Earlier this year the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported findings from a new study published in the November/December 2008 issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal that suggested a combination treatment using laser energy and fat transplantation shows promise in significantly improving cellulite. Cellulite is a common condition that gives the appearance of lumpiness and dimpling across the skin and is most prevalent in the thigh, hip, and buttock areas.



?Cellulite is caused by bands of fibrous tissue that connect the muscle to the skin,? says Alan Gold, MD, President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). ?If these bands are tight and the fat between the muscle and the skin bulges out between them, there will be dimpling over each of those bands. There is nothing otherwise special or unique about the fat itself in those areas.? Almost all women (and some men) have cellulite, stemming from genetic predisposition, hormonal changes and weight gain. And in major cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego cosmetic surgery procedures may provide significant improvement in the dimpled appearance of cellulite.

Doctors treated 52 women between the ages of 18-47 with severe cases of cellulite who had not undergone previous surgical treatments such as lipoplasty or subcision (cutting scar tissue just below the surface of the skin). After the laser tightening and fat injections, patients received a massage to evenly distribute the fat and returned the next day for physiotherapeutic postoperative treatments. The follow-up period ranged from a year to almost 3 years, and nearly 85% of the patients rated their results as ?good? or ?excellent?, and out of many individuals across the country who were recipients of liposuction or a tummy tuck San Diego patients have reported very high satisfaction with their cosmetic surgery experience.

In the southern California area, San Diego plastic surgeons offer various methods of treating cellulite in including:

?Liposuction

?Fat Injections

?Lower Body Lift

?Endermologie

?Injection lipolysis

?Herbal and dietary supplements

?Creams and lotions

While some of these procedures, such as fat injections and lower body lift, have been shown to be beneficial in appropriately selected patients, others such as injection lipolysis and lotions do not have any scientific data supporting their efficacy.

Nd:YAG laser lipolysis and autologous fat transplantation are proven procedures for various aesthetic conditions, and the use of these same modalities for cellulite treatment, may offer both a safe and effective new alternative. ?Although there is currently no ?cure? for cellulite, this study provides hope for people who have the most severe cases,? says Foad Nahai, MD, Editor in Chief of ASJ. For local patients considering cosmetic procedures San Diego-based East Lake Cosmetic Surgery provides friendly and professional plastic surgery services.