Cellulaze: First scientifically validated laser cellulite treatment approved by FDA

Cellulaze, a pioneering invasive cosmetic treatment which targets the dreaded appearance of quilted, pitted fat, has hit the market causing a media storm.

Affecting more than 8 out of 10 women, cellulite is considered one of the curses of female gender, but Cellulaze is considered one of the best weapons to banish orange-peel thighs.

Cellulite occurs when the strands that connect the layers of tissue and the fat below the skin (fibrous septae) gradually harden and contract, while the fat between stays the same and protrudes out in a lumpy fashion.

Diet, exercise, creams and massage do help, but chronic sufferers are constantly on the lookout for a long-term solution.

The Sunday Times Style magazine has reported that new laser cellulite treatment Cellulaze claims to melt the fat and then break down the fibres anchoring the tiny fat pockets, thus banishing the appearance of cellulite.

It is the first scientifically validated laser cellulite treatment to win the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which accepted the results of Cellulaze’s year-long trial last January.

The study was conducted in the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and monitored a group of women with an average age of 47.

It showed that just one Cellulaze treatment prevented the return of cellulite for at least a year. There are even claims that the earliest patients have remained cellulite-free for three years.

The treatment, which costs upwards of $4,000, takes one to two hours and involves a local anaesthetic and mild sedation, followed by the insertion of a laser rod, like a fine knitting needle, just below the surface of the skin through a series of tiny cuts, reported the Sunday Times.

Laser beams then transmit energy sideways from the rod to smooth out lumpy fat cells and heat dermal tissue. The method promotes skin thickening and tightening, resulting in tighter, smoother skin. The laser directly targets the structure of cellulite.

As well as destroying the lumps, it stimulates collagen production just below the surface, and, in most cases, gives a smoother result than anything previously achieved by other anti-cellulite treatments.

The Cellulaze laser fiber claims to level out bumps of fat, treat dimples by releasing the fibrous bands that pull down on the skin, and stimulate collagen production to increase skin’s depth and elasticity for a smoother look.

Liquefied fat is then pressed out.

Hassan Shaaban, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Sthetix clinic in Liverpool, was the British pioneer, and has now become the principal specialist training other doctors from across Europe in the technique.

He warns that not every patient will benefit.

“We classify cellulite severity from one to four,” he says.

“This treatment works best on stages two and three. In other words, women with serious cellulite will first have to lose fat by other methods.”

The cosmetic surgeon Angelica Kavouni, of the Cadogan Clinic in London, underwent the training last December and has already treated 15 women. \

“I am cautiously optimistic that it works, but I think most patients will also have to make lifestyle changes such as diet and more exercise to maintain the results,” she told the Sunday Times.