic skin condition that is very common, especially among women. The dimply skin syndrome generally affects certain areas of the hips, legs, back of thighs, abdomen and buttocks.

Cellulite can affect both men and women, but it is more common in females as 80-90% of women may experience cellulite at some point in their lives.

Even though almost all women will get cellulite somewhere on their bodies, women are often embarrassed by the cottage cheesey-like skin texture and try to get rid of cellulite or reduce its appearance.

The exact cause of cellulite is unknown, but it appears to result from an interaction between the connective tissue in the dermatological layer that lies below the surface of the skin, and the layer of fat that is just below it. In women, the fat cells and connective tissue in this layer are arranged vertically. If the fat cells protrude into the layer of skin, it will give the appearance of cellulite. In men, the tissue has a criss-cross structure, which may explain why they are less likely to have cellulite than women.
Cellulitis grades:

• Grade 1, or mild: “orange-peel” appearance, with 1-4 superficial depressions, and a slightly “draped” or sagging appearance to the skin
• Grade 2, or moderate: a “cottage cheese” appearance, with 5-9 medium-depth depressions, and the skin moderately draped.
• Grade 3, or severe: “mattress” appearance, with 10+ deep depressions, and the skin severely draped.

Several therapies have been suggested for removing cellulite, but none has yet been confirmed by scientific research.

In our office we have had moderate improvement in the appearance of grade 1 and 2 cellulite with Venus Freeze treatments every week for 10 treatments and maintenance treatments every 3 months.