The war against cellulite wages on as new, inventive technologies are created to combat the age-old skin deformity. Dr. Peter Fodor of Beverly Hills, California discusses using Vasersmooth, a tool that utilizes ultrasound energy, to effectively treat cellulite better than ever before.
By Peter Fodor, MD
and Adam McMillon
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com
What is Cellulite? No One Really Knows!
The complete details as to why cellulite occurs remain a mystery, but this is what we know:
- There are fibers that attach the muscle fascia to the skin with fat in between.
- When a person accumulates fat in these areas, the fat bulges out while the fibers remain taut. Dr. Fodor describes cellulite being similar to the way buttons are sewn into a Chesterfield sofa. Interestingly enough, the reason that women are plagued far more by cellulite than in men is due to an anatomical difference in the way the fibers attach.
- In women, the fibers attach perpendicular to the skin, which creates the Chesterfield sofa-like dimpling. In men, however, the fibers are attached at an acute angle, which doesn’t lead to an environment suitable for dimpling. “Cellulite is the number one skin disease, without you actually being sick,” says Dr. Fodor.
How to Defeat those Pesky Fibers
“Energy,” says Fodor. “When I explain what we think causes cellulite, patients often say, ‘Can’t you just cut the fibers with a scalpel?’ The answer does seem obvious, but the process must be done delicately.” Fodor describes how years ago, taking a blade to the fibers showed some positive results, but they didn’t last for long. The cut fibers would reach toward each other and grow back together, causing cellulite all over again. “The only way to snip these fibers and make sure they stay apart is with energy. Whether it be lasers or ultrasound, we attack the fibers and cause them to release the pressure on the skin that causes the dimpling.” When it comes to the device, Fodor vouches for a method he helped to pioneer that is showing positive results: ultrasound energy by way of the Vasersmooth probe. “I opt for ultrasound as the results are less destructive on the body,” explains Fodor. “A lot of the time when I see patients who have had laser energy used, the tissue damage around the problem areas is irreversible. Ultrasound is a far better option and the results for Vasersmooth on cellulite are 50-90% with no side effects or damage to the body.”
Sculpting with Ultrasound to Make Beautiful Skin
In general, patients plagued by cellulite have fatty areas that have exaggerated fibers. Slicing the fibers may release the pressure, but the source of the problem (the fat) remains. Due to this, Fodor utilizes other ultrasound equipment during cellulite treatment to remove and rearrange the fat to make a better environment to keep cellulite at bay. “By using ultrasound, I can go in and destroy the hardened fibers and also rearrange and remove the fat to make sure the fibers have no way of rejoining. The technology is fairly new, but the theory is sound and has been for some time. While heavily dimpled patches may have to have more than one procedure, small areas of cellulite can be treated only once and have a success rate of 80-90%. After a few months of using these tools, I’ve only met complete success and happiness from my patients.”