What is Laser Cellulite Removal?

Laser cellulite removal is the dissolution of the fat cells that cause cellulite by concentrating light energy below the skin. There is little or no pain, swelling or bruising associated with the treatment. The cellulite treatment heats up and softens the connective tissue under the skin and breaks up the cellulite. There is no danger of burning, because the laser gives off a very low level energy. It is noninvasive, and no side effects have been recorded.

Cellulite is a problem for 80-90 percent of women who are more than 20 years old. The dimpled, orange-peel effect is caused when fat deposits build up under the skin. Cellulite is not the bane of only overweight women — it affects people of all shapes, sizes, ages and fitness levels. It is the result of fatty tissue under the skin being affected by poor blood supply and inefficient waste removal. Fat cells swell as they are surrounded by toxins and push up against the connective tissue of the subcutaneous layer of skin, which changes the skin topography from smooth to bumpy.

Laser cellulite removal has evolved into a tri-phase treatment of laser light, a skin cooling mechanism and mechanical massage. The patient feels a warm sensation under the skin where the laser breaks down the cell membranes, which are the fibrous connective bands that envelop fat cells. The cooling fans keep the outer layer of skin cool, and then the massage encourages the removal of the waste through the natural lymphatic system.

There is more than one type of laser cellulite removal. Different treatments might use different types of lasers. The procedure can be expensive and, although most patients can reduce cellulite by about half after eight sessions or so, not everyone gets the same results. Furthermore, a return to an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle will undo the work, and cellulite will return.

Laser cellulite removal is effective because it removes the cause of cellulite — the swollen, trapped fat cells. Traditional cellulite treatments use topical creams and massage. These methods, however, cannot change the structure of the fat cells, as laser cellulite removal does.